A passage to India by E.M Foster

Title: A passage to India
Author: E.M Foster
Publisher: AITBS, Publishers India
Page: 316
Genre: Fiction, Classic literature
Price:Rs
ISBN:8174730435
Rating:4 out of 5
Source: Personal



Summary:
Set on during the British rule in India the novel largely focuses upon the relationship between the English and Indians...Mrs Moore and Adela Quested visit Chandrapore to see the real India..Adel is engaged to Mrs Moore's son Ronny...Dr Aziz takes Miss Quested and Mrs Moore to Marabar cave and the philosophical experience in the cave Miss Quested is subjected upon and a mystery of assault makes the rest of the classic novel...
Review:
I had an excerpt of it read to me by my school principle who loved reading to kids I was in my primary level..The way it was explained I can still hear her honey due voice reading to the class and explaining every bit of it..She also had mentioned that the novel is meant to be read when we grow up still its never early or late to read..But somehow I missed reading this book entirely, until  I happened to stumble upon it just by accident...British and Indian's seem to talk to each other but they are unable to communicate to eachother because of their different perception towards life laid by cultural difference..Symbolic portray of the Marabar cave was something I enjoyed in the novel , No matter what you yelled in the cave., it always reverberates  the same echo...Kind Mrs Moore and Miss Quested have an earnest wish to see the real India....
 Mrs Moore plunges all alone to local temple by moonlight and is taken aback by the personality of  Dr Aziz young intelligent Muslim Physician who constantly tries his hand in befriending British yet fails every time..He seemed to have develop a positive rapport with Miss Quested until she accuses Dr Aziz of raping Miss Quested that in turn flares a lot of anti-spirit  in society igniting a negative socio -political scenario between Indians and the British....There are few who defended Aziz among British and many who suspect him  until Miss Quested herself withdraws her case in court...Britishers imagined themselves a superior class over the Indians who propagated a belief that they were colonizing the countries in order to bring about civilization into their colony ...Famously calling it a "white man's burden"...Though their mode of education did a lot of benefit, especially adapting English as the medium giving the country a unified code of education,  but truth is they ruined the face of India more than they did good for the people...The novel was published when slowly the struggle for independence among Indians were cropping in..The novel also depicts Hindu Muslim divide which in future lead to the partition of the country..The best part was the mystery attached to the Marabar cave visit on the two ladies...All of it is left to the reader to read analysis and interpret it...Racial discrimination is at its peak..
History and rich Indian heritage is portrayed by the characters... British bureaucrats attitude towards Indians is also depicted...For me disappointment was I didn't find a captivating character in it.. I love to have few characters of the novel surround even after I am done with them..In this novel though the story had a depth and each character carried an essence nothing really was enough for me...

My 11th book for South asian reading challenge 2012