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A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi
Every morning in Sadar Bazaar, one of the oldest markets in Delhi, a gang of men gather looking for work in the building trade. For five years, Aman Sethi shared their lives, and in particular that of Mohammed Ashraf. Ashraf is a mazdoor, an itinerant house-painter, but he's not a typical labourer - he's studied biology in college, and after college learnt how to repair TV sets, cut suits, and slice chicken. He lived all over India, but now he finds himself in Delhi: the second most populous city in the country. The morning will bring hangovers, whisky breakfasts and possibly answers to the lingering questions that haunt Ashraf. How did he get here? Why is he the way he is? And is there a way back home?
One of the very best young journalists in India, Aman Sethi brings Ashraf vividly alive and illuminates the lives of countless others like him. Wry, humorous and insightful, A Free Man is an unforgettable portrait of an invisible man in his invisible city, and an extraordinary human story.
One of the very best young journalists in India, Aman Sethi brings Ashraf vividly alive and illuminates the lives of countless others like him. Wry, humorous and insightful, A Free Man is an unforgettable portrait of an invisible man in his invisible city, and an extraordinary human story.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 25, 2011
81 people are currently reading
3172 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
February 21, 2018
Not so long and a well-written book on Delhi. Aman Sethi follows the life of 'Ashraf' and his friends –a gang of impoverished daily wage earners.
I enjoyed reading this book, and knowing more about the people who are so brutally ignored in everyday life as if they do not exist. The indifference of middle-class Indians is astonishing. Sethi follows 'Ashraf' and shows us what his life is like. It is rare that someone like Ashraf becomes the central character, someone we can see and identify with. This is indeed an achievement that Sethi goes after this character and fully embraces him; the likes of 'Ashrafs' are not seen in Indian society. They are only one thing that is they are poor. They are just reduced to their poverty. Sethi, through this book, makes 'them' visible.
Even though I liked reading this book, I also have serious problems with it. I also feel angry with the author. He makes friends with these laborers, and just on the strength of his education and class gains an easy access to these impoverished lives. He smokes with them, talks with them and becomes an important part of their lives, especially Ashraf's. As a reader one knows that this friendship is not really real. The book is a project. It will be over. He is a journalist who is looking for 'material' for his book. One questions how it is different from 'builders' who exploit the poor. The book, at least in parts, becomes more annoying where the author 'helps' Ahsraf. One feels this; the poor in India are exploited by upper and middle classes, and the poor are also helped by 'them' depending on their mood. In the case of the author, it is largely a trade-off between him and the life that he uses as 'material' for his book.
I wish the author has not put himself into this book. It would have been a better book then– at least for readers like me.
After having read this book, I feel a bit upset, not only about Delhi but also about the world at large, that there are people, collectives, nations who are in positions to 'help' others. I wish this word 'help' disappears from the world. This ability to 'help' tells us what is rotten with the world. First, one excludes, exploits and safeguards one's own privileges, and then goes out in the world to help.
I enjoyed reading this book, and knowing more about the people who are so brutally ignored in everyday life as if they do not exist. The indifference of middle-class Indians is astonishing. Sethi follows 'Ashraf' and shows us what his life is like. It is rare that someone like Ashraf becomes the central character, someone we can see and identify with. This is indeed an achievement that Sethi goes after this character and fully embraces him; the likes of 'Ashrafs' are not seen in Indian society. They are only one thing that is they are poor. They are just reduced to their poverty. Sethi, through this book, makes 'them' visible.
Even though I liked reading this book, I also have serious problems with it. I also feel angry with the author. He makes friends with these laborers, and just on the strength of his education and class gains an easy access to these impoverished lives. He smokes with them, talks with them and becomes an important part of their lives, especially Ashraf's. As a reader one knows that this friendship is not really real. The book is a project. It will be over. He is a journalist who is looking for 'material' for his book. One questions how it is different from 'builders' who exploit the poor. The book, at least in parts, becomes more annoying where the author 'helps' Ahsraf. One feels this; the poor in India are exploited by upper and middle classes, and the poor are also helped by 'them' depending on their mood. In the case of the author, it is largely a trade-off between him and the life that he uses as 'material' for his book.
I wish the author has not put himself into this book. It would have been a better book then– at least for readers like me.
After having read this book, I feel a bit upset, not only about Delhi but also about the world at large, that there are people, collectives, nations who are in positions to 'help' others. I wish this word 'help' disappears from the world. This ability to 'help' tells us what is rotten with the world. First, one excludes, exploits and safeguards one's own privileges, and then goes out in the world to help.
January 5, 2018
The blurbs rave about it. If you can stop smirking at the obviously PR induced sound-bytes and look inside the book you'd find it worth a read. In fact it is a recommended read. The writing might be a bit similar to a rushed notes in journal kind but the acute sense of 'people watching' and, awareness of language ('helpery' - a word that I last heard in the college canteen from the canteen attendant) make it a good reason to stick till the end. And, at the end you'd ask yourself whether you were reading the story of Ashraf, or, the story of Aman or, even the story of yourself given that you have managed to be removed from the milieu that is described. There are moments where you wince at the breaking down of the wall between the researcher and the researched upon, or, stifle a sly chuckle at the pithiness (and, coarseness) of the street-smartness. And, of course, the underlying theme around 'kamai' and 'azadi' (wherein is a quirky pointer to the title).
I'd suggest to give this a read. Recommended.
I'd suggest to give this a read. Recommended.
September 30, 2012
I absolutely loved this book--actually finished it in one night! Aman Sethi does an amazing job transporting the reader to Delhi. The people he chose to write about are colorful and insightful. I hope the author decides to do more research on the lives of those struggling in the slums of India. It's a section of the global population that is largely ignored. I truly felt like I was given a window inside the lives of these interesting people.
