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The Withering Banyan

Hyma Goparaju (Goodreads Author)

3.43 · Rating details · 23 ratings · 15 reviews

About the Book
A well-to-do business family, whose members are torn apart by a turbulent father-son relationship shrouded in mistrust, suspicion, and contempt for one another – a result of the vagaries of the son's mind and its maladies – suffers silently. Well-wishers fear that Badri is suffering from a mental derangement, and is on the brink of wiping away his father, Siv ...more

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Paperback, Large print, 357 pages

Published May 18th 2015 by Leadstart Publishing

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Sep 01, 2015 Komal Priyani rated it really liked it

Review :- The Withering Banyan By Hyma Goparaju

Congratulations For ur debut book and Thanks to Author Paradise for counting me in your "Reviewer List"

I conducted a survey in my family to know how many of them are stress free or never felt lonely ?? Or how many believes that a person visiting a Psychiatrist is a total nut case and how many think its like "Defaming the families prestige and legacy"
And Trust me when i say that only 20% of my family members said that they are stress free or never ...more

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Aug 02, 2015 Pankaj Goyal rated it really liked it

A look into the modern Indian English fiction every now and then brings an apprehension about the quality of Indian English novels at the present time. While a number of novels are published every year, a large number of these disappoint you or do not leave any sort of impression on you. However, there are moments in life when one is grateful for giving you a ray of hope. And, surely reading ‘The Withering Banyan’ by Hyma Goparaju was one such moment for me. The rhythmic but powerful voice in th A look into the modern Indian English fiction every now and then brings an apprehension about the quality of Indian English novels at the present time. While a number of novels are published every year, a large number of these disappoint you or do not leave any sort of impression on you. However, there are moments in life when one is grateful for giving you a ray of hope. And, surely reading ‘The Withering Banyan’ by Hyma Goparaju was one such moment for me. The rhythmic but powerful voice in this novel not only shows a promise, but also successfully depicts the struggle of people suffering from a severe brain disorder known as schizophrenia. This disease is distressing not only to the patient but also to the people related to the patient. This disease often remains undiagnosed and the patient does not get the right treatment at the right time. On top of that, various types of myths attached to this disease make the life of the person suffering from this disease a real hell. This is what forms the chief motif in this novel.

‘The Withering Banyan’ is the story of a family in which a number of its members are suffering from schizophrenia. The plot basically deals with the consequences of the ignorance of this disease leading to the sufferings of the patients. At the same time, this book is not all about schizophrenia. It is also about the values and drawbacks of a compound family. The plot tries to explore the intricacies of relationships within a family. The story moves in between past and present, and credit should be given to the author who has handled the shifting surfaces of past and present with extraordinary fineness and delicacy.

The banyan tree which constitutes the title of the book has been added in the narrative not only as a symbol but also as suggestive additions. This symbolism of banyan tree adds a solid dimension to the well-woven storyline. As for the narrative technique, Hyma Goparaju is endowed with an unerring sense of situation and with the ability to visualize a scene clearly. The author has created a realistic narrative of South Indian life. Her range is wider as this work exhibits greater variety of mood and tone. At the same time, occasionally you feel that the story is dragged unnecessarily and ink could have been saved by staying away from describing same things over and over again. There is no doubt that repetition can be a useful device in fiction if used logically. However, the repetitions in this book are obviously not of that type.

While a number of English novels by Indian English writers have skated nimbly and charmingly over the theme of mental disorders and their implications, the sensibility and form of the language generally show a typical Western point of reference. I am happy to say that with its purely Indian receptivity and sensibility standing on the age-old Indian soil ‘The Withering Banyan’ stands tall among other novels like a Himalaya among pretty little hillocks. By virtue of its range and depth, its complexity, subtlety and maturity, I will take this novel as a dazzling performance by any fictional standard.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.

