Vinayak and Me

To begin I was very thankful to be reading this selected work as it explains and essentially accounts for a lot of historical context by means of a sort of story, which makes learning and reading about this way more enjoyable. Regardless, I was very interested in a lot of the cultural customs that I had not been familiar with that occurred in the reading. For example I didn't know that in the Indian culture it is custom to wait a few years before giving a child a first name, and although naming a child is also a sacred act in the U.S., it seems to me to be an even bigger deal in India. One's name describes your political views, economic status as well as social status. I was taken aback by the flood of information that can be accounted for in a name, but then I was more understanding as to why the naming process is taken more seriously and more thought is put into it than would be accustomed for an American. Also the hunt for Vinayak to find out the meaning and more so the reason he was named Vinayak by Dr. Parchure was an intriguing mystery, and his adventure along the way also provided more insight into the Indian politics of the time. It was interesting in that upon being introduced to the character of Dr. Parchure, he was illustrated as a very noble and intelligent man, whom I became infatuated with when he named Vinayak and his reasons for doing so were still a mystery. However after learning of the violence he practiced I was kind of let down from once viewing him as this really admirable person, but learning of his later actions of brutality made me feel otherwise. Dr. Parchure was indeed, I would say an person worthy of admiration: he is a prestigious doctor and an intelligent man, however these characteristics for me were not redeemable enough to excuse his surprisingly violent demeanor.