In this remarkable book, Rudyard Kipling delves into a truly devoted and heart-warming friendship. Set against the backdrop of the British Raaj, it is a bond shared between a Buddhist monk and a shrewd, intelligent yet loyal little lad. At the outset, this friendship appears strange and peculiar. However, as the story unfolds, it takes on an emotional and sincere form between the master and his chela.

Kipling's account of India and Indian culture is detailed, painting a vivid picture of a colourful, diverse, and complicated land. Yet, it must be noted that he views these through a colonist's lens. He does not hold back in expressing views that are racial, condescending, and arrogant. What he fails to understand, he bitterly ridicules.

Nevertheless, he manages to capture the reader's interest through his engaging narrative of the education and training of young Kim. Later on, Kim becomes embroiled in a larger scheme of events, such as The Great Game. Even when reading a book from a bygone era, it still fills my heart with mystery and excitement about my own country.

All in all, Kipling has managed to pen a story that, at times, could be long and dragged-on. However, towards the end, it excites and entertains, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

We were engaged in a profound discussion about the space that exists between us all. There are those individuals who choose to hide themselves behind a wall of illusion, never getting a glimpse of the truth. And then, before they know it, it's far too late when they pass away...

Inevitably, as I embarked on my journey with Rudyard Kipling's eponymous hero and the wise and worldly Teshoo Lama across the vast expanse of northern India and through the mesmerizing odyssey that spans more than 300 pages, I found the thoughtful, meditative words and the stirring, Indian raga of the song 'Within You Without You' by the Beatles (specifically, sung and composed by George Harrison, the band's spiritual thinker) reverberating in the background. I wholeheartedly recommend every novice to read this book with the song playing as ambient music because this is precisely how magical, mesmeric, and ultimately sublime this novel feels. It is so much more than a mere adventure, and that is an incredible accomplishment. Kipling was a master at crafting Boy's Own yarns, but 'Kim' is truly special.

To start with, the book gushes with affection, almost full-blooded love for India. I declare this out of honesty, not out of any partiality to Kipling, who has been accused by many Indians, including prominent columnists and writers, of being racist and a prophet of imperialism. However, for me, being a true Indian at heart, it is hard to find any evidence of racism or even condescension. If anything, there is just this romantic idea of an India ruled benevolently by the Raj and an India at peace with itself. 'Kim' was written and published when the Indian freedom struggle had not even been set into motion, thus altering the world's perception of the British Raj and imperialism in general. With such resonance and telling nuance, Kipling portrays this idealistic world of peaceful coexistence between the rulers and the ruled multitudes that it is hard not to believe in its plausibility.

Entire passages burst with the stirring, almost organically poignant feelings of love, wry candour, and warmth for the country, its people, and their many facets and dimensions. The teeming crowds on the Grand Trunk Road, the crafty priests who enjoy tall tales, the big-hearted, loose-mouthed women, the blustery men, the marvellous wonders of the 'te-rain' which is regarded as a worthy gift by the Sahibs to Indians, and so much more. For someone who is planning their next holiday to the hills of India, this book is an equivocal treat, with the scale sweeping from the plains of Saharanpore to the snowbound hills of Spiti and Kulu. It is an adventure that you can imagine on a jaw-dropping size and scale, dripping with picturesque beauty.

Moreover, it is also a rattling spy novel, concerning itself just mildly but sufficiently with the political intrigue of the Great Game, and populated with such thrillingly charismatic characters that Kipling excels at creating. The coarse yet dignified horse trader Mahbub Ali, the enigmatic Lurgan Sahib, and, most unforgettably, the slippery but sly-witted Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, the oily Babu in Her Majesty's Service who provides some of the most salaciously funny episodes in the book. They are lovingly etched characters, free from racial stereotypes, just like the other lovable Indian creations, from the Woman of Shamlegh who still pines for the Sahib who abandoned her to the Woman of Kulu, who turns out to be a 'Sahiba with a heart of gold' literally.

