MY NAME IS CINNAMON

 

Author:  Vikas Prakash Joshi

Publisher: Hay House Publishers, India

Genre: Literary and Contemporary Fiction

Buy this book - here

Books are the quietest and most important of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and most patients of teachers.” stated Charles W. Elliot.

The very name of this book itself kindles the readers to know that why the author has chosen it.  Actually Cinnamon is the English word for the spice Dalchini. When the character Cinnamon was small, he was unable to pronounce the word of his name for long time.  He called himself Cimmanum or Cinnamum. His Baba and Maa found it so cute and they made it, his nickname.

The author Vikas Prakash Joshi has woven an enchanting story about the young boy Cinnamon. It’s a fabulous narration of the beautiful life of Cinnamon in seventeen chapters.  The story has many experiences faced by the young boy which  made him understand the reality.

The author who has started his writing career at the early age of eleven and later won “six letters of the week” contest.

Niloufer Wadia, the fine artist has illustrated about twenty-odd pictures with the propriety of the story and particularly the painting on the book-cover is simply awesome. 

Passion for new places and experience, curiosity to know about the native place, attention to even the small things, ability to ‘go local’, willingness to experiment and flexibility in situation are the rare qualities of a good travel writer.  The author has many of such qualities and made the readers to travel along with him Pune to Ratanpur, with a touch of travelogue.

Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. This finds place in this story with clear picture about the sacrifice of Baba Rishi and Maa Basundhara.  Though both of them were the social parent to Cinnamon, as a husband Rishi and as a wife Basundara were caring and understanding each other to bring up their adopted child Cinnoman.

Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from the biological parents to the adoptive parents.  When Cinnamon was six years old, he was adopted by his social parents Baba and Maa, from an adoption centre, Pune.  Baba told Cinnamon the story of the day they adopted him.  Baba and Maa brought up him very carefully and never hid from Cinnamon, or anyone else, that he was adopted child.

On hearing the words of his classmate Sundar, Cinnamon thought that he was being adopted child, not the real child and that why the social parents refused his request.  In this situation, the vivid narrative tells the story of a young boy who forced himself to overcome from his emotions, thinking about his real parents. So he wanted to meet his mother.

Aditi Gavit was the biological mother of Cinnamon a strong woman. She remarried, after the death of her first husband Vilas Krishnarao Gavit who was the biological father to Cinnamon.  To make their living, she along with her spouse Santosh dealing with countless rude customers in their own small high-way restaurant.   

Mark Twain said ‘really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.’’

Similar to this, the social parents help Cinnamon to overcome from his emotional stress and feel great.

The book definitely is the apple of the reader’s eye.

(This blog post is a part of Blogchatter's book review programme)