December 26, 2020
A friend of mine gifted this book recently. We had discussed how our middle class upbringings had kept us so far away from the lives of so many around us - laborers, daily wage workers and such. My ignorance had created a curiosity.
I finished this book in a few days and found it a remarkable ethnography, It also filled me with an incredible sadness I expected to experience picking up this book, but had no idea how intensely I would experience it. The melancholy of the characters in this book stands out so much more in the wryness of the writing. No book has taken me into TB wards, roadside drunken stupors of people living on the pavement, and made me experience a microcosm of experiences lived over a few years that pale a life time lived by so many of us.
Also, I am glad that as a journalist writing a story, the author didn't just become an observer/researcher in the lives of these men, but tried to help, in whatever little ways he can.
A sobering read, a required read.
I finished this book in a few days and found it a remarkable ethnography, It also filled me with an incredible sadness I expected to experience picking up this book, but had no idea how intensely I would experience it. The melancholy of the characters in this book stands out so much more in the wryness of the writing. No book has taken me into TB wards, roadside drunken stupors of people living on the pavement, and made me experience a microcosm of experiences lived over a few years that pale a life time lived by so many of us.
Also, I am glad that as a journalist writing a story, the author didn't just become an observer/researcher in the lives of these men, but tried to help, in whatever little ways he can.
A sobering read, a required read.
October 30, 2012
*Won through a a Goodreads Giveaway*
If I were walking through the aisles of my favorite book store, I would probably have not given this book a second glance. I ususally don't read too many biographies so I can only review this book based on how entertaining and enlightening it is for me. A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi is a rather short book and I was able to read it in one sitting and has a pretty interesting voice that isn't stoic or depressing, as I have found some biographies to be.
Aman Sethi chronicles the life Mohammed Asraf and his friends, homeless day labourers. There are moments in this book where I was so sad for this group of "untouchables" and other moments where I wanted to burst out in laughter. As I read this book, I was saddened by the outlawing of the homeless and the fact that some people get lost never to be found again, or even looked for for that matter. I learned a lot about India's caste system and how men like Mohammed go around it's boundaries.
The author does a great job at bringing to life the Sadar Bazaar. Even the chaos of the hustle and bustle was well organized and vividly rendered. I felt like I was many of the thousands of people that gather amongst the vendors, walking and talking with Mohammed and his group of friends. Before long I began to care about this group of people who are treated as outcasts,outlaws, or invisible. In conclusion, this is really a true, gripping account of life and death in Delhi and I'm happy to have been given the chance to read it.
If I were walking through the aisles of my favorite book store, I would probably have not given this book a second glance. I ususally don't read too many biographies so I can only review this book based on how entertaining and enlightening it is for me. A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi is a rather short book and I was able to read it in one sitting and has a pretty interesting voice that isn't stoic or depressing, as I have found some biographies to be.
Aman Sethi chronicles the life Mohammed Asraf and his friends, homeless day labourers. There are moments in this book where I was so sad for this group of "untouchables" and other moments where I wanted to burst out in laughter. As I read this book, I was saddened by the outlawing of the homeless and the fact that some people get lost never to be found again, or even looked for for that matter. I learned a lot about India's caste system and how men like Mohammed go around it's boundaries.
The author does a great job at bringing to life the Sadar Bazaar. Even the chaos of the hustle and bustle was well organized and vividly rendered. I felt like I was many of the thousands of people that gather amongst the vendors, walking and talking with Mohammed and his group of friends. Before long I began to care about this group of people who are treated as outcasts,outlaws, or invisible. In conclusion, this is really a true, gripping account of life and death in Delhi and I'm happy to have been given the chance to read it.
July 24, 2015
Refreshingly honest. Would say it's better than Katherine Boo's 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers' - it's much more personal and sensitive to the author's position in the class/caste hierarchy.
April 12, 2013
Amid the streets of Bara Tooti Chowk, one of New Delhi’s oldest and largest labor markets, and in between marijuana joints, shots of cheap liquor and good old tea, Mohammed Ashraf offers insights on what it is to become a 40-year-old (“a man starts to fear strangers”) on the career ladder for construction workers, and the creed of his profession. “Azadi, Aman bhai, Azadi. Azadi,” says the house painter. “Azadi is the freedom to tell the maalik to f**k off when you want to.”
Ashraf is the main character in this nonfiction tour de force of gonzo reportage by young Indian journalist Aman Sethi, who writes his account in the first person and is witness to all the action. While doing a series of magazine articles on the incredible urban transformation of Delhi in 2005 to 2006 in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Sethi, 30, discovered that the clearing out of slums was changing the city from a place of nuts-and-bolts manufacturing and “getting your hands dirty” kind of work to one that is services driven.
And so he set out to capture the dwindling, gritty everyday work and the laborers who do it, in a first-person narrative.
Sethi’s quest takes him to Sadar Bazaar, one of the oldest markets in Delhi, where he encounters the characters who later feature in the book. Out of this group of manual laborers ‑ construction workers, rickshaw pullers and porters ‑ emerges the loudest and most stubborn voice, which belongs to Ashraf, whom Sethi befriends.
Their relationship becomes the main narration of this account of mazdoor ki zindagi ‑ the life of a laborer. Ashraf is colorful, witty, wild and charming ‑ a street philosopher of sorts, who is on his own. Out of touch with his family, he even forgot his mother’s phone number as he moved between menial jobs including butcher, tailor and electrician’s apprentice.
But Ashraf is no angel. His story mirrors the plight of poor men in many developing countries who do back-breaking labor, only to spend their hard-earned pay on alcohol and cigarettes, which is why they are homeless. Through the stories of Ashraf and other workers, Sethi creates characters and breathes life into people who are invisible elements of society. In the book, they are not mere statistics, objects of pity or a burden on the government and society. They are authentic, individual voices and their toil drives development in the capital.
