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Panther
'I see you. Legs like toothpicks, body and face all ribs and cheekbones. And that hair. Come on, what is it? Like friggin' barbed wire. I see you with a hand-me-down cracked bat creaming a leather ball, in a sock, hanging from the branch of a mango tree.'
Being accepted into an elite international school on a cricket scholarship doesn't mean your life is going to change. Except it does, because hunky Indika - I for Indika, I for Incredible - takes you under his wing, drags you to posh restaurants and shows you pictures from glossy magazines of women who ... well, never mind, that's not the point. The point is: if your best friend snogs your girlfriend, can he still be Incredible? Was he ever? But don't sweat the small stuff. There are cricket matches to win, examinations to pass, a horrifying past to forget, a sinister schoolmaster to avoid ... and, of course, a first kiss to finally experience. Prabu's life is never going to be the same again.
Funny, diamond-sharp and unapologetic, Panther is a novel about that familiar, fractured passage to adulthood that can make us magnificent if it does not kill us.
Being accepted into an elite international school on a cricket scholarship doesn't mean your life is going to change. Except it does, because hunky Indika - I for Indika, I for Incredible - takes you under his wing, drags you to posh restaurants and shows you pictures from glossy magazines of women who ... well, never mind, that's not the point. The point is: if your best friend snogs your girlfriend, can he still be Incredible? Was he ever? But don't sweat the small stuff. There are cricket matches to win, examinations to pass, a horrifying past to forget, a sinister schoolmaster to avoid ... and, of course, a first kiss to finally experience. Prabu's life is never going to be the same again.
Funny, diamond-sharp and unapologetic, Panther is a novel about that familiar, fractured passage to adulthood that can make us magnificent if it does not kill us.
272 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
4 people are currently reading
497 people want to read
About the author
Chhimi Tenduf-La
4 books76 followersChhimi Tenduf-La is half English, half Tibetan and lives in Sri Lanka. Educated at Eton and Durham, he was brought up in Hong Kong, London, Delhi and Colombo. He has had four novels published by the Indian arms of Hachette, Pan Macmillan, and HarperCollins.
'A unique writer…a brilliant collection..’ India Today
'...a fresh and promising new voice on the literary landscape.' New India Express
‘....rapid paced ride…a terrific read.’ Deccan Herald.
'...a memorable and enjoyable work from this talented writer.' Kirkus
'…a masterly evocation of all that is twisted, ominous and terrifying.' Hindustan Times
'A unique writer…a brilliant collection..’ India Today
'...a fresh and promising new voice on the literary landscape.' New India Express
‘....rapid paced ride…a terrific read.’ Deccan Herald.
'...a memorable and enjoyable work from this talented writer.' Kirkus
'…a masterly evocation of all that is twisted, ominous and terrifying.' Hindustan Times
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 14, 2015
First I curse the traffic. Why can't it be more congested?
Then I curse Chhimi Tenduf-La. Why couldn't he have released his new book on Kindle?
Then I curse myself. Why the hell am I writing like him? In short punchy sentences.
I have started reading Panther. The second novel by Chhimi Tenduf-La. Of The amazing racist fame. As usual I can't put it down. Sadly I have to. I have three free hours ahead of me. Three hours I could have spent immersed in this great story. But you can't be seen reading a book at a wedding can you? Even if you don't know anyone else there. It is considered rude. Not acceptable. Unlike staring into your phone. For hours on end. If only his publishers had allowed him to release the kindle version at the same time he released the hard copy of his book in Sri Lanka.
Life is not fair.
So I leave the wedding early. Tell the driver to take the longest route possible. Pray that there is loads of traffic. Sit back and slip in between the pages.
Panther is a great second novel. Far more powerful than the first. A dark and complex tale. A story line with unexpected twists and turns. And amazing funny bits which has become a trademark of this author. "There is great value in shaving one's legs if one's legs were female."
This much is true. You have heard that. Most nights. Most mornings. Sometimes over lunch or with a cup of tea. Sometimes while in the car.
Amma never listened but Appa let it go. No complaints. Hell, one physical fault was nothing to worry about for a man as chilled as your Appa.
Things they say started to go wrong when your amma found a waffle iron in a bombed out restaurant.
You had no electricity, so Appa tapped into the local army camp's generator. A military policeman caught him. Appa bribed him. With waffles.
But he was running short of ingredients, so he used his van to spy for the army. They paid in him in flour, jaggery, eggs and milk.
The gossips say Amma fell in love with waffles. Thought of waffles first thing in the morning. Dreamt of waffles at night. With this obsession came rapid weight gain.
And once your amma hit one hundred kilos, your Appa could no longer ignore her body hair, so they say.
Appa like most men in this parts had needs, and if people in these parts had needs, they visited the hairless wife of the unemployed film critic."
Isn't this irresistible? To me it was. So much so that I copied the entire passage manually. Laboriously typing in one word at a time. . Whilst being jerked around in rush hour traffic. Squinting hard to see my screen against the morning sun.
Chhimi says this book is about terrorism and it's impact. And he has (very wisely) created a fictitious terrorist organisation called The Panthers to do so.
But to me it is also about racism. Not the brown vs white that we read about in his first book. This time it's about the haves against the have-nots. The well educated against the poorly educated. The do-gooders against those who accept their charity. And worse of all Sri Lankan against Sri Lankan.
Then I curse Chhimi Tenduf-La. Why couldn't he have released his new book on Kindle?
Then I curse myself. Why the hell am I writing like him? In short punchy sentences.
I have started reading Panther. The second novel by Chhimi Tenduf-La. Of The amazing racist fame. As usual I can't put it down. Sadly I have to. I have three free hours ahead of me. Three hours I could have spent immersed in this great story. But you can't be seen reading a book at a wedding can you? Even if you don't know anyone else there. It is considered rude. Not acceptable. Unlike staring into your phone. For hours on end. If only his publishers had allowed him to release the kindle version at the same time he released the hard copy of his book in Sri Lanka.
Life is not fair.
So I leave the wedding early. Tell the driver to take the longest route possible. Pray that there is loads of traffic. Sit back and slip in between the pages.
