Author: Sriram Karri
Published By: Fingerprint Publications
Pages: 384 pages
Price: Rs. 360
ISBN: 978-81-723-4565-5
About The Author:
When asked, Sriram Karri is never quite sure if the nation he was born in and loves so much, was and is really mad or if merely he is Either way, he has witnessed his country grow fondly, sadly, joyfully, regretfully and above all, hopefully. He began his career as a journalist and worked in Deccan Chronicle and Indian Express and has worked as a corporate brander with TCS, Infosys, Satyam, the Indian School of Business and also co-founded a tech start-up. He writes for The New York Times and has contributed to The Guardian, The Hindu and The New Indian Express. His first published work, The Spiritual Supermarket, was longlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in the non-fiction category in 2008. An accomplished orator, Sriram is an invited speaker and panellist at several fora and discussions. He lives in Hyderabad with his wife and son.
Book Blurb:
'I was born in a mentally retarded country.' Thus begins this provocative, stylish and racy literary rant against India by a twenty-four-year-old awaiting capital punishment. When Dr M Vidyasagar ('Sagar'), retired chief of CBI, gets an unusual request from his old friend and the President of India to privately investigate if Vikrant Vaidya - sentenced to death for motivelessly killing his teenage neighbour Iqbal - is innocent or not, little does he know how convoluted a conspiracy he is setting foot in. With a narrative that springs forth from and weaves its way through the Emergency, anti-Sikh riots post Indira Gandhi's assassination, Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra, anti-Mandal Commission protests, economic liberalisation, Babri Masjid demolition and Godhra riots, readers will find themselves in the grips of a chimerical tale, asking and answering the question: Is India truly a mad nation?
My Review:
Should I call it a Fiction or a Mystery/Thriller book, I'm really confused. Though the book says it is a pure work of fiction, the way Author has narrated the story you will fill as if you are a part of the story. Nothing seems to be fictional in the book. A reader can easily connect to the story and feel as if he/she is somewhere among the characters.
'I was born in a mentally retarded nation', the first line written in the book was enough to keep me hooked with the story till its end. The story starts with a mercy petition written by a murder convict, 'Vikrant Vaidya' to the President. Unlike other mercy petitions, in his letter, Vikrant, kind of challenged the President rather than asking for plea. Vikrant was innocent; that's what he claimed but he was ready to die for his country. He asked the President to find the truth before hanging him.
President then called his old friend and his most trustworthy person, 'Vidyasagar' (former CBI head) to find the truth of Vikrant Vaidya case. Though Vidyasagar was on a plan to retire, he took the case as his last assignment.
While the President was discussing Vikrant's case with Vidyasagar, Gujju Bhaiya got a call and he was informed that the President is showing his interest in Vikrant's case. Gujju Bhaiya was confident enough that things would go as per his plans and he has to stop Vidyasagar from uncovering the dark secrets of Vikrant.
Well if you are thinking this is what the story is, you are completely wrong. Even I thought the same. During the first few pages I thought Vikrant is the main protagonist and he will either be proved innocent or would be hanged at the end. But the story has many protagonists. It doesn't end with 1 or 2 but have many more characters than that.
(That would be unfair to the Author if I mentioned everything here, just get into the book and I bet you will find a different world after completing it.)
From Politics to Cricket, Bollywood to Emotions, Goons to God, this book has all. Never you will get out of the storyline. Full credits to the Author for keeping the mystery till the very end. You can never judge what the book has in its store before finish reading it.
P.S. This book might get into controversy, it might touch some religion's sentiments, might give birth to revolutions among youths but it is worth the read.
It a big book, start reading it on a weekend or else you might lose some hours of sleep.
Likings: Suspense till the end, Bitter truth written in a beautiful manner, a story of a different kind.
Dislikes: um.... let me think..... didn't find any loopholes..
My Rating: 5/5
(Ignore if you like reading love books, for everyone else, you should read this book)
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