Stories unfold as Sethi follows the adventures and misfortunes of this motley crew. Apart from the personal, harrowing accounts of Ashraf and other laborers as they navigate the city and eke out a living amid the changing economic situation, Sethi also delves into other issues including corruption scandals surrounding India’s organizing of the Commonwealth Games and a public health system that fails to serve poor people, including the laborers he chronicles.
“There you will find patients suffering. They suffer not from their illness, but from their abandonment,” says one veteran laborer, who is being treated for tuberculosis at a local hospital.
At its best, despite being nonfiction, the book has a good, novel-like flow, with an amusing and charming narrative, without being melodramatic despite documenting some tragic stories. It is more accessible than the short story collection “Between the Assassinations” by the Booker Prize-winning author of “White Tiger,” Aravind Adiga, which deals with similar issues and has a similar approach. However, while Sethi says he deliberately wanted to shy away from the macro story and focus on people, he could have elaborated more on the bigger picture to give readers more depth and context.
For a long-time resident of Jakarta, which is nearly as messy as Delhi, this book hits close to home, as it would in many large Asian cities that are struggling to cope with a chaotic transformation from massive urban villages to modern metropolises.
The line “Delhi is a city of chance encounters, spawned by the failure of public transportation” can easily describe Indonesia’s capital, which we love to hate. Then again, as Sethi notes about India’s capital, “This isn’t just any city. This is Delhi, where everyone is a baazigar, or a gambler, and a man too timid to risk kuch bhi ‑ anything ‑ may lose sab kuch: everything.” (as published in Strategic Review Journal http://sr-indonesia.com/this-months-i...)
Ashraf is the main character in this nonfiction tour de force of gonzo reportage by young Indian journalist Aman Sethi, who writes his account in the first person and is witness to all the action. While doing a series of magazine articles on the incredible urban transformation of Delhi in 2005 to 2006 in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, Sethi, 30, discovered that the clearing out of slums was changing the city from a place of nuts-and-bolts manufacturing and “getting your hands dirty” kind of work to one that is services driven.
And so he set out to capture the dwindling, gritty everyday work and the laborers who do it, in a first-person narrative.
Sethi’s quest takes him to Sadar Bazaar, one of the oldest markets in Delhi, where he encounters the characters who later feature in the book. Out of this group of manual laborers ‑ construction workers, rickshaw pullers and porters ‑ emerges the loudest and most stubborn voice, which belongs to Ashraf, whom Sethi befriends.
Their relationship becomes the main narration of this account of mazdoor ki zindagi ‑ the life of a laborer. Ashraf is colorful, witty, wild and charming ‑ a street philosopher of sorts, who is on his own. Out of touch with his family, he even forgot his mother’s phone number as he moved between menial jobs including butcher, tailor and electrician’s apprentice.
But Ashraf is no angel. His story mirrors the plight of poor men in many developing countries who do back-breaking labor, only to spend their hard-earned pay on alcohol and cigarettes, which is why they are homeless. Through the stories of Ashraf and other workers, Sethi creates characters and breathes life into people who are invisible elements of society. In the book, they are not mere statistics, objects of pity or a burden on the government and society. They are authentic, individual voices and their toil drives development in the capital.
Stories unfold as Sethi follows the adventures and misfortunes of this motley crew. Apart from the personal, harrowing accounts of Ashraf and other laborers as they navigate the city and eke out a living amid the changing economic situation, Sethi also delves into other issues including corruption scandals surrounding India’s organizing of the Commonwealth Games and a public health system that fails to serve poor people, including the laborers he chronicles.
“There you will find patients suffering. They suffer not from their illness, but from their abandonment,” says one veteran laborer, who is being treated for tuberculosis at a local hospital.
At its best, despite being nonfiction, the book has a good, novel-like flow, with an amusing and charming narrative, without being melodramatic despite documenting some tragic stories. It is more accessible than the short story collection “Between the Assassinations” by the Booker Prize-winning author of “White Tiger,” Aravind Adiga, which deals with similar issues and has a similar approach. However, while Sethi says he deliberately wanted to shy away from the macro story and focus on people, he could have elaborated more on the bigger picture to give readers more depth and context.
For a long-time resident of Jakarta, which is nearly as messy as Delhi, this book hits close to home, as it would in many large Asian cities that are struggling to cope with a chaotic transformation from massive urban villages to modern metropolises.
The line “Delhi is a city of chance encounters, spawned by the failure of public transportation” can easily describe Indonesia’s capital, which we love to hate. Then again, as Sethi notes about India’s capital, “This isn’t just any city. This is Delhi, where everyone is a baazigar, or a gambler, and a man too timid to risk kuch bhi ‑ anything ‑ may lose sab kuch: everything.” (as published in Strategic Review Journal http://sr-indonesia.com/this-months-i...)
May 20, 2012
It is a different book, if you don’t read much into the cover. Should you see it in one of the
bookstores and are slightly fazed by indecision, wondering if you should pick it up or not, then you
should!
Here’s why:
No matter where you are in Delhi you must know that the hands that have borne Delhi into its ever-
changing shape are those hands that live on a daily wage. These hands that go through an almost
similar fate everyday: The Morning Tea, Everyday (a country distilled whiskey), Brushes, Hammers,
Chisel and the fate of covering ones face from the destiny that repeats itself. ‘A Free Man’ is about
how these daily wages lead a construction worker to be – lawaris with azadi and akelapan.
