15. Review of “03:02” – Mainak Dhar

Review of “03:02” – Mainak Dhar

WritersMelon asked me to write a review for this book and I’d gladly said yes. But, would I be actually writing it down on a piece of paper? No! I’ll just grab my iPad and start clicking away. In such a world where each and every person is dependent on electronic devices, what would happen if the electricity goes out and all electronic gadgets are fried? Can’t imagine? Neither can I. But, Mainak Dhar brings forth a story where most of the world is attacked by terrorists who blast-off bombs radiating electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) which leave all the circuit based electronic devices high and dry.

The plot of the story is principally based in Mumbai, where an executive Aaditya wakes in the middle of the night, (03:02 am to be precise) after hearing a bang to find the city shrouded in darkness. Assuming it to be a power failure, he goes back to sleep. In the morning, when the sun rises, he realizes the extent of damage when he sees the whole city in utter chaos. Even the vehicles have stopped as and where they were at the time of the explosion and everyone is clueless. In the absence of any law or order, he takes charge to bringing things as close to normal as he can by pooling resources with others affected by the tragedy, looters, rapists, rioters and assassins. They work together towards self-sustenance till such time that the Government aids arrives. However, before any communication link could be forged, the attacks by the terrorists who have captured the airport begin. Self-preservation leads them to form a union and they try to fight back with all they can.

Starting by using his own skills learned in a dojo and NCC, Aadi becomes a hero for the community when he gets his hands bloodied by killing a looter and saving Dr. Megha and her patients. He is entrusted with a gun from a retired general to combat any approaching threats. Joined by a couple of ex-army officials, they keep what fire-arms they conquer from the little groups of armed terrorists which are sent out to take over them. Help arrives in small packages in form of semi-trained volunteers, NDA cadets, whiz-kids from IIT, a few marines etc. The civilians team-up to form their own army and rely on ‘surprize attacks’ as their primary method of assault. Will they be able to last till their supplies and limited ration runs out? Grab a copy to find out!

The idea of a blackout is horrifying but brilliant. It is not the first time this has been used, but the possibility of this to occur cannot be ignored. The hard-hitting fact remains throughout the story where Aaditya repeatedly asks everyone the difference between ‘us and them’. There is a lot of blood and gore depicted in the combat scenes which are detailed to perfection. The story is fast paced and makes you race to find out the ending. The epilogue is not clichéd in showing a happy-every-after; rather it indicates the struggle of the survivors to take what they are left with and build a new tomorrow; thus being more appetizing.

My take: The story is fast paced and there is never a dull moment where you feel like picking up the bookmark.

Book Courtesy: WritersMelon

PS: Post-reading you are prone to sweat bullets if your power runs out even for a few seconds.

PPS:  Trivia – The characters in the story do bear slight resemblance to real life acquaintances of the author.

14. Review of ‘The Girl Who Chose’ – Devdutt Pattanaik

Review of ‘The Girl Who Chose’ – Devdutt Pattanaik

‘You are bound by rules, but not I. I am free to choose.” – Sita.

Sita, the avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, has chosen to tell her story and about the choices she made. These choices in turn decided her fate and that of the ones around her. The age old story of Ramayana has been retold and that too from Sita’s point of view. Ram, her husband and the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was maryadapurushottam, which means that he was bound by rules and had no right to choose for himself. Ravana on the other hand was complete opposite and disrespected rules or anyone else’s choices. Thus, the story of Ramayana depended on the five choices of Sita since there were five major decision points in her life where she was free to decide what she could do. It leads you to believe that has Sita made different choices at even one point, the story of Ramayana would have turned out very differently.

Devdutt Pattanaik, the master of mythological stories, along with his heart-cuddling illustrations has woven a tale which makes everyone sit up and notice the life of Sita. The journey and transformation in the story told and retold all across India and carried abroad has been detailed beautifully. The little snippets of useful information, background, meaning and basis of the content in context is helpful and enlightening. The simple language and flow makes the tale endearing to little ones as well as grown-ups. The portrayal of all the characters is limited bound perfectly without leaving out any useful details.

The author raises some questions which boggle your mind, like was the Western story of Hansel and Gretel, who leave breadcrumbs behind to find their way back, was inspired by Sita throwing her jewelry to guide Ram to herself in Lanka? Had Surupnakha thought Sita to be a raakshasi as she too was accompanied by two make escorts just like raakshas ladies did back then? Was Ram still a maryadapurushottam when he killed Vail (Sugreev’s twin brother) from behind even when he was not the one fighting him? These questions lead to you really ponder.

Pattanaik also compares the various versions of Ramayana right from the Valmiki’s Ramayana to the present day depictions immortalized into our minds via Ramleela plays, TV series and motion pictures. For example, the story of Shabri feeding tasted berries to Ram had no mention in the original version and was just added a few centuries back. There are other such comparisons which make you wonder about the authenticity of the story. Various anecdotes are inserted along with the charmingly done illustrations which makes you understand the concepts better.

My Take: After reading the book (more looking and reading) I felt as if this was the closure to the Ramayana which I was waiting for since long. It had answered many of the questions in my mind and made me to believe the tale better. I beg to you to please go and get multiple copies of this book because you’ll want to share it with others too without sacrificing your copy because, as endearing as the book is, believe me when I tell you that you won’t want to part with yours.

Book courtesy: (Vivek Tejuja) Flipkart Blogger Review Program