Panther is a great second novel. Far more powerful than the first. A dark and complex tale. A story line with unexpected twists and turns. And amazing funny bits which has become a trademark of this author. "There is great value in shaving one's legs if one's legs were female."
This much is true. You have heard that. Most nights. Most mornings. Sometimes over lunch or with a cup of tea. Sometimes while in the car.
Amma never listened but Appa let it go. No complaints. Hell, one physical fault was nothing to worry about for a man as chilled as your Appa.
Things they say started to go wrong when your amma found a waffle iron in a bombed out restaurant.
You had no electricity, so Appa tapped into the local army camp's generator. A military policeman caught him. Appa bribed him. With waffles.
But he was running short of ingredients, so he used his van to spy for the army. They paid in him in flour, jaggery, eggs and milk.
The gossips say Amma fell in love with waffles. Thought of waffles first thing in the morning. Dreamt of waffles at night. With this obsession came rapid weight gain.
And once your amma hit one hundred kilos, your Appa could no longer ignore her body hair, so they say.
Appa like most men in this parts had needs, and if people in these parts had needs, they visited the hairless wife of the unemployed film critic."
Isn't this irresistible? To me it was. So much so that I copied the entire passage manually. Laboriously typing in one word at a time. . Whilst being jerked around in rush hour traffic. Squinting hard to see my screen against the morning sun.
Chhimi says this book is about terrorism and it's impact. And he has (very wisely) created a fictitious terrorist organisation called The Panthers to do so.
But to me it is also about racism. Not the brown vs white that we read about in his first book. This time it's about the haves against the have-nots. The well educated against the poorly educated. The do-gooders against those who accept their charity. And worse of all Sri Lankan against Sri Lankan.
April 30, 2018
Chhimi Tenduf-La’s latest novel, ‘Panther’, is a gripping tale set in a hostile environment where communal tensions, bloodlust and vengeance rules. He has set it in Sri Lanka…but honestly speaking, it could be any country: from the war-ravaged East to the civilized West, where they don’t speak of it. In the end, it’s a tale about human nature and the fight of humanity against evil forces that often may exist in your own mind. It reads like a poem, and reminded me of these lines from ‘The Second Coming’ by W.B. Yeats:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
A haunting tale that will inevitably remind you of all your troubles back in high school. The novel traces the journey of Prabhu, a young Tamil boy and a cricket protégé growing up in Sri Lanka, who is admitted to an elite school of rich boys. But Prabhu has a past that his classmates who have lived comfortable lives guarded from all harm cannot imagine: he is a former child soldier and had been once closely associated with the fictional terror group of ‘Panthers’. With a past that refuses to be silenced and memories that abruptly gear their ugly heads, Prabhu has to learn to overcome the onerous burdens of high school.
What is noteworthy about the author is his incredible talent to poignantly pen on paper the angst of adolescence, for all boys, rich or poor. Some problems like finding a perfect date, scoring good marks in your examination, gaining popularity among your peer circle, impressing your crush and living up to your parents expectations, or more pertinently, them living up to yours, are universal themes all adolescents can connect with. But at the same time, the novel deals with darker themes like the plight of child soldiers, or simply of children growing up in a war-ravaged nation. Children growing up in an environment where tensions are high, are forced to make impossible choices between right and wrong, good and bad; sometimes with no proper guidance. More often than not, they end up emulating their parents and other elders around, but the real question is: what happens when the elders are prejudiced and misguided? The vicious cycle of hate pervasively present in so many South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Western nations has been pain strikingly taken apart by the author and presented to us in vivid detail.
From paedophiles who rape orphaned boys, to terrorist leaders who brainwash child soldiers to fight wars they don’t understand, to army soldiers who shoot and torture even those who surrender, to families forced to sacrifice one child to the ‘cause’ to save another: this book (some may find it disturbing) expostulates on the worst side of human nature. It talks about everything society would rather push under the rug. Yet, as is atypical of this author, the serious is peppered with moments of hilarity. This extract for instance is one of my personal favourites:
…the letter ‘A’ pendant cost six thousand rupees, but they had a discount on the letter ‘I’ pendants. He deliberated for a while. Since Achala’s name began with ‘A’, the ‘A’ pendant might have been the more appropriate, but he knew he couldn’t ask Indika, whose name began with an ‘I’, for more money. So the ‘I’ would have to do.
Indika and Prabhu’s friendship is one of the most humane bonds of friendship that I have ever read in a novel. The characters of both boys is so well-developed that you would feel you know them personally. In many ways the novel is also a ‘coming of age’ story, as different characters evolve and grow in different ways as the novel progresses. The concluding chapters especially have a beautiful point of climactic twist in certain protagonists’ personalities, but saying more would be giving out spoilers, and for a book as captivating as this, it would be a cardinal sin.
The only minor point of contention for me would be the excessive use of abuses in the text, but I guess it does help set the mood, and my prudish love for ‘proper’ language would probably be judged by most to be orthodox. We all do have our points of squeamishness, don’t we? The style otherwise is unique: the narrator, who is incidentally also the protagonist, shifts from second person, to third person and even to first person narrative. Sometimes it feels like he is narrating a story to us, while at other points the readers are standing next to him, watching an event unfold. The style is such that all passing thoughts and sudden observations are noted down in vivid details, for example a page devoted only to a cockroach on a cricket pitch. Yet the details aren’t random or arbitrary. In many ways this book has a firm foundation in psychology and these seemingly random details, in the end reveal a lot more than one could imagine. The language is simple and easy to understand, but hard to gauge. You might just find yourself turning the pages for one more read.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The falcon cannot hear the falconer:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
A haunting tale that will inevitably remind you of all your troubles back in high school. The novel traces the journey of Prabhu, a young Tamil boy and a cricket protégé growing up in Sri Lanka, who is admitted to an elite school of rich boys. But Prabhu has a past that his classmates who have lived comfortable lives guarded from all harm cannot imagine: he is a former child soldier and had been once closely associated with the fictional terror group of ‘Panthers’. With a past that refuses to be silenced and memories that abruptly gear their ugly heads, Prabhu has to learn to overcome the onerous burdens of high school.