These homeless rebuilders of this megalopolitan – who stray on the footpaths of a chowk named
Bara Tooti in Sadar Bazar. A small refuge, that became, after the demolition of illegal colonies in
preparation of Commonwealth Games in the year 2010. This book looks closely into their lives
and their state of economy in an ever growing state of Delhi, lived on the daily wages (a quite close
account infact). How, these mavericks build a city – where everyone is running away or towards
something, while they sit, wait and ponder – how a lawaris finds his own identity while life gushes
off full-stream.
The story revolves around the protagonist – Mohammad Ashraf, a safediwalla (white-washer)
working on daily wages while he whitewashes houses. His mornings starting with the bare
minimum of two rupees for the “morning special chai” and two more for the digestive results of
the former; in the evening lounging about with his “medium-type” friends near about the chowk
and doing away his drinking while giving his witty remarks about life in Delhi – “kacha chaba jati
hai sabko!”. “Aman-bhai” also finds some time to hear about other people in vicinity who wait for
jobs to come to them and their stories of the past, the present in Delhi and their hopeful schemes
of a richer tomorrow. These stories are weld together with the craft of interesting moorings by
the writer, giving away the lives that lie under the debris illegal construction and its demolition of
colonies in the heart of the heart of India.
Aman Sethi, the author – has carved a new facet for the journalism in India. After spending five
years with the homeless-with-heart (putting a black mark on the saying “home is where heart is),
Sethi devels deeper into the safediwallas, pahelledars, mazdoors and the slightly better off mistri’s,
and rolls into their life’s longing and the burning for it. A similar book, A City of Dijnns by William
Dalrymple (who takes a fleeting attempt on such matters), does not match with the probing writing
style of Sethi. The man behind the pen, while writing A Free Man has taken utmost interest in trying
to relay his logic and reasoning behind the happenings of the veiled life within Delhi. Another
reason why this book becomes an intriguing read, with a funny bone and a few amusing curses.
Simply put: Very well researched (almost, lived I would say), brings out the element of daring, in
the man, to see an uglier dressing on the trifles of an ever changing Delhi.
bookstores and are slightly fazed by indecision, wondering if you should pick it up or not, then you
should!
Here’s why:
No matter where you are in Delhi you must know that the hands that have borne Delhi into its ever-
changing shape are those hands that live on a daily wage. These hands that go through an almost
similar fate everyday: The Morning Tea, Everyday (a country distilled whiskey), Brushes, Hammers,
Chisel and the fate of covering ones face from the destiny that repeats itself. ‘A Free Man’ is about
how these daily wages lead a construction worker to be – lawaris with azadi and akelapan.
These homeless rebuilders of this megalopolitan – who stray on the footpaths of a chowk named
Bara Tooti in Sadar Bazar. A small refuge, that became, after the demolition of illegal colonies in
preparation of Commonwealth Games in the year 2010. This book looks closely into their lives
and their state of economy in an ever growing state of Delhi, lived on the daily wages (a quite close
account infact). How, these mavericks build a city – where everyone is running away or towards
something, while they sit, wait and ponder – how a lawaris finds his own identity while life gushes
off full-stream.
The story revolves around the protagonist – Mohammad Ashraf, a safediwalla (white-washer)
working on daily wages while he whitewashes houses. His mornings starting with the bare
minimum of two rupees for the “morning special chai” and two more for the digestive results of
the former; in the evening lounging about with his “medium-type” friends near about the chowk
and doing away his drinking while giving his witty remarks about life in Delhi – “kacha chaba jati
hai sabko!”. “Aman-bhai” also finds some time to hear about other people in vicinity who wait for
jobs to come to them and their stories of the past, the present in Delhi and their hopeful schemes
of a richer tomorrow. These stories are weld together with the craft of interesting moorings by
the writer, giving away the lives that lie under the debris illegal construction and its demolition of
colonies in the heart of the heart of India.
Aman Sethi, the author – has carved a new facet for the journalism in India. After spending five
years with the homeless-with-heart (putting a black mark on the saying “home is where heart is),
Sethi devels deeper into the safediwallas, pahelledars, mazdoors and the slightly better off mistri’s,
and rolls into their life’s longing and the burning for it. A similar book, A City of Dijnns by William
Dalrymple (who takes a fleeting attempt on such matters), does not match with the probing writing
style of Sethi. The man behind the pen, while writing A Free Man has taken utmost interest in trying
to relay his logic and reasoning behind the happenings of the veiled life within Delhi. Another
reason why this book becomes an intriguing read, with a funny bone and a few amusing curses.
Simply put: Very well researched (almost, lived I would say), brings out the element of daring, in
the man, to see an uglier dressing on the trifles of an ever changing Delhi.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2012
**I received this book free of charge courtesy of Goodreads First Reads Giveaways**
Wow. Just wow. This book has left me speechless, I am sure I cannot do it justice in a written review but I will try.
This is the true story of one reporter who followed homeless workmen throughout their day on/off for years in Old Delhi. In particular a man named Mohammed Ashraf. He wanted to get their perspective on things and used an audio recorder & hand written notes throughout his interviews with them. Their stories, their lives, their philosophies, are truly something worth reading. Everything in here is from the reporters own tapes/notes and was translated from Hindi to English. There are many times where I had to re-read parts over again to fully understand what was happening, events were moving fast or new people being introduced, but that is the way these events unfolded. Like the lives of those in Bara Tooti, new places new people at a whim. I think the overall translation of the book was fantastic, while some things cannot be conveyed and many slang words are used, you get a full dose of the culture and understanding of the events taking place. Hindi is not a Germanic language making translation into English twice as difficult. I really applaud those who did this.
It is in many ways a tragic read. You know how it's going to end but it's still sad to get there. I wonder how they would feel knowing millions were about to partake of their lives? From the happiest times of owning successful businesses & having families to the worst times of being so destitute they were unable to pay for the usage of a toilet? I think overall they would be pleased. A claim to fame of sorts. I guess we will never know.