Read more on:
https://pgalmora.wordpress.com/2015/0... ...more

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Aug 31, 2015 Tushti Bhatia rated it really liked it

This story revolves around the story of a family whose most of the members are suffering from brain disorder which is genetically transferred.. in this disease people can easily interpret reality, in an abnormal manner..this book is basically written keeping in mind all the pros and cons of this disease and how mari family dealt with the situations..one of the member of this family was affected by this very same disease and the whole family started getting effective in continuity, which hampered This story revolves around the story of a family whose most of the members are suffering from brain disorder which is genetically transferred.. in this disease people can easily interpret reality, in an abnormal manner..this book is basically written keeping in mind all the pros and cons of this disease and how mari family dealt with the situations..one of the member of this family was affected by this very same disease and the whole family started getting effective in continuity, which hampered their personal lifes and as well as their professional life..what happens next? What all mari family has in store for you? What relation mari family possess with the banyan tree?
Read this intriguing and amazing story to find out all the answers..

Positive aspects :
Hyma has beautifully portrayed the story and i m sure it will keep you hooked from the beginning till the end .. experiences of life have been keenly observed and penned down, narration is simple yet quirky..each and every character has been justified properly, what i liked is the description of each and every generation..
Readers will definitely love the poems at the end of the chapters..

Negative aspects :
What i feel is hyma has added characters and has described the same things and incidents 'n' no of times which makes the book quite boring..
Unnecessary importance was given to the 5 kids of badri, earlier the author mentioned that he had 8 kids, incidents and for that matters number could have been decreased..!

Conclusion :
Hyma has done a wonderful job by writing about a disease which everyone is unaware of..usually people make fun of lunatic and people of insane minds, they never look at the reason behind it, we can term it a lack of awareness and reasoning..
Author had done a commendable job by choosing such an exceptional topic and has added stars by writing about it, by adding spices of spiritual beliefs, family drama and the beliefs what society holds in their mind..one can simply take this copy to enjoy such mindblowing exceptionally wow journey of withering banyan..

Rating
Bookcover/blurb : 4/5
Title: 3.5/5
Writeup : 3.5/5
Editing/proofreading : 4/5
Overall : 3.75/5
...more

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Jun 06, 2019 SALISMANIA rated it it was amazing

A well-to-do business family, whose members are torn apart by a turbulent father-son relationship shrouded in mistrust, suspicion, and contempt for one another – a result of the vagaries of the son’s mind and its maladies – suffers silently. Well-wishers fear that Badri is suffering from a mental derangement, and is on the brink of wiping away his father, Siveswara’s hard-earned fame and fortune. Unaware of the boundless periphery of its affliction, descendants of the five-generation lineage are ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Mani Khanna rated it really liked it

Plot:

The story is divided into two parts, one dealing with the present and other dealing with the past.

The Withering Banyan is the story of Marri Family in which many of the members are suffering with a genetically transferred brain disorder, Schizophrenia, in which people interpret reality abnormally, hallucinate and stay isolated. One of the members of this family got affected by it and the rest of the four generations inherit it from him. Till the four older generations, people preferred nam ...more

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Dec 06, 2015 Himanshika Sharma rated it liked it

Synopsis -
A well-to-do business family, whose members are torn apart by a turbulent father-son relationship shrouded in mistrust, suspicion, and contempt for one another- a result of the vagaries of the son's mind and its maladies - suffers silently. Well-wishers fear that Badri is suffering from a mental derangement, and is on the brink of wiping away his father, Siveswara's hard-earned fame and fortune. Unaware of the boundless periphery of its affliction, descendants of the five-generation li Synopsis -
A well-to-do business family, whose members are torn apart by a turbulent father-son relationship shrouded in mistrust, suspicion, and contempt for one another- a result of the vagaries of the son's mind and its maladies - suffers silently. Well-wishers fear that Badri is suffering from a mental derangement, and is on the brink of wiping away his father, Siveswara's hard-earned fame and fortune. Unaware of the boundless periphery of its affliction, descendants of the five-generation lineage are confounded with an enigmatic and stigmatizing battle of their lifetime which they have to decode and overcome in order to ensure the well-being of the ensuing generations.
About the story-
The story has been set up in two parts. One part tells the story of Badri, son of a rich father Siveswara and mother Parvathy Devi. Badri is very much attached to his grandmother Kanakamma. They have a business of sweatmeat known as Irram House which is growing faster and bigger. Their house, which is popularly known as Marri House is the only palace like house in the whole town. The hiuse has a Banyan tree which is considered as their goodwill.
When Badri grows up he oppose joining father's business instead open ups his own press known as The People's Herals with his childhood friend Sundar, which didn't do well. Due to many problems and loss of dear ones, Badri starts loosing his self control and become aggressive with time.
The second part describes how Badri's granddaughter Natya comes to India from Australia after the death of her mother. Badri registers the big Marri house on the name of Natya's mother. To which all his other children were not happy and they took the matter to the court, proving their father mentally retard.
Schizophrenia runs in the family and has affected many people.
My verdict-
The author has keenly observed the behaviour of the relatives. Now-a-days relatives are becoming selfish. All they consider is property and not relations. Author has compared the withering Banyan with the withering families, hence the title is appropriate. The story shows the true side of relations and it is well written. Everything is well explained, but I felt that author has used many difficult words which compels readers to open dictionary at every sentence. I feel in that way, readers pay more attention on dictionary and less on the story.
Overall it was an amazing read.
...more

