The Branded Criminal: Yakub Totanawala

Book: The Branded Criminal: In Search of Liberation
Author: Yakub Totanawala
Publisher: Self Published

Do know about the abolished “Criminal Tribes Act”?

The Branded Criminal by Yakub Totanawala is the story of Vikram Chhara, who is born in the Chharanagar locality in Ahmedabad, a man of the Chhara tribe who is manipulated by the political forces to commit atrocious crimes. The realization of his crimes incites him to kill his manipulators and escape to Bangalore and amass wealth and become influential. As the story moves from oppression, exploitation, and crime, Vikram gets trapped until he meets a young ragpicker, and thus begins his tale of redemption, forgiveness, and liberation. With his life, family, business, and the oppressed communities at stake, Vikram must stand against the political heavyweights and the cruel society.

The plot of the book is based on an interesting premise that aims to bring focus to a part of our society that we have ignored and how our past still influences our present. The storyline, for the most part, moves between the present and the past, and the author has used the 2002 riots as a base to explore Vicky’s story. The first half of the book is primarily conversational, and the second part moves towards the present. The concept is well explored, and the author has tried to get into the details, however this is also the part that goes towards the negative as well. The narrative becomes a bit repetitive and lengthy which reduces the experience of reading. The description in some parts is too detailed, leading to longer scenes that distract the reader. Another issue with the book is the editing and there are grammatical issues that need to be looked into once to improve the same. The climax is good, but seems overstretched at certain points.

The book basically has two primary characters and both of them enjoy a good presence in the plot as the author explores their lives and how their paths cross. The character arcs are well sketched. I liked the way the story of Vicky moves and how it comes a complete circle. The characters represent transformation, and that aspect is something that runs through the entire plot line.

Overall, a book with a good concept which could have been executed better. The book scores a 3.63/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.