Hamari Gyano | Anuj Tikku | Book Review

More often than not books give us life lessons that prove to be way more effective than classroom sessions. This is especially true in the case of memoirs and biographies where we learn a lot from the experiences of others.

Hamari Gyano is one such book that gives us helpful insights into the world of law and order and how it is designed to reap lucrative dividends from the very people that it is meant to protect.

Read on to know more about my thoughts on author Anuj Tikku’s latest book and how was my experience of reading it.

What to expect?

Expect a book that tells us a short and true story of a crime of greed and deceit. Expect a book that throws light on the current law machinery of India. Expect a book that tells you a story of hope and perseverance. And finally, expect a book that tells you the author’s own story in his own words.

What is the book all about?

The book tells us the story of the greediness of one family who in their malevolence forgot their own humble beginnings and the gratitude of their employers. In their greed, they decided to fraudulently lay claim to the property that rightfully belongs to the family’s sole heir – author Anuj Tikku.

This is the story of a Nepali caretaker who came to stay with Anuj’s parents to look after their house but who became greedy enough to covet the very property that sustained him and his family for more than two decades.

The book derives its name from author’s nemesis in the story, Gyano – the Nepali caretaker’s wife who was at the forefront of this unfair battle.

In their scheming and plotting against the sole heir of the property, Gyano’s family decided to make use of forged documents and secure the backings of suspicious people who had ulterior motives with respect to the said property.

This is a true story of deceit and conspiracy, of the breaking of decades-old trust and of the birth of ravenous greed.

Who can read?

Hamari Gyano makes use of a language that is best suited for adults and as such I would recommend under age readers to refrain from reading it. Though the language is kept simple, the editing is such that it requires a lot of patience on the part of the reader to maneuver their way through the story.

How good is the writing style?

The writing lacks finesse and refinement. It is unpolished and more rant like in its style than I usually prefer.

The lessons learnt

There are multiple takeaways from the book especially for those who rely heavily on their helps and ‘man-Fridays’ in living their day to day life. The book also gives a lesson or two in how to deal with lawyers and how to avoid getting milked by them.

It also teaches one to be patient when it comes to court cases and dealings because one thing is quite evident from Anuj’s story – the entire law machinery works to milk the victims where justice is served but often deliberately delayed. And the delay is caused to extract as much money as is possible from the parties.

What did I like?

One redeeming quality of the author’s writing is his honesty and candidness.

There is no doubt that Anuj bares open his heart when talking about himself, his family and his circumstances. He does not believe in whitewashing his own shortcomings and misgivings.

He presents to the readers an image of himself that is both believable and unapologetic.

What I did not like?

Like most other books previously penned by the author, Hamari Gyano also lacks proper editing. The poorly edited work comes with its own share of issues.

From lack of proper structuring of content to rant style narration and often repeated text – the book has a lot of issues that left me desiring for something better.

What could have been better?

The language of the book is kept simple but the usage of words especially when it comes to women is vulgar. The overall impression is not of candidness but of unprofessionalism and crassness; a style that not many readers might be comfortable with. In addition to that, there were racist undertones and cases of inappropriate generalization that leave a bitter aftertaste. I strongly recommend using a refined and professional language.

The climax

This being a real story, I understand that the author doesn’t have much choice when it comes to the climax. It has to be narrated just the way it happened but even then, the wording and structuring could have been better.

Maintaining suspense for the reader and giving them a hook is vital for a book’s overall appeal.

This however, is not the case with Hamari Gyano where the reader has almost zero motivation to keep turning the pages and find out the mystery as it unfolds.

Is the book entertaining?

Though the purpose of the book is not entertainment, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Hamari Gyano isn’t interesting to read. Many important aspects of storytelling (because it is a story after all) have been ignored and that makes it a rather cumbersome read.

In the end

In the end, Hamari Gyano is a book that doesn’t deliver what it promises. The book and the story do have potential but the poor editing and formatting combined with lackluster writing and a content that is often repetitive, makes the book a rather insipid read.

Pick it up if

• Poor editing and abusive language don’t turn you off.
• You want to gain helpful insights into the functioning of Indian legal machinery.
• You want to acquaint yourself with real-life scams and situations that the author found himself into.
• You enjoy short reads.

Skip the book if

• You don’t like books that use unprofessional and abusive language.
• You can’t read books that aren’t properly structured.
• You are looking for fewer rants and more content.
• You can’t stand books that are poorly edited.

Buy your copy of Hamari Gyano using the link below.