It is also a meditative tale that doles out wisdom as it compels us to think about how all life, with all its big and trivial happenings, can be an illusion and how real destiny is not written in prophecy but rather by forces and predestination beyond our imagining. In the magnificently wise and worldly Teshoo Lama, Kipling crafts an endearing character of wisdom and enlightenment, one who guides Kim along the right path of self-discovery and spiritual learning. Our Kim, himself, is an indelible boy-hero for ages, a Sahib by birth and legacy but an Indian in initiative and warmth. We follow his yearning for adventure and his jagged spirit of heroism right till the end, completely besotted with his scruffy charisma.

It took me longer than usual to finish 'Kim' not because it is particularly difficult to read, even with the vintage English sprinkled liberally in the conversations, but because the prose, even when lucid, is so detailed and intricate in its beauty that it literally dazzles as you read each word and your eyes open wide in wonder. Kipling's mastery of dialogue is peerless in this novel; the conversations are rich with the playful turns of phrase of both English and Urdu and even the colloquial Hindi.

In the end, after an adventure filled with humour, danger, and contemplative meditation, Kim is faced with the choice between the game of espionage that is filled with thrills that might appeal to his boyish mind and the journey of enlightenment that the Lama promises to him as a reward for being his trusted 'chela'. In a sense, Kim is torn between the India he loves and knows and the English identity and upbringing that are being imposed on him. What Kipling decides for him is not what you expect, but it nevertheless brings a smile to your face.

To conclude, let me quote that beautiful song again, which sums up the timeless message in the end...

'Try to realise it's all within yourself
No one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small
And life flows on within you and without you'...

Kim, Kipling's masterpiece, came as a delightful surprise to those new to his works.

It is a nuanced, captivating, humorous, and touching story of a young man's growth, set against the magnificent backdrop of the bustling subcontinent. The novel offers profound insights into India and its people, and contrary to popular belief, it does not display any unpleasing imperialism.

We all concurred that Kim, with its characteristic image of roads filled with humanity, presented a gloriously vivid picture of India. Against this vast and multi-colored canvas, the detailed development of one individual soul is contrasted, drawing you right into the core of a being. Kim's search for identity in the foreign world of the English Sahib is reminiscent of Tom's experience in an alien world in Jenkins' "The Changeling". The novel is multi-layered, blending the picaresque, the pilgrimage, and the spy adventure, and creating a variety of comic characters, such as the lama with his all-too-human flaws.

We felt that the prose was excellent, although its fluency for the reader was somewhat reduced by the use of Indian dialect words and the archaic "thou" form. We compared "Kim" with Forster's "A Passage to India": while Forster took an outsider's perspective on India and its mysteries, Kipling was much more of an insider, delving deep into the essence of India. Some of us believed that Kipling was, in several respects, more effective in conveying a sense of India.

We found no trace of the bombastic imperialist we had anticipated. He demonstrated deep understanding and sympathy for a wide range of Indians, often satirizing white people. Indians were not portrayed as inferior or as the "white man's burden". While he did not challenge the political objectives of the spies (dealing with a serious Russian threat to British India), he did contrast their world with the spiritual life. At most, he made a few affectionate, arch generalizations about Indians that might have offended the politically correct crowd a century later, but there was no basis for the exaggerated comments on imperialism from the critics we had encountered. If this was imperialism, it was of a very benign nature. It was interesting to learn that an Indian had said that, although Kipling is no longer taught in Indian schools, every educated Indian would have a couple of Kipling's books in their home....

This is an extract from a review at http://monthlybookgroup.wordpress.com/. Our reviews are also available at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.com/

This is a great and terrible world. I never knew there were so many men alive in it.

This book is at the heart of the academic battle known as postcolonial studies. On one hand, Rudyard Kipling was a great (and Nobel Prize-winning) writer. His works are filled with vivid descriptions and engaging stories. On the other hand, he was an unashamed advocate of British and American imperialism.

I wanted to read Kim because Edward Said had a lot to say about it in Culture and Imperialism. Said's analysis of the book added another layer of depth and complexity to my understanding.

