Q&A by Vikas Swarup
參賽者：梁〇齡（法律四）
名次：第一名
書名：Q&A
得獎作品：
Deep, bold and charismatic, Vikas Swarup gives a close peek at the real life in India. By sending the readers to several places simply applying sentences and words to his writing, within hours the audience has been sent to Mumbai, Delhi, toured the Taj Mahal, fled across the whole country and ended up sitting in a TV program’s studio. The breathtaking adventures and the stunning story not only provide an exceptional reading experience but also arouse deeper consciousness towards the Indian society. And, in part, to arouse the real truth lies behind the human nature, which can be seen on even you and me. Poverty, fraud, illiteracy and helplessness of all the people in such a great country drive people to seek excitement and splendor. Q&A is heavy, yet powerful. Bombarded with the suffocating social realities and strong humanitarianism definitely would leave one deep in thought.
Ram Mohammad Thomas, an 18-year-old kid from the slum working as a waiter in the restaurant, survived to answer all the questions and won a billion rupees on a quiz show. Not surprisingly, the bureaus and the producers doubted his honesty and accused him of cheating in the competition. This dramatic plot unfolded the entire story while Ram recalled his fascinating adventure. From the moment he was found as an infant by a priest in Delhi, to an orphanage which turned out to be an illegal labor factory; from the days he worked in a faded Bollywood star’s house, to his employment by a security-crazed Australian army colonel. He worked as a tour guide in Taj Mahal, Agra, interpreting the love happened in history, and even met his own one. Every time trapped in a dilemma, he took out a coin and went for it when it turned the side which has a head. As the lucky coin turned “head” all the time, Ram overcame all the difficulties, in the end having a happy ending. Although it’s quite impossible for a teenager like Ram to survive in this enormous war, it’s Swarup’s special design that makes Ram who he appeared to be. Ram was smart, apprehensive, calm, clever and understanding, making people from all walks of life trust him by heart. His name reflected the complicated religious combination in India, implying the complex destiny he may be facing. He spoke three languages, and he was literate. He was an orphan grew up in a slum, yet never failed to broaden his horizon and seize the opportunities to learn. Employers, elders, even kids at his age, all were willing to show him their inner world as Ram examined them prudently. Someone who looked defensive may turn out to be vulnerable, someone who appeared to be kind may seem vicious in the end.
These people, faced with dozens of difficulties in life, revealed themselves to Ram to seek shelter. They were somehow all helpless, WE are somehow all helpless. Swarup successfully illustrates the greed, weakness, depression, jealousy, selfishness in human nature. It appears to me that Swarup believes in god, and that whatever god is like, he has faith in the kindness and justified sense which underlie our moral spirit, leading us to luck and safety. Ram is a role who in part represents the existence of god. He never fell in a human trap, he was always decent, honest, generous, calmly observing the daunting world. He watched, provided help when others were in need. In front of him, a well-known actress could be as a kid, a cunning guy couldn’t disguise himself, a language disordered boy was like a brave angel. Through the trauma this world brought him and his acquaintances, the authenticities within them were inescapable.
Destiny or opportunity? Life is a quiz show in disguise. But just like Thomas’s “lucky coin”, actually having a head on both sides, we can never change the things destined, but can always decide how we face them.
“Because luck comes from within.”
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