Book Review : ‘Kalyug ' by R Sreeram

Okay, firstly it has got nothing to do with a mythological storyline. ‘Kalyug’ is a political thriller written by first time author, R Sreeram. If you actually read this book, you would be surprised at the amount of research, which has been put into some of the events. 

The actual story, which takes place in a period of six months, is not just gripping but fast paced, as well. Of course, you might get a little confused because of how much it goes back and forth between the times, and so there might be reason to stop and go back, until you actually get a grip. But it will not be long before you understand what is going on, and read on. 

Now back to the story. India’s political scenario of today is replayed in this book. As we go through some of the characters, we are struck by the close resemblance, they have to some real life characters. So, actually you could have a full game of it. Identify a few characters, maybe.

The main protagonist is difficult to tell, as the people who portray the story in this book, are too many. Between all these armies, politics and their conflicts and factions comes Balamurli Selvam, who actually wrote a full novel based on similar concept and paid the price for it.

And so, he is forced to return at this juncture and is given a view on the side lines. Also, on this trip, seems to be Richa Sharma a TV reporter, who was trying to tell the tale of the con involving Major General Qureshi.

The story itself involves Operation Kalyug, and how the Major General’s suicide led on to the events. As the story moves on to the US and other international areas, it bends to the reactions from all over these places and the powers. The story runs on the eternal twist of how India would respond to some of the reactions of these powers.

So, now we have a coup, which causes a democratically elected government to fail. Will this whole rigmarole lead to its ultimate government? Will we have the government, which would not just yield to everyone’s reactions? Does the new government remain unyielding and still fair to its people?

Answering these questions is ‘Kalyug’, which starts off with a brilliant concept and kind of loses its plot towards the end, I felt. But still, at least it attempts the coup and the honest reactions to it. A very well - written novel, with all the necessary twists and turns, giving us a political thriller, which stands true to its name and genre.