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A Free Man features the story of Mohammed Ashraf, an ordinary man just about coping with the daily grind in the city of Delhi. His story is the story of the hordes of people who lead similar lives, invisible people whose lives count for nothing unlike those of their rich counterparts.
Ashraf is a 40-year-old homeless day labourer. In the past, he has worked as a butcher, a tailor, and even as an electrician’s apprentice. He has lived in cities like Surat, Hyderabad, Patna, Calcutta, and Mumbai. As he goes about his daily life, the readers are introduced to the lives of the have-nots, how they merely exist from one day to another, with no future to look forward to and no purpose to call their own.
Some of the other interesting characters featured include Ashraf’s friends Lalloo and Rehaan, a barber named Bhagwan Das, and Sharmaji, an officer whose job is to catch beggars and have them tried and punished in court.
The author gives shocking glimpses into the world of the poor, a world where dreaming seems futile as all efforts to rise above a life of poverty and squalor repeatedly fall flat. He writes about everything from illegal bars to cheap liquor, from organ-selling rackets to public apathy. Through his hard-hitting narrative, he reintroduces the readers to a world they are familiar with deep down and one they choose to ignore out of apathy, guilt, and unease.
The book closely chronicles the life of an invisible, free man, a life lived in inescapable loneliness and perpetual limbo. It is gutsy and candid, funny and poignant, keeping the readers gripped throughout.
A Free Man was published in 2011 by Random House India. It is based on five years of research, during which the author spent most of his time studying the lives of the sidelined citizens of India at close quarters. It has received high critical acclaim for its candid, riveting reportage and exceptional narrative.ISBN - 9788184001341
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Pages : 240
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