I hope Aman Sethi will write more novels, it is clear to see why journalism is his venue. He is very gifted with words and conveying events so well that you become connected to them a world away.
Wow. Just wow. This book has left me speechless, I am sure I cannot do it justice in a written review but I will try.
This is the true story of one reporter who followed homeless workmen throughout their day on/off for years in Old Delhi. In particular a man named Mohammed Ashraf. He wanted to get their perspective on things and used an audio recorder & hand written notes throughout his interviews with them. Their stories, their lives, their philosophies, are truly something worth reading. Everything in here is from the reporters own tapes/notes and was translated from Hindi to English. There are many times where I had to re-read parts over again to fully understand what was happening, events were moving fast or new people being introduced, but that is the way these events unfolded. Like the lives of those in Bara Tooti, new places new people at a whim. I think the overall translation of the book was fantastic, while some things cannot be conveyed and many slang words are used, you get a full dose of the culture and understanding of the events taking place. Hindi is not a Germanic language making translation into English twice as difficult. I really applaud those who did this.
It is in many ways a tragic read. You know how it's going to end but it's still sad to get there. I wonder how they would feel knowing millions were about to partake of their lives? From the happiest times of owning successful businesses & having families to the worst times of being so destitute they were unable to pay for the usage of a toilet? I think overall they would be pleased. A claim to fame of sorts. I guess we will never know.
I hope Aman Sethi will write more novels, it is clear to see why journalism is his venue. He is very gifted with words and conveying events so well that you become connected to them a world away.
October 18, 2012
Thank you Goodreads First Reads for this great book!
At a point in my life when I feel tied down to a not-so-great job, desperately looking for a better one, or fantasizing about irrational alternatives (like opening an indie bookstore!) to be free of dysfunctional offices and bad bosses, the idea of working and living wherever and whenever you want, working for money and living until the money runs out, leaving a city at the drop of a hat to go live and work somewhere else for a few days or months or years... All of this sounds so fascinating and almost romantic. Except, as we learn in A Free Man, this type of freedom has its price, too. In fact, it seems only the very poor, who have nothing to their name, can maybe live this kind of life. Half vagabond, half day-worker, the main character in the book that Sethi follows seems to be a typical example of the "free man" life. But no man is truly free, as we all know, and as the story unfolds, the things that severely limit his freedom come into focus. I am still in awe of such a life and I think some people can lead this sort of life, especially if they were born in a western country that gives them the freedom to move around without visa issues and a relatively cheap or free health care system to fall back on in their old age. I remember my sister once met a European guy who just travels around Europe and Asia, staying in hostels for free in exchange for doing repairs and IT work. That's the rich version of Sethi's book, I suppose.
Well-written with a good sense of humor, A Free Man is a great read. It certainly puts life in perspective in many ways.
At a point in my life when I feel tied down to a not-so-great job, desperately looking for a better one, or fantasizing about irrational alternatives (like opening an indie bookstore!) to be free of dysfunctional offices and bad bosses, the idea of working and living wherever and whenever you want, working for money and living until the money runs out, leaving a city at the drop of a hat to go live and work somewhere else for a few days or months or years... All of this sounds so fascinating and almost romantic. Except, as we learn in A Free Man, this type of freedom has its price, too. In fact, it seems only the very poor, who have nothing to their name, can maybe live this kind of life. Half vagabond, half day-worker, the main character in the book that Sethi follows seems to be a typical example of the "free man" life. But no man is truly free, as we all know, and as the story unfolds, the things that severely limit his freedom come into focus. I am still in awe of such a life and I think some people can lead this sort of life, especially if they were born in a western country that gives them the freedom to move around without visa issues and a relatively cheap or free health care system to fall back on in their old age. I remember my sister once met a European guy who just travels around Europe and Asia, staying in hostels for free in exchange for doing repairs and IT work. That's the rich version of Sethi's book, I suppose.
Well-written with a good sense of humor, A Free Man is a great read. It certainly puts life in perspective in many ways.
June 21, 2012
Thought provoking and realistic- whether it's the life of a laavaris, what if I was the one in Ashraf's shoes? What does it feel to be anonymous with nowhere to go, no door to knock on? , or the unpolished language used in the book or the casualness of the casual labourers and of life at Bara Tutti. The book, for most parts, is both a little haunting and disturbing and yet, rejoices the prosaic and trivial nuances of everday life which the privilaged ones take for granted.
Ashraf's life is a mosaic of different shades of grey; dark, sad, happy, entertaining, alive, artistic, shameful, contemplative at times and at times, serves as the naked truth about our Indian society. Ashraf is a brave character who, for not even once, regrets any of his decision that he took at some crossroad once.
All in all, a good read for people who have the apetite for a little vulgurness, which is one of a quitenssential parts of life as an Indian, by an author who isn't wearing the shroud of maturity(sigh!!) and writes like an amateur, driven by passion more than senses, making it even better.
Ashraf's life is a mosaic of different shades of grey; dark, sad, happy, entertaining, alive, artistic, shameful, contemplative at times and at times, serves as the naked truth about our Indian society. Ashraf is a brave character who, for not even once, regrets any of his decision that he took at some crossroad once.
All in all, a good read for people who have the apetite for a little vulgurness, which is one of a quitenssential parts of life as an Indian, by an author who isn't wearing the shroud of maturity(sigh!!) and writes like an amateur, driven by passion more than senses, making it even better.
