Men and Dreams in Dhauladhar

The very first page of the book establishes a connection with the description of a bus stand; almost every Indian can relate to that scenario. That is where one knows that this is not going to be another out-of-the-mind fiction. And why would it even be, because the author has actually picked up incidents and characters from a real life situation.

              As every chapter begins, a different life comes into picture at a different part of the country, be it the kalari practice of South India, life in the mountains of Himachal, or the beauty of Kashmir. The description of the scenery takes a real form as the story progresses. And with that, lurks a nostalgia, for the old times, and how things used to be. This nostalgia is hinted at every now and then through the words of an elderly character.

             The structure of the novel is brilliantly planned. There are narratives that start as nothing but a sort of digression, and then comes a point, when these narratives become a part of the main plot. The way one life gets connected to the other is beyond ordinary imagination, adding an element of surprise to the novel.

             Another noteworthy aspect is the ending, which is nowhere foreshadowed. There is no place for guess work as to where the story is leading, the anticipation from this results in reading and reading more.

              As far as the language is concerned, it has no jewels embellished in it; yet appeals very highly. The narration is simple, which makes it approachable. The slangs used from the vernacular languages (with their translation as well) further strengthens the connection formed at the very first page.

            And probably that is what a story is about, filling the gaps between a reader and the characters on the page; which this book succeeds in establishing.

Some lines I liked from the book:

⚫“There are times when you have to fight for what you value, that is what life is about.”

⚫"Before the meeting, the thekedars could be seen scurrying about gathering updates like school children before an examination.”

⚫“There was an emptiness he could not fathom. The heart seemed to have turned to a bottomless pit”

⚫“Yesterday is but today’s memory, tomorrow is today’s dream”

⚫“It is not to make mansions, nor to sleep on the terrace, but to live in your birthplace for a few days, that the struggle is all about.”