Putting politics aside, Kim is a remarkable work. It is a picaresque travelogue, taking the reader on a journey through India. It is also a spy thriller, filled with mystery and intrigue. At the same time, it is a spiritual quest, as Kim searches for meaning and purpose in his life. Additionally, it is a story about the search for father figures and a coming of age story.

Kipling's ability to weave all these elements together into a single, cohesive narrative is truly impressive. In just over 200 pages, he creates a multi-layered, multi-faceted, and highly entertaining story. However, I must admit that there were times when I had to hold my nose while reading the book. Kipling's views towards the "natives" were often detestable, and his high and mighty attitude towards the white men who sought to rule and define them was off-putting.

Despite these flaws, Kim remains an important and influential work of literature. It offers a unique perspective on colonial India and the complex relationships between the colonizers and the colonized.

Rudyard Kipling's "Kim" is a captivating classic. Set in late nineteenth-century British India, it tells the story of young orphaned Kimball O'Hara. The backdrop of colonialism creates tensions among the many European powers in Asia. Kim has a fateful encounter with a Buddhist monk from Tibet. Intrigued by the monk's quest for enlightenment, Kim volunteers to become his "chela" or disciple and embarks on the journey with him. This book offers a vivid portrayal of life in nineteenth-century British India, with its complex caste system. Kipling's gift as a poet is evident throughout the pages. The quotes from the book further enhance the description. The Grand Trunk Road is described as a wonderful spectacle, a river of life carrying India's traffic for fifteen hundred miles. Kim is fascinated by the new people and sights he encounters along the way, comparing it favorably to the cramped streets of Lahore.

Most people who are 20 years old or older have read Kim by Rudyard Kipling.

I just completed this novel and already feel a sense of regret for not having read it sooner. The story is a magnificent adventure of epic proportions, spanning across the continent of India and into Tibet.

Kim, an 11-year-old orphan, has the freedom of the streets in Lahore and has earned the respect of both the good and the bad. Early in the story, Kim befriends a Holy One, Teshoo Lama, and becomes the Lama's chela or servant.

In search of Kim's destiny and the Lama's Holy River of the Arrow, they take the train and trek with friends and acquaintances to places as far away as the Himalayas.

Mischief, surprises, various customs and religions, wars, and beautiful scenery are all vividly described by the writer's creative hand, painting a detailed picture of their journey.

Kim is indeed Rudyard Kipling's masterpiece, and rightfully so. I have made a plan to read more of his works, and The Jungle Book will be my next choice. I am an adult who still retains a childlike curiosity and pride in it.

If you have not yet read this grand novel, do yourself a favor and give it a try.

Kim, also known as Kimball O’Hara, is a British boy who has spent his formative years on the bustling streets of Lahore during the zenith of British rule in India.

He has assimilated into the native Indian way of life, speaking Hindi with great fluency and having an intimate knowledge of the city.

Highly street-smart, he earns a living by running errands and carrying messages for various people, including an Afghan horse-dealer named Mahbub Ali, who is himself engaged in espionage activities on behalf of the British government.

Kim’s unique ability to straddle multiple communities makes him an ideal candidate for an agent, and he is gradually drawn into the mysterious ‘Great Game’, as it is known among its practitioners.

Simultaneously, he becomes the disciple of a Tibetan lama who is in search of spiritual enlightenment.

Kipling has faced accusations of racism, and it is evident that he firmly believes that British rule is beneficial for India, as he deems ‘Orientals’ to be inherently less rational and thus less capable of governing themselves.

However, the situation is not so straightforward. He is clearly enamored with India and has nothing but contempt for the British and other Europeans who fail to appreciate the depth and beauty of the Indian culture.

In this novel, he描绘了一幅大陆的画卷，在那里英国和印度的元素相互交融，形成了一个复杂的、相互重叠的身份网络。

It is a captivating book, filled with vivid colors, infused with a gentle humor, and providing a fascinating perspective on Imperial India.

Yes, Kipling can be condescending; yes, he is an advocate for imperialism; yes, he believes in the superiority of the white man.

