Beginning New Year with Hansi

Finally, 2009 has begun. A lot has been happennng here in Gujarat, and in my life as well.

I began my year with Hansi. Ok, before we go further, a small clarification: Hansi is the name of a novel written by Maria Anne Hirschmann, that I completed recently. Its a story of a German girl brought up under the influence of Nazism in 1940s. Hansi becomes a blind devotee of Nazism, and thinks that it has got solution to all the problems in the world. Then she meets people who have walked on similar path dicouraged and full of grievances. She does not want to give up. For her, Hitler and his ideals are everything. She does not understand why Hitler has to suicide, but does not waver an inch from her convictions. Finally, she falls in the hands of Russian soldiers and flees for her life. For quite some time, she plays hide and seek with death, but each time escaping it. She manages somehow to flee to West Germany which is a safer side, and begins her life again. One fine day, when she meets Jesus she realizes that her life held a purpose. A purposeless life suddenly finds a reason to live. By the time the book ends, Hansi has discovered God's purpose for her life, as she surrenders herself into His hands and God starts using her for drawing others near Him.

What was interesting about it? - an innocent girl with a desire to change the world, her failures to realize her ideals, struggles to find the love of her life in the middle of war, her simple questions and difficulties to understand God.

A good book to begin my year with. I normally don't begin my year with resolution, but I wish I spend a little more time in reading this year.