I'M FREEEEE

The Worst Experience of My FCKIN LIFE

I just had the absolute worst experience of my entire life. It was a nightmare that I will never forget.

Everything seemed to go wrong from the very beginning. I was looking forward to something, but it all turned into a disaster.

The people around me were acting strangely, and I felt completely alone and helpless.

I wanted to scream and run away, but I was stuck in that horrible situation.

Finally, it was over, and I was free. But the memory of that experience will haunt me forever.

I hope I never have to go through anything like that again.

Underneath Kipling's unrepentant colonialism lies a truly gifted storyteller, a great writer, and a sympathetic observer.

This is a story that is far better than one might initially expect. It features idiosyncratic characters who unexpectedly find themselves as players in the Great Game. In this game, the British Empire engaged in a fierce battle with the Russian Empire for control over Central Asia.

Moreover, it offers an interesting colonialist's-eye view of a part of the world that Kipling clearly held a deep love for. His vivid descriptions and engaging narrative bring this region and its people to life, allowing readers to gain a unique perspective on a bygone era.

Despite the controversial nature of his colonialist views, Kipling's literary talent cannot be denied. His ability to create memorable characters and tell a captivating story is on full display in this work.

It serves as a reminder that even within the context of a complex and often criticized historical period, there can be works of great artistic merit.

So let's just set aside the fact that Kipling was truly an unpleasant person in real life. He was, but my focus here is on his writing, and that's exactly what I'll do.

The title character, Kim, is not actually Indian. That was the most significant preconception I had. He wasn't Indian at all. He was the orphaned son of an Irish soldier who had been stationed outside of India and a poor woman. Kim leads a life similar to that seen in the Disney version of Aladdin (now I'm really jumbling things up) - begging, doing odd jobs, and so on. Eventually, he befriends a Tibetan Lama (a monk to us, not one of those things). The Lama is on a life's journey to discover the legendary River of the Arrow. He invites Kim to accompany him, and before we know it, Kim is on the adventure of his life.

This story encompasses a wide range of settings, from the plains to a school, to the government, and to the mountains. I was exhausted after reading this because I felt as if I had slogged along with Kim and the Lama the entire time.

From a historical perspective, I was probably a bit confused. I don't know much about The Great Game, which serves as the backdrop for the story. In fact, the realization that I didn't know as much about the history as I would have liked to fully appreciate the novel makes me wonder how Kim is often regarded as a children's novel. But then, I suppose, like Huck Finn, it's a story that can be enjoyed by both young and older readers for its adventures and excitement. However, perhaps it is only by reading it again after further education that one truly grasps the entire story.

It was extremely difficult to understand and decipher what was actually happening. Kim, a character in the story, was someone for whom I felt a sense of empathy. There was something about him that made me connect on an emotional level. However, his exploits were truly beyond belief. The things he did and the situations he found himself in were so extraordinary that it was almost impossible to fathom. It was as if he was living in a world of his own, where the rules of normalcy did not apply. Despite my empathy for him, I couldn't help but be amazed and sometimes even shocked by his actions. His story was one that kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly wondering what he would do next and how it would all end.

Just nope.

This simple phrase holds a world of meaning. It can convey a firm refusal, a sense of disbelief, or just a general feeling of not wanting to engage.

Sometimes, we encounter situations or offers that are so absurd or unappealing that "just nope" is the only appropriate response.

It's a way to quickly and clearly communicate our stance without having to go into a long explanation.

Whether it's declining a job offer that doesn't align with our goals, saying no to a social event that we're not interested in, or simply rejecting an idea that seems crazy, "just nope" can be a powerful tool.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation where you just can't bring yourself to say yes, don't be afraid to use this simple but effective phrase.

Just nope.

Kim was one of Jawaharlal Nehru's favorite books. Rumor has it that it was one of the books he was never tired of reading. I can see why.

Kim opens with one of the most celebrated passages in all literature. A little beggar boy sits atop the fabled Zam Zammah cannon, the fire breathing dragon of Lahore. Why is that cannon important? Because it is said that whoever controls the Zam Zammah holds the Punjab. But the little boy is no native. He is Kimball 'O' Hara, the Friend of all the World, son of an officer of the Irish regiment & his Scottish wife, both of whom have died. Hindustan adopts him, & he, blood of the empire & son of the soil, grows like all the orphans Mother India takes in, young, smart & strong. The story begins as he embarks on an adventure with a Tibetan Llama & a horse-selling Pathan of Peshawar.