What is noteworthy about the author is his incredible talent to poignantly pen on paper the angst of adolescence, for all boys, rich or poor. Some problems like finding a perfect date, scoring good marks in your examination, gaining popularity among your peer circle, impressing your crush and living up to your parents expectations, or more pertinently, them living up to yours, are universal themes all adolescents can connect with. But at the same time, the novel deals with darker themes like the plight of child soldiers, or simply of children growing up in a war-ravaged nation. Children growing up in an environment where tensions are high, are forced to make impossible choices between right and wrong, good and bad; sometimes with no proper guidance. More often than not, they end up emulating their parents and other elders around, but the real question is: what happens when the elders are prejudiced and misguided? The vicious cycle of hate pervasively present in so many South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Western nations has been pain strikingly taken apart by the author and presented to us in vivid detail.
From paedophiles who rape orphaned boys, to terrorist leaders who brainwash child soldiers to fight wars they don’t understand, to army soldiers who shoot and torture even those who surrender, to families forced to sacrifice one child to the ‘cause’ to save another: this book (some may find it disturbing) expostulates on the worst side of human nature. It talks about everything society would rather push under the rug. Yet, as is atypical of this author, the serious is peppered with moments of hilarity. This extract for instance is one of my personal favourites:
…the letter ‘A’ pendant cost six thousand rupees, but they had a discount on the letter ‘I’ pendants. He deliberated for a while. Since Achala’s name began with ‘A’, the ‘A’ pendant might have been the more appropriate, but he knew he couldn’t ask Indika, whose name began with an ‘I’, for more money. So the ‘I’ would have to do.
Indika and Prabhu’s friendship is one of the most humane bonds of friendship that I have ever read in a novel. The characters of both boys is so well-developed that you would feel you know them personally. In many ways the novel is also a ‘coming of age’ story, as different characters evolve and grow in different ways as the novel progresses. The concluding chapters especially have a beautiful point of climactic twist in certain protagonists’ personalities, but saying more would be giving out spoilers, and for a book as captivating as this, it would be a cardinal sin.
The only minor point of contention for me would be the excessive use of abuses in the text, but I guess it does help set the mood, and my prudish love for ‘proper’ language would probably be judged by most to be orthodox. We all do have our points of squeamishness, don’t we? The style otherwise is unique: the narrator, who is incidentally also the protagonist, shifts from second person, to third person and even to first person narrative. Sometimes it feels like he is narrating a story to us, while at other points the readers are standing next to him, watching an event unfold. The style is such that all passing thoughts and sudden observations are noted down in vivid details, for example a page devoted only to a cockroach on a cricket pitch. Yet the details aren’t random or arbitrary. In many ways this book has a firm foundation in psychology and these seemingly random details, in the end reveal a lot more than one could imagine. The language is simple and easy to understand, but hard to gauge. You might just find yourself turning the pages for one more read.
September 24, 2015
Chhimi Tenduf-La, in the Author’s Note to ‘Panther’, clarifies that the Sri Lanka of his latest novel is highly invented. He says that in reality the students are disciplined, the educational standards are good, the people are peace-loving and most importantly his depiction of war in this otherwise culturally rich country totally ‘fictitious’. He insists that ‘there are some bad people in this book. Very bad. This is fiction.’ We can’t question him. But we can ask ourselves…
Why then has he placed his characters in Sri Lanka, in a book where cricket and childhood are so disturbingly married to war and terrorist training camps that every time you stand at ease while reading, you are straightened into attention on the next page? A reader anywhere in the world too is well aware of Sri Lanka’s context - its politics and history and cricket – and certainly enough to not swallow this novel’s world as pure fiction. Is this ‘apologia’ then aimed at escaping censure? Or, is this a clever way of shrouding in fiction a reality which news coverage of wars has yet to show us? He’s got us thinking even before we’ve begun reading!
Some aspects make ‘Panther’ a strong narrative on wars, any war anywhere in the world, where there are children living through it even long after it is over. It is these which make this book much more powerful than the blurb attempts to reveal. Throughout the book you will find a depiction of young days of gay abandon; days of early adulthood when snogging a girl or finishing a bottle of arrack were the only surest signs of manhood, for instance. Throughout the book you will also find the most dreadful scenes of pain and blood, flies and slush, abuse and violence too. What does war do to children? It plays havoc with their lives, forcing them into roles, messing with their relationships, scaring away their sanity and snatching away their identities, for life.
The whole book uses a lot of fragmented or one-worded sentences to portray innocence, to make a shocking impact, to endear us to a character, to register a point or to simply leave the reader thinking. Chhimi needed a new way of speaking, altogether, to question wars and politics and racism and the telling of history itself.
The end was the only disappointing feature of this book, for me. Did Chhimi need to give his poignant story and powerful story-telling a shocking twist, like the ones short-stories hunger after? Or is this his way of saying that some wars never end? That history is nothing but a past stuck in a present continuous tense?
No one can see this as purely ‘fictitious’. No one can say the trauma of war is beyond Chhimi’s understanding. A must-read!
Why then has he placed his characters in Sri Lanka, in a book where cricket and childhood are so disturbingly married to war and terrorist training camps that every time you stand at ease while reading, you are straightened into attention on the next page? A reader anywhere in the world too is well aware of Sri Lanka’s context - its politics and history and cricket – and certainly enough to not swallow this novel’s world as pure fiction. Is this ‘apologia’ then aimed at escaping censure? Or, is this a clever way of shrouding in fiction a reality which news coverage of wars has yet to show us? He’s got us thinking even before we’ve begun reading!
Some aspects make ‘Panther’ a strong narrative on wars, any war anywhere in the world, where there are children living through it even long after it is over. It is these which make this book much more powerful than the blurb attempts to reveal. Throughout the book you will find a depiction of young days of gay abandon; days of early adulthood when snogging a girl or finishing a bottle of arrack were the only surest signs of manhood, for instance. Throughout the book you will also find the most dreadful scenes of pain and blood, flies and slush, abuse and violence too. What does war do to children? It plays havoc with their lives, forcing them into roles, messing with their relationships, scaring away their sanity and snatching away their identities, for life.
The whole book uses a lot of fragmented or one-worded sentences to portray innocence, to make a shocking impact, to endear us to a character, to register a point or to simply leave the reader thinking. Chhimi needed a new way of speaking, altogether, to question wars and politics and racism and the telling of history itself.