November 26, 2012
What is a human being worth? James Joyce lampooned the typical thinking on this in Ulysses: "You love a certain person and this person loves that other person because everybody loves somebody but God loves everybody." God may, but humankind sure doesn't---if you need proof, take a look at modern-day India. "A Free Man" tries to understand the life of day-laborer Mohammad Ashraf, an itinerant alcoholic with a past full of painful failure. The book begins cheerfully---Ashraf claims that his way of life, with no steady job and no firm ties, is the only one for anyone with pride. But as he comes into focus you begin to understand that a combination of wild decisions and bad habits, coupled with the narrow margin of error available to the Indian poor, have left him adrift in a nation profoundly unconcerned with him. This book touches on the riddles of human suffering with quick, wistful prose; by shining a flashlight on one life in India, it brings the whole nation into relief.
September 20, 2012
I very much enjoyed reading this book. I struggled with the first part of the book trying to wrap my mind around all the foreign words and phrases. As I became more familiar with the writing and characters it became easy to lose myself into this book. This is a book that I most likely would never have experienced without the Goodreads First Reads program and I will forever be greatful for the opportunity to share in the lives of the author and characters even for a short time. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest of knowing more about people and a different experience in life.
April 10, 2017
This book is a kind of the book which won't make you happy , rather it will end you up in a question. To make it simple, this is life story of a man and his struggles of life.
The way Aman Sethi wrote this book is amazing. Book started in Delhi and contains a lot of flashbacks of events that happened over the course of protagonist life.
This is a book which brings you the essence of reality.
The way Aman Sethi wrote this book is amazing. Book started in Delhi and contains a lot of flashbacks of events that happened over the course of protagonist life.
This is a book which brings you the essence of reality.
September 17, 2012
I WAS SO PLEASED WHEN I WON THIS BOOK ON GOODREADS. I THOUGHT THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST THOUGHT PROVOKING BOOKS I HAVE READ IN A VERY LONG TIME. IF YOU WANT A GREAT READ YOU NEED TO PICK UP THIS BOOK.
Want to read
September 24, 2012I love books about India, so this sounded VERY interesting! I can't wait to get it and to read it.
January 28, 2024
I really liked reading this book. I couldn't keep it down. It is one of most insightful books I've read in a while and I truly commend Aman Sethi for conceiving this. The writing style is simple and easy to read, speckled with facts, of recountings told earnestly. I liked how Aman doesn't position himself as a savior in the book; he doesn't shy away from confessing that it's as much about "for his own book" as it is about drawing Ashraf's life (and others).
I loved the way the transitions happen in the whole book. From one point in timeline to the other. It is seamless. The book makes me want to visit Bara Tooti, and look for faces that may resemble Ashraf's, Lallu's, Rehaan's, Satish's, Kaka's, of men with hollowed chests huddled around a tea stall, nursing their hangovers and waiting for the next day job to come through. What a poignant read.
I loved the way the transitions happen in the whole book. From one point in timeline to the other. It is seamless. The book makes me want to visit Bara Tooti, and look for faces that may resemble Ashraf's, Lallu's, Rehaan's, Satish's, Kaka's, of men with hollowed chests huddled around a tea stall, nursing their hangovers and waiting for the next day job to come through. What a poignant read.
April 6, 2013
A free man, for sure will never leave your mind free of thoughts, once you have put down the book. It’s one of the rare books which will leave an impact on you for a long time. I guess it will take a long time for me to avoid thinking of Ashraf's character when I look at laborers’ sleeping on the pavement and wondering how long they have been away from home and for what reason.
In a very subtle but detailed narration author has brought in very touchy topics. The BIS system for beggars, the conditions of poorest of poorest fighting for a bed in government hospital, and the laborers’ way of living day to day life, the author very smoothly carries the reader into the characters life.
The best part of narrative style is that even though you listen and hear to author’s view but he never takes the centre stage. Author has observed and reported without imposing his judgment on the issues and leave the readers to form their own opinion. In addition, the way author describes Ashraf’s, a poor man, whim and fancies is pure excellence. The way their sensitivities clash is fun to read.
I hope the situation in India improves for countless people below poverty line, and we don’t have people like Ashraf to write about. That will be a win-win day for the author and our country. Hats off to Aman Sethi for becoming a part of these people’s life and giving readers a true account of there exterior carefree attitude and their struggle to hide their emotions in a longing heart, a heart longing to go back home.
In a very subtle but detailed narration author has brought in very touchy topics. The BIS system for beggars, the conditions of poorest of poorest fighting for a bed in government hospital, and the laborers’ way of living day to day life, the author very smoothly carries the reader into the characters life.
The best part of narrative style is that even though you listen and hear to author’s view but he never takes the centre stage. Author has observed and reported without imposing his judgment on the issues and leave the readers to form their own opinion. In addition, the way author describes Ashraf’s, a poor man, whim and fancies is pure excellence. The way their sensitivities clash is fun to read.
I hope the situation in India improves for countless people below poverty line, and we don’t have people like Ashraf to write about. That will be a win-win day for the author and our country. Hats off to Aman Sethi for becoming a part of these people’s life and giving readers a true account of there exterior carefree attitude and their struggle to hide their emotions in a longing heart, a heart longing to go back home.
April 1, 2013
This was a fairly interesting book focused on day labor in Delhi, and one laborer in particular. It wasn't brilliant, but it kept my interest and had its moments:
But why am I telling you about Raja again? How did we start this conversation? I remember now — I was telling you the way home from Raja’s house. But for that I had to first tell you where his house was and then of course how he got the house. Funny how every short story is actually just the beginning of a really long one.
‘The santrash line is a risky line. All sorts of things are released when you break a wall — dreams, desires, secrets…’
I like the idea of a house absorbing what occurs within the safety of its four walls: sound waves imprinting themselves onto wet concrete surfaces like a phonograph record to be read by the santrash’s hammer
‘That’s it, Aman bhai. Now you know everything about me — sab kuch. Like a government form: name, date of birth, mother’s name, place of residence, everything. Our faces are pasted in your notebook, our voices all locked in your recorder — me, Lalloo, Rehaan, Kaka, J.P. Pagal, everyone. Now you know everything. What will we talk about if we ever meet again?’
