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Review of the book “When We Were Them”

“-Does Casual Cruelty to Animals Incur You Serious Debts of Karma?-
Review of ‘When We Were Them’ by
Quote Alert
“As he grew older, he saw a different truth unfolding.
The same grandmother who had once told him of the eagle Garuda turned away when neighbourhood boys pelted stones at crows. The aunt who fasted every Monday for Lord Shiva scolded the maid for feeding leftover chapatis to the stray cow outside. Even his gentle father, who had cried reading the Ramayana, casually swatted a lizard off the wall with a rolled newspaper.”
Why does it happen that the agents of our adoration in the stories and religion lay uncared, neglected and abused in real life? Why do we call a cow mother and then let her gut bloat with polythene on the road? Why do we worship the devi sitting atop a lion but render violence to them both? Abhishek Sinha explores this violence to them both? Abhishek Sinha explores this cruel, causal and dual human nature in his story. Not only does this story underline the power of kindness and empathy, it teaches you and your kids a crucial lesson: the lesson of karma and cruelty. If you send cruelty into the world, it will find it’s way back to you somehow. The essence of the story lies in the notion that human beings return to the world in form of animals. What you see as a cow today could have been a human being in the past life. So be kind to them.
The author has masterfully used the essence of karma to guide his story home. He repeatedly underlines the fact that you shall reap what you sow.
He writes:
“Karma is not fate; it is a web, a balance, a mirror. Every action has a return. Every cruelty finds its path back.” He placed a hand on Dhwaj’s shoulder. “This is why how we treat animals matters. Not because they are weak or innocent, but because they are us. Sometimes in different bodies. Sometimes in different chapters.”