The end was the only disappointing feature of this book, for me. Did Chhimi need to give his poignant story and powerful story-telling a shocking twist, like the ones short-stories hunger after? Or is this his way of saying that some wars never end? That history is nothing but a past stuck in a present continuous tense?
No one can see this as purely ‘fictitious’. No one can say the trauma of war is beyond Chhimi’s understanding. A must-read!
August 11, 2015
Hook, Line & Sinker.
Once again I have the good luck to receive Chhimi Tenduf-La's latest book as a gift. I turned the first page and I am taken aback. This is a totally different story from The Amazing Racist; his first book...but then I start to read and there it is - the easy style of fluid words that seem to pour forth with ease from this author. Chhimi has a way with words that one could say hooks you and holds you captive to his tale.
‘Now I see you sitting in the corner of Grade Three, knees drawn to your chest. You’ve never been in a sauna, I know that, but this is what it’s like. The sun heats up the tin roof above you, so you sweat till your muddy t-shirt is drenched, but still your teeth chatter. You shiver. It’s fear, it’s sadness, it’s anger.’
‘Prabu squatted, his backside just half an inch off the sand, his arms hugging his burnt-matchstick-like legs. To his right, a girl, maybe his age, likely Tamil, plaited hair and frisky eyebrows, selling Frangipani flowers to tourists.’ - Panther
It seems he is an author capable of adding humour in any situations which is not that easy to do and yet, from the moment you turn the first page you are caught hook, line and sinker. You just can’t put the book down. Now there are some books that are good and others that are slower...however Chhimi Tenduf-La writes in such an easy and captivating style that you don’t feel like placing a book mark in your book, to read it later. You just feel like you really need one more page and then another and another, until you have read the whole book.
I can only compare this feeling to an addiction of sorts. The feeling one has when they have strange urges, unbearable longings and insatiable desires.
Yes he is a writer that unlike others, totally relaxes your mind as you read. I will be honest and say I would generally not read books that even remotely revolved around our Sri Lankan war memories...yet Panther paints many pictures amidst the facts that tell a tale. This is not just a story but its a story with a morale, a message and flavour...yes ! once again Chhimi Tenduf-La has given us a winner!
Panther has alot of interesting twists and turns but the subtle twist at the end is the one I liked best.
Ps: Not giving that away...Panther is well worth reading to find that out for yourself.
Once again I have the good luck to receive Chhimi Tenduf-La's latest book as a gift. I turned the first page and I am taken aback. This is a totally different story from The Amazing Racist; his first book...but then I start to read and there it is - the easy style of fluid words that seem to pour forth with ease from this author. Chhimi has a way with words that one could say hooks you and holds you captive to his tale.
‘Now I see you sitting in the corner of Grade Three, knees drawn to your chest. You’ve never been in a sauna, I know that, but this is what it’s like. The sun heats up the tin roof above you, so you sweat till your muddy t-shirt is drenched, but still your teeth chatter. You shiver. It’s fear, it’s sadness, it’s anger.’
‘Prabu squatted, his backside just half an inch off the sand, his arms hugging his burnt-matchstick-like legs. To his right, a girl, maybe his age, likely Tamil, plaited hair and frisky eyebrows, selling Frangipani flowers to tourists.’ - Panther
It seems he is an author capable of adding humour in any situations which is not that easy to do and yet, from the moment you turn the first page you are caught hook, line and sinker. You just can’t put the book down. Now there are some books that are good and others that are slower...however Chhimi Tenduf-La writes in such an easy and captivating style that you don’t feel like placing a book mark in your book, to read it later. You just feel like you really need one more page and then another and another, until you have read the whole book.
I can only compare this feeling to an addiction of sorts. The feeling one has when they have strange urges, unbearable longings and insatiable desires.
Yes he is a writer that unlike others, totally relaxes your mind as you read. I will be honest and say I would generally not read books that even remotely revolved around our Sri Lankan war memories...yet Panther paints many pictures amidst the facts that tell a tale. This is not just a story but its a story with a morale, a message and flavour...yes ! once again Chhimi Tenduf-La has given us a winner!
Panther has alot of interesting twists and turns but the subtle twist at the end is the one I liked best.
Ps: Not giving that away...Panther is well worth reading to find that out for yourself.
September 24, 2015
"Panther"..is a must read(don't judge it by the cover)and do you know why..
because you have not seen war,because you have not seen minorities tortured under baseless claims,because you have not experienced that feel of being good a midst all odds.Chimmi's book is an eye opener starting from its concept,language to the structure of the novel.Panther is not an ordinary story with normal human beings.Panther is a great second novel. Far more powerful than the first,it is dark,complex and mixed with bitter truth.There is racism,there is dirty politics,bribery and corruption ,war and hatred but the island nation has a pure love for the beautiful game of cricket.The constant hatred between the two groups has been brought in this novel,at the same time the friend-foe relation between Prabhu and Indika surrounding cricket,life and existence- is so real and touchy.
What are the things which will attract you-
Narration-so stylishly maintained though there are different narratives
Character Prabhu- Innocent,a child soldier(first time am reading about child soldier and their training),sports scholarship,a gifted player and his struggle for the acceptance in the mainstream society-still he is the special one-the Jose Mourinho of Panthers.How his life changed when he came across some amazing people like the Jayanettis family and some disgusts like Coach silva and Mathews
Indika-he is a stud,more like a spoiled brat and his friendship with Prabhu(a Sinhale and a Tamil)-is an example to all..it cannot be a fiction.
Though i didn't like the end much,seemed a hurried end,suddenly everything falling into places..but it's peace..war is over.Is the hatred over..question is still there.
Read the book.A good experience!!
because you have not seen war,because you have not seen minorities tortured under baseless claims,because you have not experienced that feel of being good a midst all odds.Chimmi's book is an eye opener starting from its concept,language to the structure of the novel.Panther is not an ordinary story with normal human beings.Panther is a great second novel. Far more powerful than the first,it is dark,complex and mixed with bitter truth.There is racism,there is dirty politics,bribery and corruption ,war and hatred but the island nation has a pure love for the beautiful game of cricket.The constant hatred between the two groups has been brought in this novel,at the same time the friend-foe relation between Prabhu and Indika surrounding cricket,life and existence- is so real and touchy.
