“ Shantaram? What’s it about?” Ayoub contemplated for a moment before he answered. “ Haha, I do… It’s called Shantaram, and it changed my life.” I was intrigued. He just chuckled and then responded with an indifference only someone like him can pull off. “ Umm, you want to recommend a book?” Luckily, he was not offended by my coarse remark. By this point, I’d known Ayoub for around 6 months, admittedly I shamefully mistook him for someone who does not enjoy reading books. “ Then I have a book for you, I’m sure you’ll love it.” He mentioned nonchalantly before putting my book down and picking up his controller. I nodded at him lazily with my attention fully on the TV screen.
“ Do you like to read?” He asked me while casually skimming through the book. I had been reading a book and left it on the coffee table, while the PlayStation was loading, Ayoub picked it up and flipped it over. It was another scorching weekend in Riyadh, and just like every weekend, Ayoub would come over and we would play “Call of Duty” until the sun relieved us of its blazing heat. However, within its sheets lies a philosophical story that will immediately suck you into its spirit of adventure. Just like Ayoub, Shantaram could be just as misleading with its daunting 933 pages.
He was merely the vessel which led me to discover the most influential novel I’ve ever read, Shantaram. Still, as interesting as Ayoub’s character was, this piece is not about him. There was a certain freedom in his character which I envied, and “if you envy someone for all the right reasons, you’re halfway to wisdom.” He was soft-spoken and stoic in his behavior.
He had multiple piercings on both his ears and eyebrows, and a huge biker beard that matched the entire ensemble.Ĭontrary to his looks though, Ayoub had a very quiet personality. He was tattooed from the neck all the way down to his ankles. Around 6 years ago when I was living in Riyadh - Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine introduced me to a man named Ayoub.
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