...
‘The past is done, Aman bhai. In future we will only talk about the future.’
September 24, 2011
when i bought this book, i had no idea it was as much a story of Delhi, as it is of the protagonist - md Ashraf. And that was a pleasant surprise!
For this gem, and gem of a book it is - is not the story of Delhi that we see in Khushwant Singh's Delhi or Dalrymple's City of Djinns! this is the story of the Modern Delhi - the 'glistening metropolis of a rising Asian superpower' - A city constantly under construction and the biggest magnet around for migrants from Northern India. And its brutally honest!
Sethi needs to be congratulated for having captured the spirit of the city, or rather its underbelly - in such vivid detail, with its world of daily struggle, of the peculiar male bonding that only migrant lonely males away from home can have and the uncertainty which rules their lives! And the best part is that all this is put in front of us without any embellishments. No rosy pictures, no sepia taints. Just the stuff as it is.
Bombay has had its Shantarams and Maximum Cities. Perhaps its Delhi's turn now!
For this gem, and gem of a book it is - is not the story of Delhi that we see in Khushwant Singh's Delhi or Dalrymple's City of Djinns! this is the story of the Modern Delhi - the 'glistening metropolis of a rising Asian superpower' - A city constantly under construction and the biggest magnet around for migrants from Northern India. And its brutally honest!
Sethi needs to be congratulated for having captured the spirit of the city, or rather its underbelly - in such vivid detail, with its world of daily struggle, of the peculiar male bonding that only migrant lonely males away from home can have and the uncertainty which rules their lives! And the best part is that all this is put in front of us without any embellishments. No rosy pictures, no sepia taints. Just the stuff as it is.
Bombay has had its Shantarams and Maximum Cities. Perhaps its Delhi's turn now!
July 21, 2017
Sethi gives a revealing glimpse into the lives of day laborers in Delhi and Calcutta. He humanizes them with the many details of their dreams, schemes, sorrows, and infrequent victories. To a man, they lack any supportive relationships from family members, and one by one they die tragic deaths in their 30’s or 40’s. x
What does it mean to be "free"? Free from knowing the names of your children? From knowing whether your mother is alive or dead? From ever having enough money to settle down in one place because you repeatedly drink down every single rupee (or dollar) you own? Free from the burden of living past 40? Could this book have better been titled “A Free Drunkard…” since the main character is unceasingly the victim of his own addiction to alcohol? Or perhaps Sethi is using the word "free" in a sarcastic sense, which the reader is supposed to realize is actually a sad commentary on a misplaced understanding of freedom?
Easy to read, this book will give any reader an understanding of life in a big Indian city, and of the plight of millions of people today.
What does it mean to be "free"? Free from knowing the names of your children? From knowing whether your mother is alive or dead? From ever having enough money to settle down in one place because you repeatedly drink down every single rupee (or dollar) you own? Free from the burden of living past 40? Could this book have better been titled “A Free Drunkard…” since the main character is unceasingly the victim of his own addiction to alcohol? Or perhaps Sethi is using the word "free" in a sarcastic sense, which the reader is supposed to realize is actually a sad commentary on a misplaced understanding of freedom?
Easy to read, this book will give any reader an understanding of life in a big Indian city, and of the plight of millions of people today.
December 3, 2012
I've begun to think that people generally think it's politically incorrect to give negative reviews of books about very sad circumstances. I am empathetic about the very poor people in Delhi and I think this book portrays the situation I observed there well. The topic and increasing awareness of the poverty and abuse are important. But independent of that this book is really bad. It might have worked as an article but there isn't enough material for a book and the manuscript hasn't been worked enough. This reads like a draft. Perhaps the author actively used this style or perhaps he isn't skilled. But it is choppy, fractionated, and not a pleasure to read. With so many fabulous books about caste system, poverty, and life among people living in India there is no reason to waste time on this one.
August 26, 2012
Received this book as a winner of a FirstReads competition. Definitely would recommend it for a colorful, thought-provoking look into Indian culture. The characters are great and kept me interested. I love the opening into the book, as it really grabbed my attention and kept me interested throughout the read. The only complaint I have is that there was a lot of vocabulary I was unfamiliar with because I am not native to the culture. It wasn't really explained throughout the read, so I had to look up words. I didn't do this, so I may not have understood the text as well as if the language were explained, like with notes at the bottom of the page.
November 28, 2012
The first two thirds of this book justified the failure of trying to write a book relying on an uncooperative biographee. The last third was his story - which was interesting but not worth the effort of reading that far. This book may have been better suited to a short story. I found the language in the book difficult to understand, as every third word was an unexplained Indian term or location that I was unfamiliar with. I love books about the culture and people of India, like Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger, but this wasn't like that :(
January 31, 2013
Ever wondered what chilling with some street laborers in Delhi would be like? Well join Aman Sethi on a journey to India's capital city. Sethi will make you laugh, get sentimental, maybe even shed a few tears as you dive into the hard life endured by the masdoors/laborers.
This book was suggested by Oprah.com as a suggested read and I am glad I read it.
I read the book but also listened to it before bed sometimes and I was impressed by Vikas Adam's reading. So, check out the novel either in it's written form or listening form--either way, it'll be enjoyable.
This book was suggested by Oprah.com as a suggested read and I am glad I read it.
I read the book but also listened to it before bed sometimes and I was impressed by Vikas Adam's reading. So, check out the novel either in it's written form or listening form--either way, it'll be enjoyable.