What are the things which will attract you-
Narration-so stylishly maintained though there are different narratives
Character Prabhu- Innocent,a child soldier(first time am reading about child soldier and their training),sports scholarship,a gifted player and his struggle for the acceptance in the mainstream society-still he is the special one-the Jose Mourinho of Panthers.How his life changed when he came across some amazing people like the Jayanettis family and some disgusts like Coach silva and Mathews
Indika-he is a stud,more like a spoiled brat and his friendship with Prabhu(a Sinhale and a Tamil)-is an example to all..it cannot be a fiction.
Though i didn't like the end much,seemed a hurried end,suddenly everything falling into places..but it's peace..war is over.Is the hatred over..question is still there.
Read the book.A good experience!!
September 17, 2015
Chhimi's first book, The Amazing Racist was (excuse the pun) amazing! He managed to do something quite magical - he rekindled my love for reading. It takes a special author to have you so hooked that you can't put a book down until it's finished. Chhimi did that, but he also made me want to pick up another book after that, and another and another.
With Panther, I was expecting more of the same - laughter, anger, eye-rolling, embarrassment, and I got all of that, but I also got so much more. Like The Amazing Racist, Panther had me hooked from the first page, but by the end of it, I was left stunned. I experienced an even wider range of emotions and for me that is what reading is all about - to be transported to a different world, to feel what the characters feel, to experience what they experience.
I can't wait to see what Chhimi has for us next.....The Amazing Racist and Panther will be two very hard acts to follow!
With Panther, I was expecting more of the same - laughter, anger, eye-rolling, embarrassment, and I got all of that, but I also got so much more. Like The Amazing Racist, Panther had me hooked from the first page, but by the end of it, I was left stunned. I experienced an even wider range of emotions and for me that is what reading is all about - to be transported to a different world, to feel what the characters feel, to experience what they experience.
I can't wait to see what Chhimi has for us next.....The Amazing Racist and Panther will be two very hard acts to follow!
June 28, 2015
I jumped into bed thinking I'll read a little now.. two hours later, almost midnight on a Sunday I am staring up from a book feeling like I just lived another life. Takes a form of real life and it is easy to be taken into the book. What I enjoyed the most was the feeling of being taken into a different life in a different place back in time. It was a one hell of a journey.
July 21, 2015
Very few authors have the ability to make readers not only sympathize but also empathize with the predicament of their protagonists. Chhimi Tenduf La does this beautifully well in this lovely little 'coming of age' book.
Detailed review put up at https://mahabore.wordpress.com/catego...
Detailed review put up at https://mahabore.wordpress.com/catego...
September 15, 2015
Panther shows us what a versatile writer Chhimi is! Many heart wrenching moments topped with clever humour made this book yet another easy read! Love that the book is left to the writers imagination..
September 22, 2015
This is an extraordinary book. I started reading it, admittedly, because I know and like the author, and because I loved his last book. However, I was sceptical as I lived in Sri Lanka during this time, and it's really difficult subject matter and not for the fainthearted author or reader, for that matter. When I started, I really could not stop. Luckily I had the flu, so I just tore through the book in a day. It's really, really good.
Chhimi has a wonderful writing style - it's my favorite kind of writing - skilled, unself-conscious and unobtrusive, drawing the reader into the world he creates, and making you forget that you are reading. His characters are engaging and make you care about them, and the denouements of the villains are satisfactorily graphic.
He's funny and irreverent, but at the same time sensitive, thoughtful and perceptive in his depiction of how isolating being different can be, even when you appear to be accepted.
I refuse to describe or walk through the story - you just need to read it. It's a ripping coming of age story with a major sting in the tale (sorry, I couldn't help myself there) - complete with evil school masters, love, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, friendship and redemption. Really, really well done! Can't wait for the next one!
Chhimi has a wonderful writing style - it's my favorite kind of writing - skilled, unself-conscious and unobtrusive, drawing the reader into the world he creates, and making you forget that you are reading. His characters are engaging and make you care about them, and the denouements of the villains are satisfactorily graphic.
He's funny and irreverent, but at the same time sensitive, thoughtful and perceptive in his depiction of how isolating being different can be, even when you appear to be accepted.
I refuse to describe or walk through the story - you just need to read it. It's a ripping coming of age story with a major sting in the tale (sorry, I couldn't help myself there) - complete with evil school masters, love, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, friendship and redemption. Really, really well done! Can't wait for the next one!
September 19, 2015
This is a stunning book. Loved it from start to finish. It makes you laugh out loud and get teary eyed all at once. The characters are so real... You want to befriend them (well, except maybe Coach Silva :)) The war scenes- though fictional- are chilling and very beautifully juxtaposed with scenes of regular teenage life in a Sri Lankan high school. I won't give away the story in my review. But rest assured you will grow to love Indika - the most desirable teenager in Colombo, and Prabhu the Panther ... The Tamil child soldier and cricketing prodigy who gets a second chance at life. This book encompasses despair and hope, cruelty and kindness, in a poignant, sensitive and above all humorous manner, without trivializing the war in Srilanka between the army and the Tamil separatists, that ended in 2009. The language is refreshing. And it makes you want to pack your bags immediately and travel to that small but diverse Island nation that has witnessed so much suffering but is now rising above it all.
January 10, 2016
Maybe my opinion is one not popular with typical fans of this novel, but to be blunt this was not one of my favorite books to read. I did really like the writing style and the split narrators of the book, but I could not look past reading all the horrible horrible things that happened to these characters. Maybe I simply need more backbone to read a more depressing book, but I was disappointed when I won the novel assuming the topic would generate around a coming-of-age, pauper meets prince kind of feel when the story really wasn't about that at all.
July 28, 2015
Beautiful. Touching. Sad. Funny. Thought provoking.
This is definitely an emotional read. It teaches you many things - feelings, love, friendship, racism, war and reality. This book says everything that many Sri Lankans have been trying to say for years - despite our color or culture, we are Sri Lankans. Not all Sinhalese are bad. Not all Tamils are bad either. But why this hatred?
Loved it!