Kim is a mesmerizing tale about old India, filled with magic & characters sometimes too alive to be in a book. Kipling was an Indophile, a lover of Hindustan if there ever was one. This is easy to decipher; the pages ache with it, his passages are filled to the brim with it. The novel's crux is the Great Game, the legendary battle for political & ideological control of Central Asia that pitted British secret agents against the Russians in the 1900s. And Kim is "a colt born to it", as Mahbub Ali reiterates as often as possible to Creighton Sahib, another lovely characterization. Creighton is the ultimate English wanderer/intellectual/spy, a breed whose real life counterparts included Lawrence of Arabia and Patrick Leigh Fermor. But in the final showdown in the hills, the character that is most enjoyable is that of the gentleman-clerk Hurree Chandra Mukherjee, and it is fitting that a Bengali Babu finds his place in one of British India's all time classics.

In the end, Kim can only be classified as a rollicking, multicultural, eastern adventure, and the fact that a novel so old still maintains its place in the canon tells us how important and how magical a tale it is. The protagonist of the novel, though, is India as much as it is Kim, for as a haunting portrait of a land at a particular time, Kim is a triumph of the imagination and the writer's art. It transports the reader to a bygone era, filled with mystery, intrigue, and the rich tapestry of Indian culture and history. The vivid descriptions of the landscapes, the people, and the events make it a truly immersive experience. Kipling's masterful storytelling and his deep understanding of India shine through every page, making Kim a timeless classic that will continue to be cherished by readers for generations to come.

Not for the first time, I had the fortune to overstep, almost by accident, some stray prejudice and realize just how wrong I was. For a significant portion of my life, Kipling was simply the burdensome author of "If" - a poem that I was compelled to recite as a boy and which still elicits a shudder from me. Of course, I was aware of his other works, including Kim, which I had previously regarded as existing in a rather dubious realm somewhere between Disney and the condemned Orientalists described by Edward Said. It was only after delving into Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game that I was tempted to obtain a copy of Kim and give it a read.

In fact, Hopkirk has penned a companion to Kim, which is a bonus for fans of his earlier works. However, as he states, "there is absolutely no substitute for reading Kim itself. For not only is it a deeply enjoyable book, but also a profoundly uplifting one, especially for anyone whose spirits are at low ebb. It emits an intense luminescence, like that spilling out of a landscape by Turner. A friend of mine suffering from a nasty bout of depression swore that reading Kim totally cured him. Indeed, some scholars believe that Kipling, who suffered badly from melancholia, wrote Kim to cure his own depression." I initially thought, what a friendly sentiment, what enthusiastic exaggeration.

But no, it's not. Kim - for me anyway - is pure charm. I opened it with the expectation of simply enjoying echoes of Hopkirk's history, but I quickly found myself succumbing to the joy of the story. It is one of the finest pre-auto "road trip" novels ever written. Kipling's characters are as diverse and endearing as any in Dickens. His India is a variegated enchantment, simultaneously comic and humming with an ancient dignity that makes the Sahibs seem superficial.

Yes, I'm well aware that Kipling is the infamous author of "The White Man's Burden." But to dismiss Kipling's obvious love for India - its landscapes, peoples, and cultures - as a bunch of Imperialist hooey strikes me as a kind of willful bitterness. Very few people have written a story as perfect as this - a story that allows you to feel both 14 and 54 at the same time.

The best work of Rudyard Kipling is widely regarded as one of his most remarkable achievements.

In this masterpiece, he delved deep into many of his childhood memories of India. These vivid recollections added a rich and authentic flavor to the story.

It is generally considered to be his most successful full-length novel. The novel not only showcases Kipling's exceptional literary skills but also provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into the culture, traditions, and landscapes of India during that time.

Kipling's ability to bring his childhood experiences to life on the page makes this work a truly captivating and unforgettable read. It has endured the test of time and continues to be cherished by readers around the world.

Whether you are a fan of Kipling's works or simply interested in exploring the rich tapestry of Indian history and culture, this novel is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Kim is truly Kipling's affectionate ode to India. Composed just as he was on the verge of departing, this literary work lays bare all the astonishing wonders of the Subcontinent. It vividly描绘s the vibrant colours that adorn the land, the rich and diverse smells that fill the air, the multitude of people with their unique cultures and traditions, the plethora of languages spoken, and the various religions that coexist. It is like a more vivid and colourful Babylon.

Of course, it's not without its flaws. Considerable attention has been given to Kipling's racism, and indeed, there are racist elements present in this book. In many respects, this colourful and beautiful India may perhaps only exist as a white man's fantasy. The images presented are influenced by Kipling's own imagination. They are a product of his prejudices and preferences, as well as his desire to shape India according to his own perception of what it should be. However, the quality of the story and the writing remains undiminished. Fundamentally, Kim is a construction of a place that exists solely in Kipling's mind.