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Sep 26, 2015 Divya Ramnath Bandodkar rated it liked it

The story:

The story begins with a frightening incident where Natya’s mother smashes a large mirror and talks about killing a wicked woman. She is suffering from Schizophrenia. Natya is the daughter of Shraddha Devi who comes from the Marri family. The Marri family which is popular by the name Irram Sweet Makers was considered the best in the village. The fame of Irram Sweet House kept diminishing after the death of Natya’s great grandfather, Siveswara. Lack of proper funds and interest in busine ...more

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Jan 06, 2016 Ravi Gurunani rated it really liked it

Book Name- The Withering Banyan
Author Name- Hyma Goparaju
Publisher- Frog Books
Pages- 357
Price- ₹295/$12

Blurb-
A well-to-do business family, whose members are torn apart by a turbulent father-son relationship shrouded in mistrust, suspicion, and contempt for one another- a result of the vagaries of the son's mind and its maladies - suffers silently. Well-wishers fear that Badri is suffering from a mental derangement, and is on the brink of wiping away his father, Siveswara's hard-earned fame an ...more

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Aug 29, 2015 Sunil rated it did not like it

Shelves: fiction, indian, read-in-2015

The withering banyan is a tale of rise of one Marri family to affluence and its gradual fall due to Schizophrenia – a brain disorder genetically passed along its four generations, which the members ignorantly interpret as madness, till Natya, the granddaughter of the Marri family, comes to the rescue of the family.

The tone of the prose is biographical. And the precise, elegant, and graceful writing of the author has nicely managed to convey the story. Also the author’s love for the language is c ...more

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Nov 22, 2015 Dhwani Swadia rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2015, i-own

Read the full review here: https://thereandtheir.wordpress.com/2...

This book deals with the stigma attached to mental disorders in Indian Societies. It’s true isn’t it? Going to a psychiatrist is still kept under wraps. If something is wrong with our physical body, we visit the said specialist….But if something is wrong with our brain, we need to hush it up.

The author has managed to highlight this fact beautifully in this book. It is a commendable efforts to not only tell a story, but also raise ...more

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May 04, 2016 Pannala Ramachandra Reddy rated it really liked it

" the Withering Banyan" by Hyma Goparaju ... few of days back I finished reading it ... and its really wonderful one with very interesting story, with an important social subject "schizophrenia" ..... and the other importantance of this book is ...she narrates the story in an exceptional manner that it creats intrest chapter by chapter till last 38.... with inclosure of lots and lots of much information of many things... we wish her heart fully to have many more from her pen.
...more

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Sep 19, 2016 Mounika Lakkakula rated it really liked it

Shelves: give-aways

I sincerely thank the author Hyma Goparaju for sending me a copy through Goodreads giveaways.It's an interesting novel with awareness towards the mental disorders etc.The story also guides us through the developmental thought process of youth in those days.Schizophrenia was well explained.My English vocabulary also stepped up a higher by this novel.It's a wonderful read.I thank the author once again. ...more

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Feb 04, 2016 Surbhi Sareen rated it it was amazing

This book is a perfect example of Social and Domestic Novel. First of all, I loved it as it is a full length novel. It is beautifully written and the aroma of words makes you nostalgic. The plot is really strong and the way characters are dealt is impeccable. Natya and Badri are the main protagonists and the story keeps you glued and yes, it takes time but after reading you end up with a big smile. The title fantastically justify the thought process of the novel.

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