This is definitely an emotional read. It teaches you many things - feelings, love, friendship, racism, war and reality. This book says everything that many Sri Lankans have been trying to say for years - despite our color or culture, we are Sri Lankans. Not all Sinhalese are bad. Not all Tamils are bad either. But why this hatred?
Loved it!
July 29, 2015
My thoughts on this life story of a thin toothpick liked legged, ‘Panther’ is that once you start reading, you unknowingly get involved with the story of Prabu. Finally, the success of the protagonist in his ever challenging life leaves a reader, like me with a reassured belief in oneself and optimism to receive life with open arms. Full review on http://wp.me/p1FJBJ-yJ
September 21, 2015
I really loved Panther, I thought it was brilliant. It had a very different style to The Amazing Racist which leaves me eager to see what Chhimi Tenduf-La's next book is going to be like. The insight into a version of Sri Lankan life is fascinating and the characters are so well described that you feel you really get to know them. Desperate for book three!
March 8, 2021
A fictitious tale of a very real war, drawing connections between ethnic groups, class, education (western vs. native), and varying forms of abuse. By walking readers through the friendship of a devoted "village boy" and snobby "city boy", the author is able to shed light on themes that still impact Sri Lankans lives today. A gripping, fast, read that requires emotional grit to get through.
July 12, 2015
It was truly a very good read! After reading Chhimi Tenduf-La's debut novel, 'The Amazing Racist', I couldn't imagine him topping that. For me personally, he took this book to a whole new level. I foresee more brilliant writing to look forward to.
September 20, 2015
I remember reading "The Amazing Racist", the debut novel of Chhimi Tenduf-la, in the first half of this year. I enjoyed it so much that I still remember the story even when I am a victim of a very bad memory. Haha! I was amazed to know that he have already published his second book with HarperCollins in the second half of the year named "Panther". I was very skeptic about this book because I felt the writer does not have an idea of how to go in the industry which is making him release books in such short gaps. But after reading this one, I can easily say that Chhimi is Chetan Bhagat of Sri Lanka. He knows how to hit the right spot with the youngsters through story and make them feel a part of it. Even when I am not from the country he belongs or the country in which this book is based in, I could easily feel and understand all the emotions and black face of reality.
Chhimi has this amazing humour which he creates in scenarios where you least expect it. There are situations which will make you laugh like crazy imagining if something like this can actually happen. That keeps his readers under the domination of the book and they only leave it once they end up reading the last page. And the good thing is that he does not use that simple English language to tell his stories. He creates and form sentences that shows how great a writer he is and how great he can be with each book. His writing style directly hits you and takes you in the world of his stories and stay there even after the book ends. I completed the book last night and I am still thinking about the protagonist and the life he lead. Only a great writer can make this happen.
The book will be difficult initially considering the way it's started. It's written in two voices and two different lives of the protagonist is discussed one after another which makes it hard to fathom but once you understand how it's been written, you start enjoying the story. The characters are very well-developed- specially Prabu and Indika along with other supporting characters like Coach Silva, Achala, Mathews etc. The accent given to the Prabu is also well maintained throughout the book and doesn't cause irritation to the reader while reading conversations in wrong grammar. The way book changes in 2nd half gives it the right momentum and it is then that you finally get engrossed in it and start believing that you are reading a good and unique book. The twists and turns in the end are really unbelievable.
Through this story, Chhimi have told it in such an easy language the several difficulties developing countries like Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan faces on daily basis. It tells how everything is corrupt and how your life is ruled by few bad self-proclaimed kings. It tells about how a nation and its people suffer because of the unwanted wars that take place even within a country between two groups. There are many such realities- minor and major that Chhimi have discussed with this book which shoould be definitely appreciated. I will give this book an excellent 4* and I am eagerly waiting for his next book now. I have only one complain- Why such cover pages always? Give your cover pages as much life as you give to your stories. :-)
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!
September 22, 2022
This book was conceived in 2015 out of experience, as well as inexperience. Both weighed equally in a scale made in Sri Lanka.
The calibre of the topic says it all. PANTHER-The trauma of a 30y/o civil war and its legacy.
It feels absolutely delightful to acknowledge that a foreigner has captured the actuality of War and its impact, in its exact frame. To display his vision, he has employed two lads of similar talent who symbolize social stratification which has been a source of oppression ever since. Prabu, A caste away from the north. Indika, A spoiled High-class athlete from the West. The tension between their disparity is what intensifies the plot. Yet, the process isn’t complete without the gang of antagonists.
Antagonists in PANTHER not only despise the protagonists but also represents “Everyday things “-Corruption, Racism, Abuse, harassment, Bribery, Political nepotism, which had been rooted to the Sri Lanka ever since its origin.
And the controversy of panther is that it drifts between the past and the present which are expressed as layers of foundation to the actual plot which is delivered through two voices that’s non-identifiable at some point making it a riddle.
And matter how hard the westernized breeze hits us, PANTHER is an epitome of local hue and flavor. But the most performative part about is that it starts and ends with Cricket. A pure contrast-The entanglement of Cricket And War having similar instincts, deriving the common feeling of victory and defeat which is "So Sri Lankan."
The calibre of the topic says it all. PANTHER-The trauma of a 30y/o civil war and its legacy.
It feels absolutely delightful to acknowledge that a foreigner has captured the actuality of War and its impact, in its exact frame. To display his vision, he has employed two lads of similar talent who symbolize social stratification which has been a source of oppression ever since. Prabu, A caste away from the north. Indika, A spoiled High-class athlete from the West. The tension between their disparity is what intensifies the plot. Yet, the process isn’t complete without the gang of antagonists.
Antagonists in PANTHER not only despise the protagonists but also represents “Everyday things “-Corruption, Racism, Abuse, harassment, Bribery, Political nepotism, which had been rooted to the Sri Lanka ever since its origin.
And the controversy of panther is that it drifts between the past and the present which are expressed as layers of foundation to the actual plot which is delivered through two voices that’s non-identifiable at some point making it a riddle.
And matter how hard the westernized breeze hits us, PANTHER is an epitome of local hue and flavor. But the most performative part about is that it starts and ends with Cricket. A pure contrast-The entanglement of Cricket And War having similar instincts, deriving the common feeling of victory and defeat which is "So Sri Lankan."
