Hullabaloo in the guava orchard

the long version

Sampath Chawla is born into a family slightly off kilter, to a mother not quite like her neighbours, in a town not quite like other towns. After years of failure, it does not seem as if Sampath is going to amount to much. Then Sampath climbs up a guava tree in search of a life of peaceful contemplation - and becomes unexpectedly famous as a hermit. News of the guru in the tree soon spreads. Sampath's family begins to make more money than they'd ever dreamed of. Written rich with humour and an eye for the eccentric, this is a magical tale of a world gone slightly mad.