I never really thought that in a book about a man named Nirvana, he would only be the fifth-most interesting character, and even that is a stretch. In The Extraordinary Life of Max Bulandi, Sidharth Singh weaves a tale so fantastical and adventurous, that every chapter introduces a character more fascinating than the previous one. And this continues until we circle back to our titular hero.
Off on a quest
Nirvana, a fairly aimless, albeit knowledgeable, almost-middle-aged drifter has been going through life with no drive and a lot of alcohol. His long-term girlfriend has left him for a cushy job in the Middle East, his landlady wants to evict him so she can move in with her son outside the country, his job as a music journalist is a dead rut where he feels underused. The story begins in a way you almost believe this is a book about Nirvana himself because his life seems just too in the dumps to be ignored. But as is wont to happen to a man whose life is spirally away to nothingness, he comes across a piece from an old lifestyle magazine that shines a spotlight on him and pulls him to it, an article about a talented rock band, The Flow, and their charismatic but clearly chaotic leader, Max Bulandi.
Nirvana is enamoured by this man, taken in by the charm he seems to exude through forty-year-old paper. He announces to his boss that this is his calling, that he’s off to pursue the story of the mysterious Max Bulandi nobody seems to know about. His boss, rightfully, tells him he’s no Cameron Crowe and this is no Almost Famous. Bands and musicians enter and leave the scene in India in hordes and there is nothing more to that. Nirvana perseveres, because this is as much his calling to find himself as it is to find the hero, and eventually starts tracking down the pieces of the puzzle that is Max Bulandi. He starts his journey in Mumbai, and soon travels to Kolkata, Shillong, and Benares (as the author has chosen to call the city, a choice I am fully on board with).
The author neatly, though sometimes a little too plainly, positions Nirvana’s own failures and realisations with that of Max, and as the book progresses, so does his determination to better himself. The stories of Max’s life are interspersed with Nirvana’s coming-of-age, and while it is supposed to work on paper, it doesn’t actually work (again, on paper). The book seems to rush through a lot of portions which have heft and could have added to the story. We don’t care much for Nirvana, which could be intentional, but when it is contrasted with the truly extraordinary life of Max, it bogs down the book’s pacing and intensity. In fact, as we build to a crescendo to Max’s story and almost reach the climax, we care less and less for Nirvana and whatever he is whining about. Which is a shame because if the book were a little longer, it could be allowed to explore both its protagonists equally. This need for speed also reduces Max’s story to a highlight reel rather than a genuinely moving portrait of a man who just had the wrong start, a lot of whose choices were a result of the cards life dealt him. I would have loved to read a little more about everything Max did and why, but before that happens the author quickly jumps to the next item of business in the book.
A rollercoaster life
While this chips away from the experience a bit, The Extraordinary Life of Max Bulandi retains its essence of being a roller coaster through the life of a man who has jumped from Amsterdam to Istanbul to Kathmandu to Kolkata. He has been a singer, a drug peddler, a tour guide, a boatman, a revolutionary, a youth leader. The book covers politics in Bengal and further in Bangladesh. It covers the post-independence life in Benares and the waning life of Anglo-Indians in India, contrasted with the rising idea of newly independent nationalism. It covers the effects of the advent of foreign music to India in the 70s, to the interiors of the country where music resides with folk singers. It covers a lifetime of intoxicants of all natures – drugs, alcohol, rebellion, anger, love. The book is peppered throughout with throwaway references to musicians and films, both mainstream and indie. It’s almost heartening to see a writer pen something they clearly know a significant amount about, because even if you don’t really feel the book is your jam, you walk away with a ton of recommendations.
Max Bulandi’s whole persona is of having a natural flair for standing out, being noticed in a crowd, being exceptional at what he does. People are attracted to him in an inexplicable way. He draws them in and leads them, and this is true for his bandmates, his girlfriend, his childhood friends, and his rebel army fighting for identity rights. But more than all, it’s true for Nirvana and it’s true for us, the reader. The whole book hinges on this trait, and true to form, we are just as charmed by Max Bulandi.
The Extraordinary Life of Max Bulandi, Sidharth Singh, HarperCollins India.
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