May 26, 2016
I recieved a free copy of this book from the author.
First off, the way this story was told was pretty weird. Half the time it's in second person and half the time it's in third person so it was confusing for a bit in the beginning but I got used to it. The story in itself was amazing. It takes place during the Sri Lankan civil war or the tamil sinhalese conflict. The war plays a pretty big role in the story. This book shows the life of people and kids stuck in the warzone. It also shows how different the lives of the upper and lower classes are. Prabu is a main character you can easily empathise with. But my favourite character was easily Indika (a guy Prabu becomes best friends with). The writing is fantastic. There are two parallel story lines which merge at the end. But there were a few things that didn't really have a conclusion so that was a bummer. The story didn't drag and was really fun to read.
First off, the way this story was told was pretty weird. Half the time it's in second person and half the time it's in third person so it was confusing for a bit in the beginning but I got used to it. The story in itself was amazing. It takes place during the Sri Lankan civil war or the tamil sinhalese conflict. The war plays a pretty big role in the story. This book shows the life of people and kids stuck in the warzone. It also shows how different the lives of the upper and lower classes are. Prabu is a main character you can easily empathise with. But my favourite character was easily Indika (a guy Prabu becomes best friends with). The writing is fantastic. There are two parallel story lines which merge at the end. But there were a few things that didn't really have a conclusion so that was a bummer. The story didn't drag and was really fun to read.
January 8, 2016
Received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways!!
Well written.! gave an idea about the civil war in Sri Lanka. All Characters, The Author insists that ‘there are some bad people in this book, which quite made me to read sooner : There is racism,there is dirty politics,bribery and corruption which I find are still a part of everyone's life.
The book is a story of a young Tamil rebel fighter in Sri Lanka who is undergoing the process of rehabilitation in a country by bitter, cruel and terrible civil war .
Really, A GoodRead well done!
Well written.! gave an idea about the civil war in Sri Lanka. All Characters, The Author insists that ‘there are some bad people in this book, which quite made me to read sooner : There is racism,there is dirty politics,bribery and corruption which I find are still a part of everyone's life.
The book is a story of a young Tamil rebel fighter in Sri Lanka who is undergoing the process of rehabilitation in a country by bitter, cruel and terrible civil war .
Really, A GoodRead well done!
August 24, 2015
Quotes from the book:
"No one even knows what they're fighting for any more. No one knows, It's just blind bloody hatred"
"Life wasn't all competition. For him it was survival"
"Prabhu knows that even if he could forgive he would never be able to forget"
"Whenever things seems to be going well in his life, something would go wrong"
"No one even knows what they're fighting for any more. No one knows, It's just blind bloody hatred"
"Life wasn't all competition. For him it was survival"
"Prabhu knows that even if he could forgive he would never be able to forget"
"Whenever things seems to be going well in his life, something would go wrong"
January 16, 2020
Read the whole book within 24 hours. Can't wait for the next one!
August 25, 2017
We bought Panther more than 1.5years ago on a random trip to Odel. Having read the author’s debut novel and enjoyed it, we did not think twice about buying this. Believe it or not, there were few autographed copies left at Odel. It felt as if Chhimi had left us an autographed copy. :)
My significant other read the book before me and didn’t enjoy it. Hence, I was not so eager to start. However, in the end, this turned out to be a book I really enjoyed.
Panther is a coming of age tale set in the midst of civil war in Sri Lanka. At the beginning of the book, Chhimi has stated that the depiction of the war in the novel is fictitious as he does not know the fine details of the civil war. He has taken the liberty of inventing a terrorist organization called Panthers to make it clear that he is not pretending to know about what happened. However, if you are finicky about authors not getting the details correct about the country and the war, then you might not enjoy the book.
The protagonist of the novel is a Tamil boy named Prabu, who had to become a child soldier against his will. It is the story of his life as a child soldier and his life after rehabilitation when he gets to join a Colombo school. In this story, we see how Prabu matures into adulthood and how he loses his innocence.
Amidst the coming of age tale, there are subtle slaps aimed at the so called leaders who claim to fight for people.
“The Supreme Leader addresses the Bronson brigade. The kids’ brigade, named Death Wish, looks on.
‘The army has shelled our hospital. Our school. They’re claiming it was infighting among our different fractions, but that’s horseshit. Buffalo crap. They killed our kids, and when I say our kids, I mean our kids. Mr Majestyk’s son killed. Aged twelve.’
You kids gasp, not for a moment wondering why this twelve-year-old got to go to school while you had to fight.”
At one point, it is the people who are supposed to protect Prabu who molest him and take away his innocence. The disappointment of crying out for help and then discovering that the helper is actually the tormentor is portrayed in a manner which shocks the reader.
At another situation, the best friend Prabu trusted and looked up to, turns out to be just another selfish meanie who doesn’t want his success. However, much of this meanness was in his effort to meet the parents’ expectations. This meanness turns out to be a part of growing up and discovering themselves.
“ ‘ I’ll try my best, machan. This means so much to Ammi and Thathi. Break their hearts if I lost the hundred and two hundred on the same day.’
‘Sorry that I won the hundred.’
‘Guys, are you ready?’ Mr Carter asked.
Indika said, ‘Just a minute please, sir.’ He put his mouth to Prabu’s ear, tickling him with his breath.
‘Machan, I know you didn’t mean to. Obviously, staying at our house, eating our food and coming in our jeep, you wouldn’t have planned to beat me. I guess the wind must have pushed you against your will.’ ”
He ends the novel showing how some wars never end despite our best efforts.
The writing style of Panther irritated me at first. It felt like something I would have written. The sentences were short and simple and not beautiful. The erroneous grammar of Prabu was also irritating at first. When I was about 10-15% into the novel, I got used to this and started enjoying. Later on, Prabu’s innocence and the way he spoke reminded me of Sam’s Story by Elmo Jayawardena.
This little note turned out to be much longer and more cluttered than I intended. However, it is a book I enjoyed reading and would like to invite you all to read too.
My significant other read the book before me and didn’t enjoy it. Hence, I was not so eager to start. However, in the end, this turned out to be a book I really enjoyed.
