How reading The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami helped Vinay Virmani understand what it means to be human
Jane van Koeverden | CBC | Posted: July 21, 2017 2:57 AM | Last Updated: July 21, 2017
July 1, 2017 marks 150 years since Confederation in Canada. CBC Books is creating the great Canadian reading list — a list of 150 books curated by you.
Actor, writer and producer Vinay Virmani adds The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami to the reading list.
"The great thing about The Hero's Walk is that I didn't choose it; it chose me. This book was my gateway to Canada Reads which is and will always remain one of my life's most memorable experiences. The Hero's Walk is a timeless story that does what all great fiction should do: takes us outside ourselves, so we can look deep within. The writing is textured, the characters are vivid and there's a profoundly sympathetic understanding of the human condition. There is so much about this book and its characters that's strikingly similar to us as Canadians, and yet so much that is radically different — and I loved this book for both reasons. I ended up caring so deeply about the characters in it, that I hurt when they hurt and rejoiced when they did. Reading this book widened my perspective on not only being Canadian, but also being human."
After graduating in business from York University, Vinay Virmani studied filmmaking and theatre at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City. He wrote and starred in the hockey comedy Breakaway and was a writer, lead actor and producer in Dr. Cabbie.