October 20, 2012
I won this book on goodreads, and was under the impression that it was a work of fiction till it arrived. I quickly realized it was actually non-fiction, and adjusted my expectations. I felt that this story struggled to find a cohesive story line for the first 2/3 of the book. It was just kind of a random series of stories and you didn't really feel connected to one character or another. The final third of the story things to come together and are quite enjoyable.
May 2, 2013
Another great reportage on the lines of Katherine Boo's 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers'. This one though preceded the latter. Few books are as moving in their narrative as this one depicting the lives of the day labourers, and particularly memorable is the life of one such - Mohammed Ashraf!
January 18, 2015
A poignant portrait of a day-labourer's life in Delhi. Aman Sethi has enough scope to dramatize the happenings yet he keeps things subtle. What "Behind the beautiful forevers" did for Mumbai, "A free man" does for Delhi. Yet another glowing torchbearer for narrative non-fiction based in India.
January 31, 2012
A well-written, compassionate view of migrant laborers in Delhi and their lives (what do they do, how do they live their lives, where are they from, how did they end up there)
October 4, 2022
I have not read a book of this genre before. Aman Sethi is a journalist and as an experiment (?) decides to chronicle the life of a daily wage labourer in Delhi’s Bara Tooti. I am a bit wary of such experimentation. What right do we privileged people have to conduct such experiments with people’s lives? And yet, without doing such experiments, how do we learn about lives with almost no privileges?
The book starts off slowly and I put it down often. What kept me engaged was the way the story was being told. Aman Sethi focusses on one person, Ashraf. Yet, given the way our lives intertwine with that of our friends and those around us, the book does meander to those other lives as well. The writer tries to merely recount the tale as he hears it. There is a deliberate omission of explaining facts or more importantly of judging what he hears. And that is what made me read on.
It is very easy to dismiss people for not taking their lives in their own hands and forging ahead. This is what the Neo-liberals urge you to do, in my understanding. What that approach negates is the everyday trials and tribulations that we encounter and how each individual responds differently to each situation. Your privilege, your network, your experiences so far - all come together when you face adversity. This is illustrated towards the end of the book when the writer has his wallet stolen. For a couple of hours, he is penniless. A phone call is all it takes to restore status quo in a couple of hours. That network, that privilege is what the homeless man has no access to (the book focusses on men). All he has is his own wits and skills and shapes his responses. I can wonder how he arrived at those responses and whether they were the best in the circumstances, but I guess until I have walked his path in his shoes for a mile or more, I cannot judge.
The book spans a period of 5 years in the life of Ashraf. The writer wafts in and out of Ashraf’s life while travelling between Delhi, Kolkata and the USA and probably many other places. The book ends with a neat timeline of Ashraf’s life. The writer obsesses with that timeline through much of the book. Is that what education has done to us - streamlined our thinking so that it is strictly linear? Ashraf protests several times against this but finally gives in and the writer puts together the timeline.
I also tend to think in a linear manner and I know that it inhibits my creativity. Are our lives really that linear? Aren’t there connections and cross-connections between the past and the present and the future? Isn’t that what our classics have captured? The Mahabharata, the Ramayana, Rushdie’s or Marquez’s books - to me what makes them great is the way they travel forward, backward, in circles, in spirals and yet weave a great story together. Perhaps Aman Sethi was running out of funding or perhaps he was working to a deadline.
There are parts of the book where the writer plays with words and language - too few though. Overall I think this is a book worth reading to get a fresh perspective on the lives of the nameless people we meet everyday. And I do believe that someday the author will use his word skills in a novel that will hit us in squarely in the stomach.
The book starts off slowly and I put it down often. What kept me engaged was the way the story was being told. Aman Sethi focusses on one person, Ashraf. Yet, given the way our lives intertwine with that of our friends and those around us, the book does meander to those other lives as well. The writer tries to merely recount the tale as he hears it. There is a deliberate omission of explaining facts or more importantly of judging what he hears. And that is what made me read on.
It is very easy to dismiss people for not taking their lives in their own hands and forging ahead. This is what the Neo-liberals urge you to do, in my understanding. What that approach negates is the everyday trials and tribulations that we encounter and how each individual responds differently to each situation. Your privilege, your network, your experiences so far - all come together when you face adversity. This is illustrated towards the end of the book when the writer has his wallet stolen. For a couple of hours, he is penniless. A phone call is all it takes to restore status quo in a couple of hours. That network, that privilege is what the homeless man has no access to (the book focusses on men). All he has is his own wits and skills and shapes his responses. I can wonder how he arrived at those responses and whether they were the best in the circumstances, but I guess until I have walked his path in his shoes for a mile or more, I cannot judge.
The book spans a period of 5 years in the life of Ashraf. The writer wafts in and out of Ashraf’s life while travelling between Delhi, Kolkata and the USA and probably many other places. The book ends with a neat timeline of Ashraf’s life. The writer obsesses with that timeline through much of the book. Is that what education has done to us - streamlined our thinking so that it is strictly linear? Ashraf protests several times against this but finally gives in and the writer puts together the timeline.
I also tend to think in a linear manner and I know that it inhibits my creativity. Are our lives really that linear? Aren’t there connections and cross-connections between the past and the present and the future? Isn’t that what our classics have captured? The Mahabharata, the Ramayana, Rushdie’s or Marquez’s books - to me what makes them great is the way they travel forward, backward, in circles, in spirals and yet weave a great story together. Perhaps Aman Sethi was running out of funding or perhaps he was working to a deadline.
There are parts of the book where the writer plays with words and language - too few though. Overall I think this is a book worth reading to get a fresh perspective on the lives of the nameless people we meet everyday. And I do believe that someday the author will use his word skills in a novel that will hit us in squarely in the stomach.
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