Regarding the story itself, Kim can be regarded as a sort of urban Mowgli. The child of poor white parents, an orphan raised on the streets of Lahore, he is as sharp as a whip and has as much audacity and cheekiness as Gavroche. He is an utterly charming and impossible-to-dislike character. His relationship with the Buddhist lama is deeply moving and clearly establishes the model for the trope of odd companions.

There is really nothing to dislike about this novel. The language may at times be challenging, but it is also highly rewarding. There are genuine moments of humour, adventure, and emotion. It encompasses everything one would desire to read and everything a writer could strive to write.

This coming of age tale had a great deal of charm in numerous aspects. However, for my personal preferences, it was often a bit sluggish. Kim O’Hara, a 12-year-old orphan in Lahore during the 1850s, was the child of an Irish soldier and an Indian mother. Despite the loss of both his parents, he flourished as a street urchin. He always managed to find a way to be useful to the community members or to evoke sympathy from strangers, thus enabling him to earn or beg for his daily sustenance. His life took a new turn when he assisted a Tibetan lama on a pilgrimage and joined him on the road, pretending to be a disciple.

He carried a coded message for an itinerant Afghan Pashtun horse trader, which ultimately served the British secret service in their campaign against insurgents opposing their colonial rule. Kim already knew several languages and was a master of disguise and escape. These skills were further developed by the British through mentoring from others in the secret network along his travels. At one point, he was sent to a Catholic school for British kids, but he took long holidays and embarked on further adventures in the freedom of the road.

Kipling was a jingoistic true believer in the rightness of British imperialism. Nevertheless, he clearly had a deep love for India and its diverse peoples, and he respected their cultural differences. However, he viewed it through a romantic lens. Still, that lens was a wonderful way to perceive the world, especially considering Kipling’s poetic skills in writing. The alluring fantasy he constructed was that being open with the senses to the world and its people, unencumbered by creed or family responsibilities, was an ideal state of being in true harmony with the world. The morality of pretense and lies that allowed Kim to thrive did not seem like a dark cloud due to his playful attitude. All the spy work was not driven by ideology but by the thrill of being “in the game.” Having a few friends with whom he could be truthful grounded him, and the spirituality of the lama and his quest for the origins of a sacred river had an influence on him. Yet, there was little development in Kim’s character over the several years covered in the book. His perpetual journey was its own end.

The sense of the book as a travel tale, exploring the geography and urban settings of India, was part of its charm. It would be truly wonderful to travel with such a boy who saw the world as his oyster and each day as a promise of exciting new adventures. Here is a sample passage that conveys this flavor: The diamond-bright dawn woke men and cows and bullocks together. Kim sat up and yawned, shook himself and thrilled with delight. This was seeing the world in real truth; this was life as he would have it—bustling and shouting, the buckling of belts, and beating of bullocks and creaking of wheels, lighting of fires and cooking of food, and new sights at every turn of the approving eye. The morning mist swept off a swirl of the silver; the parrots shot away to some distant river in shrieking green hosts; all the well-wheels within earshot were at work. India was awake, and Kim was in the middle of it, more awake and excited than any one.

An endearing and heartwarming story unfolds, centered around the remarkable friendship between an Irish teenage orphan and a Tibetan lama. Set in British India at the turn of the 20th century, this book beautifully captures the essence of India. It describes the people, their rich culture, and the diverse religions in elegant prose. Although the author is British, when one reads this novel, it feels as if it were penned by an Indian. This is no surprise, considering the author was born in India to British parents and spent his early childhood there. The humor in the book is not only enjoyable but also distinctly Indian-like.

Kim, a poor Irish orphan, closely resembles the natives in every aspect. His skin is tanned, he dresses like a native, talks like a native, and has a preference for being like a native. One day, he encounters an old lama from Tibet who is on a quest to find a long lost river that is sacred to Buddhists and achieve enlightenment. Together, they embark on a journey across North India, filled with numerous adventures. The question remains: will they ever find this legendary river? Read on to discover the answer.

Some parts of Kim truly brought to my mind the story of Oliver Twist. In both of these books, the protagonists share the commonality of being orphans who endure a hard life because of their poverty. However, the settings are completely different.

Even though it made for an engaging read, there were certain aspects where I had issues with what Kipling wrote. Some might argue that it was in accordance with the era in which he lived, but that's beside the point for me.

Kim is definitely not the greatest classic in existence, yet it does provide interesting perspectives on what life was like during colonial India. It gives us a glimpse into that particular time and place, allowing us to better understand the social, cultural, and political context.