Panther is a coming of age tale set in the midst of civil war in Sri Lanka. At the beginning of the book, Chhimi has stated that the depiction of the war in the novel is fictitious as he does not know the fine details of the civil war. He has taken the liberty of inventing a terrorist organization called Panthers to make it clear that he is not pretending to know about what happened. However, if you are finicky about authors not getting the details correct about the country and the war, then you might not enjoy the book.
The protagonist of the novel is a Tamil boy named Prabu, who had to become a child soldier against his will. It is the story of his life as a child soldier and his life after rehabilitation when he gets to join a Colombo school. In this story, we see how Prabu matures into adulthood and how he loses his innocence.
Amidst the coming of age tale, there are subtle slaps aimed at the so called leaders who claim to fight for people.
“The Supreme Leader addresses the Bronson brigade. The kids’ brigade, named Death Wish, looks on.
‘The army has shelled our hospital. Our school. They’re claiming it was infighting among our different fractions, but that’s horseshit. Buffalo crap. They killed our kids, and when I say our kids, I mean our kids. Mr Majestyk’s son killed. Aged twelve.’
You kids gasp, not for a moment wondering why this twelve-year-old got to go to school while you had to fight.”
At one point, it is the people who are supposed to protect Prabu who molest him and take away his innocence. The disappointment of crying out for help and then discovering that the helper is actually the tormentor is portrayed in a manner which shocks the reader.
At another situation, the best friend Prabu trusted and looked up to, turns out to be just another selfish meanie who doesn’t want his success. However, much of this meanness was in his effort to meet the parents’ expectations. This meanness turns out to be a part of growing up and discovering themselves.
“ ‘ I’ll try my best, machan. This means so much to Ammi and Thathi. Break their hearts if I lost the hundred and two hundred on the same day.’
‘Sorry that I won the hundred.’
‘Guys, are you ready?’ Mr Carter asked.
Indika said, ‘Just a minute please, sir.’ He put his mouth to Prabu’s ear, tickling him with his breath.
‘Machan, I know you didn’t mean to. Obviously, staying at our house, eating our food and coming in our jeep, you wouldn’t have planned to beat me. I guess the wind must have pushed you against your will.’ ”
He ends the novel showing how some wars never end despite our best efforts.
The writing style of Panther irritated me at first. It felt like something I would have written. The sentences were short and simple and not beautiful. The erroneous grammar of Prabu was also irritating at first. When I was about 10-15% into the novel, I got used to this and started enjoying. Later on, Prabu’s innocence and the way he spoke reminded me of Sam’s Story by Elmo Jayawardena.
This little note turned out to be much longer and more cluttered than I intended. However, it is a book I enjoyed reading and would like to invite you all to read too.
May 15, 2018
I am totally in love with Chhimi Tenduf-la's style of writing. Short sweet and to the point. Totally hillarious choice of names that actually make sense in more than one way.
I'm really glad he mentioned that the the incidents of the story is fiction, and apologizing for fictionalizing the war for the story. Had it not been said, I know I wouldn't have read the book with an open mind. ( We Sri Lankans generally don't accept that any wrong can be done by the country, every misdeed that falls on the country is some kind of evil conspiracy by the other faction if not the western world and NGO's) Can't blame the people really, as the book depicts itself. Everyone has their own story. And reasons. I love how the book is fictionalizing the truth without forcing you to believe one idea of truth. Also same incident from different points. Everyone is human, everyone has weaknesses, we all make mistakes. Bad people are bad regardless of on which side of the no moustache land they are.
War has torn this country to bits for decades. Some people are still angry. Newer conflicts brew up all the time. For my generation war is in the past. I hope we all can learn from past, understand the circumstances, forgive and move on.
I'm really glad he mentioned that the the incidents of the story is fiction, and apologizing for fictionalizing the war for the story. Had it not been said, I know I wouldn't have read the book with an open mind. ( We Sri Lankans generally don't accept that any wrong can be done by the country, every misdeed that falls on the country is some kind of evil conspiracy by the other faction if not the western world and NGO's) Can't blame the people really, as the book depicts itself. Everyone has their own story. And reasons. I love how the book is fictionalizing the truth without forcing you to believe one idea of truth. Also same incident from different points. Everyone is human, everyone has weaknesses, we all make mistakes. Bad people are bad regardless of on which side of the no moustache land they are.
War has torn this country to bits for decades. Some people are still angry. Newer conflicts brew up all the time. For my generation war is in the past. I hope we all can learn from past, understand the circumstances, forgive and move on.
October 20, 2024
Source: I got the book for free for an honest review.
The book is about a Tamil boy in the war torned Sri Lanka. His journey from being trained to be a suicide bomber to become a cricket player and finally settled to help others like him.
The author nicely captured the essentials of the theme but I wish that the book was a little bigger to capture more about the life of the Tamils in the Jaffana peninsula.
The book starts slow but captured imagination after around 20th Chapter and picks pace.
The author has nicely portrayed the hatred between Tamils and Singhlese but was careful enough to not make it one sided bashing.
The book nicely conveys the message to respect the differences when it comes to racial problems.
I loved the story and it's characters. I would rate it 8.5/10.
The book is about a Tamil boy in the war torned Sri Lanka. His journey from being trained to be a suicide bomber to become a cricket player and finally settled to help others like him.
The author nicely captured the essentials of the theme but I wish that the book was a little bigger to capture more about the life of the Tamils in the Jaffana peninsula.
The book starts slow but captured imagination after around 20th Chapter and picks pace.
The author has nicely portrayed the hatred between Tamils and Singhlese but was careful enough to not make it one sided bashing.
The book nicely conveys the message to respect the differences when it comes to racial problems.
I loved the story and it's characters. I would rate it 8.5/10.
October 11, 2017
Such a compelling read. It is one of those books that grabs you and won't release you until you have reached that last page. And on that last page - so many possibilities. So many questions. I absolutely loved it!
October 22, 2017
Very readable- keeps you engrossed. There are sensitive moments and empathy with suffering. The two main characters didn't seem very convincing.
May 29, 2018
I've read all of Chhimi's books and this one is my favourite. It's beautifully written, gut-wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. This was one hell of a coming of age story. Wow.
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