A Hundred Journeys ~ Stories of my Fatherland is a very interesting book written by Omar Zafarullah. Omar Zafarullah is a mechanical engineer by profession. At present he is the regional manager of one of the Fortune 500 companies.
The book however shows a very different side of Omar’s personality. The book seems like a long heart to heart talk that Omar wants to have with his son. In the backdrop, we come to know about the whole point of this book. Omar lost his father in a car accident.
He was not able to get all the guidance and worldly wisdom that he needed himself as a growing man. He lost his father suddenly. Omar’s long talk with his son in this book is basically a discussion to guide his son about how he should live his life (in case Omar is not around to guide him, that is).
This book is not just a narration of Omar’s family history.
It integrates Pakistan’s political ups and downs and social changes that our country has gone through due to all these changes. Although Omar has successfully painted the picture of various important incidents in his own life and in Pakistan’s political struggle throughout its existence, what got my attention was the character of Maa Ji.
Great grandmother of Zafarullah, who chose not to give up and who ensured that his sons got educated actually turned the wheels for Omar’s family. Overall, this book can be considered as a page turner. It is written in simple English. It is light reading but is definitely thought provoking.
Omar Zafarullah makes his mark when he breezes past the concepts of extremism, colonialism, political immaturity that we see in our country and even the issues of lawlessness while he keeps his focus on teaching his son all the methods of life. It is a good read.