But he also shows respect for what he acknowledges as an ancient civilization with much to teach his own, and a genuine sense of delight in that civilization pervades every word of this book.

\\n  \\"Chela, hast thou never a wish to leave me?\\"
\\"No,\\" he said almost sternly. \\"I am not a dog or a snake to bite when I have learned to love\\".\\n

Kim is not an easy novel to define. It is, first and foremost, a great testimony to British imperialism in India. Secondly, it is one of the most beautiful stories of friendship I have ever read. The essence of the novel probably lies in the hybrid nature of Kim. The young protagonist is neither white nor black, neither English nor Indian. Kim embodies the encounter of two cultures. He is the son of a Sahib (an Englishman, a colonizer), but he is also a poor child who grew up on the streets of Indian towns. He is called "Friend of all the World" and also "Friend of all the Stars".

When Kim meets the lama, he has no idea how far his relationship with the old man will take him. The friendship that the two will cultivate will be a tender, spiritual, and disinterested one. Despite the fact that Kim receives, halfway through the novel, an education in a school for Sahibs and the sons of Sahibs, his concern for the health and search of his lama will never leave him. He will become his disciple, his "chela".

The imperialist logics are represented by the "Great Game", that is, the ruthless and constant spying carried out by the English forces on Indian territory. Kim has within him the wisdom of the colonized and the intelligence of the colonizer. When he will meet the lama again, their paths will reunite, but in a different way than when they had left each other.

As I mentioned regarding another classic adventure story of The Great Game, the East is a fantasy. This holds true not only for writers like Mundy, who experienced it as an outsider, or Howard, who knew it only through books, but also for those like Kipling, who were born and raised there.

In fact, many of our most cherished fantasies are often related to the place of our birth. When we defend it or sing its praises, it's not that the details we provide are untrue, but rather that we have a somewhat rosy view of the place that shaped us. This also emerges in what we dislike about our home, what tires and frustrates us. There is a whole mythology within us about what we believe our origin to be like, and it is more a truth about us than the truth of that place.

Kipling's Kim is often regarded as his greatest work. As Said's introduction notes, it is one of his few works that benefits from close reading. His other works are enjoyable and have certain themes, but they tend to display them prominently, while Kim presents a more complex relationship.

Of course, there was an uproar when it was announced that the Penguin edition would feature an introduction from Said. However, as someone who has actually read his work, I was not worried that he would do Kipling injustice. Indeed, his treatment is fair, noting both the strengths and flaws of the text and bringing together many interesting observations from other sources.

It is a boys' club book, about the doings of men in their 'Great Game' of death and deceit. There are only two women: a whore and a mother figure, and neither one steps beyond the bounds of her assigned role. In fact, this book was one of the inspirations for the creation of the Boy Scouts, after the romantic adventure of Kipling's young protagonist.

It is also a tale of privilege, as that was the role Kipling himself was born into: being free from social constraints, at the top of the heap, able to go where and when he liked, and in whatever guise, for there was no one to oppose him.

But beyond these limitations, it is indeed a wonderful and vivid tale, full of color and character, with all those little details and curious turns of phrase that make a good adventure. In fact, there is more of the fantastical in this than in many adventure books. Magic and mysticism play central roles, as does cultural dissonance, even if Kipling ultimately ignores the great and central conflict that first emerged in the Sepoy Uprising and grew to fruition in Gandhi and, finally, independence.

Rarely have I seen the Other and the defamiliarization of ideas portrayed so completely, especially in a colonial work. And if Kipling had used these strengths to address the great central conflict that looms over all, the work would have been truly profound.

The relationship between Kim and the Lama is the crux here, the deep and genuine friendship between stereotypically Eastern and Western figures, which crosses boundaries of faith, philosophy, race, and language, always seeking mutual ground and further understanding. However, it is unfortunate that the old man is a fool and that Kim ultimately tricks him, secretly committing himself to the colonial role while outwardly showing respect.

There is a conflict between the two, but it is never allowed to surface, never confronted and dealt with. Instead, the hope seems to be that if two disparate people can agree on the surface, the fundamental contention between them is not worth exploring. When, in fact, it is usually the only thing that is, especially for a novelist whose work is to get to the heart of the matter.

But then, as Said points out, it was a conflict that Kipling did not see or did not want to see, and in the end, it weakens the tale. Kim is not really accountable to the people he claims to serve, and as he tries to work for them in secret, he really serves himself. The condescension of 'knowing better' and using that excuse to keep others in the dark is perhaps the great sin of governance.

But for all that, it is an exciting tale, a thorough and palpable exploration of India and its people, as Kipling saw them, and it brings to mind many important questions about the colonial role, Indiamania vs. Indiaphobia, and what it means to find oneself between cultures. If only Kipling had delved a little deeper.

Single Quote Review:

It was all there in Kipling, barring the epilogue of the Indian inheritance. A journey to India was not really necessary. No writer was more honest or accurate; no writer was more revealing of himself and his society. He has left us Anglo-India; to people these relics of the Raj we have only to read him.

We find a people conscious of their roles, conscious of their power and separateness, yet at the same time fearful of expressing their delight at their situation: they are all burdened by responsibilities.

The responsibilities are real; but the total effect is that of a people at play. They are all actors; they know what is expected of them; no one will give the game away.

V.S. Naipaul's assessment in "An Area of Darkness" provides a fascinating perspective on Kipling and the Anglo-Indian society he depicted. Kipling's works seem to offer a comprehensive view of this era, lacking only the final chapter of the Indian inheritance. His honesty and accuracy are lauded, as is his ability to reveal both himself and the society in which he lived. The people he describes are acutely aware of their positions, their power, and their distinctiveness. However, they are also hesitant to show their joy in their circumstances, weighed down by the responsibilities they bear. These responsibilities are indeed genuine, yet the overall impression is that of a people engaged in a sort of playacting. They are all actors, well-versed in what is required of them, and none will expose the artifice. Naipaul's words offer a thought-provoking exploration of Kipling's literary contribution and the complex nature of Anglo-Indian society.

I'll accept that it is a classic and it has hundreds of top-rated reviews. However, as I delved into it, I became completely lost.

I found myself constantly wondering where the story was leading me. I had to go backwards several times to find a point from which I could move forward.

Time and again, I got lost, reading the words but not truly understanding why I was being told this particular tale.

The only positive aspect, and the reason I gave it as many as 3 stars, is the atmosphere that the writer manages to create.

The author has a remarkable ability to paint a vivid picture with words, making the reader feel as if they are actually in the story.

Despite my confusion and lack of understanding, this atmospheric quality kept me engaged and interested enough to continue reading.

It's a shame that the story itself didn't quite live up to the hype for me, but perhaps that's just a matter of personal taste.

Overall, while I can appreciate the classic status and the positive reviews, this book didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I made a decision. Before delving into Laurie R. King's The Game once more, I ought to read Rudyard Kipling's Kim. King refers to The Game as \\"a humble and profoundly felt homage\\" to Kim. Moreover, I had never read it before, and it's one of those classics that I felt I should get around to reading someday.

Kimball O'Hara is the orphaned son of an Irish soldier who was stationed in India. When his father passed away, Kim was raised by a half-caste woman and learned to survive on the streets of Lahore. The story commences when Kim encounters a Tibetan lama who is in pursuit of the mystical Buddhist River of the Arrow. Kim becomes the lama's chela, or disciple, and embarks on a journey with him through India. However, the other side of Kim's heritage also pulls at him when he is discovered by some English soldiers and ultimately drawn into Britain's espionage network in India.

The story is more of a collection of episodes rather than a tightly woven narrative, set against the vivid backdrop of Kipling's India. The characters are as unforgettable as the setting: the gentle lama, the horse trader Mahbub Ali, the British-educated Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, the mysterious Lurgan Sahib, and above all, Kim himself, with all the complexity of his nature and upbringing. It's not a novel to be devoured at breakneck speed but one to be relished, just as Kim and Kipling relish the diversity and color of 19th-century India.