Do past flavours motivate folks to pick up and read a book? It appears to be the case for these two veteran Railway men.
Pradosh K. Sinha of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, looks forward to a rendezvous with the Chronicler of the Hooghly.
Sushil Luthra is a Railways and Transportation veteran, a logistics and Cold chain expert and currently the Director at Alfresh Supply Management. Sushil wonders if the Chronicler can bring in some fresh perspective during the current times.
Book of the month, creating waves globally with more than a hundred excellent reviews and ratings on Amazon.
Dr. Avik Basu , MBBS, MD (Cal), humbly calls himself a General Physician. But he is also an Intensivist, Psychologist, Academician, Medical Researcher, Author……the list goes on.
But above all, he is today a frontline COVID warrior having treated more than a hundred COVID patients in the last few weeks alone.
In a recent Social Media post, Dr. Avik Basu writes,
“FEAR…SUFFER…DEATH…these are the 3 words, the only 3 words, that should bombard the minds of every single person of this city. Of this country. There are experts who are asking people not to panic. But I will speak the contrary. YES, YOU NEED TO PANIC. YES, YOU SHOULD PANIC. YES, YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID OF DEATH. YES, YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID OF LOSING YOUR LOVED ONES. Probably it’s only this fear that can drive out the madness of enjoying blatantly from the minds of this lunatic species which has long forsaken the realm of logical reasoning. I am no COVID expert; not a COVID-ologist. I am not invited on national television to give a speech on COVID awareness. I don’t sit and explain the principles of ‘Hit and Dance’ hypothesis in news channels. I am a general physician, just a general physician, who are habitually regarded as the ‘doctors of cough and diarrhoea’. But I do take the privilege to state that I have seen almost 100 COVID positive patients in the last couple of weeks. And I’ve treated them……
I visited the Flemming Hospital yesterday to see one of my patients admitted. I witnessed the most dreadful scene of my life till date. Almost all moribund patients. Some gasping, some gone into cardiac arrest, some staring at the ICU staff with apprehensive look fearing an imminent death……
These days even I have started to fear death. Not for myself, but for the family I provide for. When a doctor loses a patient, he weeps in silence. But when a doctor passes away, does anyone shed a drop of tear???”
As Dr. Avik Basu engages with the Chronicler, I remain uncertain who will learn from whom? Who is the true Chronicler of our times?
Book of the month, more than a hundred international ratings on Amazon.
An Electronics Engineer and a MBA, Sambit is a Program Manager with Oracle. But this but the tip of his competence profile ‘iceberg’. He is an established author, a talented artist as well as a mentor.
Sambit had been kind enough to write a generous testimonial for my book, ‘The Chronicler of the Hooghly and other stories’ when it was under publication. His testimonial is part of the book.
I had the privilege to read his book, ‘The Last War and other stories’ which has just gone into a second edition. I am delighted to provide my review here.
The Last War and other stories- Review
What would you say would happen if you were to take a dollop of Indian mythology, slices of long forgotten civilisations, a cupful of open-ended creativity and garnishing of science fiction and then mix all of that in a crucible ? What you are apt to get is a superb and rollicking tale called the ‘Last War’. This is what author Sambit Daspatnaik has served as the main fare in his book ‘The Last War and other stories’.
I do not want to give out much about the story and its context as that might spoil the surprise elements for the reader. Suffice it is to mention that I found the story and the audaciousness of the plot thoroughly enjoyable.
Sambit’s depiction of the Last War, the scale and the wide-angle perspective he uses, brought for me shades of J.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings view of the world, replete with its magic. As Sambit writes in his foreword, the great war of Mahabharat fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas many millennia back, was but a forerunner of a much larger war to come. In the words of the author, “……. everyone was mistaken… it looked like the ancient magic was still around… new lessons were learned…old secrets were unveiled… new allies were made……”
Four other science fiction stories make up the book.
Genesis is all about a spectacular discovery of the ‘sphere’ made thousands of lights years away by a research expedition. But as they say, with every benefit or solution, there is a downside. In the ‘Holy temple of Eula’, an alien civilisation awaits the arrival of a new Messiah who would save them from the perils of a dying world. The story ‘Blink’ employs a wonderful context as it transports the reader into a star trek like space incident complete with a ‘who dunnit’ mystery. The last story, with the wonderfully appropriate title of ‘Resurrection’, transports the reader into the distant future of Mankind with a dying sun.
All in all, Sambit Daspatnaik uses a simple and racy style in his narrative and this, coupled with the excellent and imaginative plots, makes this book a delectable fare and un-putdownable.
I would go with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 for the ‘Last War and other stories and would recommend it to the reader.
Shakti Ghosal
Author – ‘The Chronicler of the Hooghly and Other Stories’, Leadership Coach and incubator and Visiting Professor at IIMs.
Wasim Jawaid , former Senior Manager with Standard Chartered Bank, is a wonderful writer himself. His musings and short stories can be read at : www.thatodiaboy.com
Wasim Jawaid has this to say about the Chronicler of the Hooghly: “An enjoyable and entertaining read! It is a mix of both old world nostalgia and the new 21st century”
Available worldwide on Amazon, Flipkart and select bookstores.
Vidushi Nautiyal of the BookNerds Team, in her book review on Amazon, has this to say in her concluding remarks,
” Ghosal’s lucid narration and portrayal of tragedies of life through varied characters ranging from the humble, the corrupt, and theextraordinary are remarkable and didactic.
The use of slokas adds philosophical insights, and the flashbacks of events make the plot enthralling and engaging.”
I am delighted to see that she has given the book a 5 Star rating.
Booknerds Team Amazon Review can be read on the link below
The Chronicler of the Hooghly by Shakti Ghosal “A beautiful amalgamation of the past and the present.”Read the complete review and grab a copy now
Chief Engineer Arunabh Pal ,domain expert in Naval architecture and Marine Engineering, has the following to say after his engagement with the Chronicler.
“I have never attempted a book review, but this one is special : The Chronicler of the Hooghly.
“No words”, is the first thought that crosses my mind when I try to praise the book. Spellbound comes close to describing the feeling…but then it is not fair that such a stupendous piece of work from a good friend goes unsung.
I read the book at a leisurely pace, soaking in each crucible experience as the author calls it.
“Ashtami” leaves you gasping. Gasping for more as you suddenly appreciate the myriad emotions of a mother around a not-so-perfect child. One would like to think it happens only to others, but reality is often so different.
It is not difficult to relate to the double tragedies portrayed in “Pandemic” given the numerous human stories of struggle, failure, triumph and deceit unfolding around Covid today. You wonder about the timing of penning this story just as you marvel at the brilliance in creating the character Elokeshi.
“Fault Lines” unleashed a volley of unpleasant memories in me, of being a victim of an industrial explosion many moons back. I consider myself fortunate to have looked death in the eye and return. Anjan’s tryst with his conscience is scarily real. Savio succeeds in unsettling you. Stellar work there!
“The Chronicler Of The Hooghly” does just that: chart a mystical course amidst several (lesser known) historical facts and events and keeps you glued to the narrative even as you anticipate the next turn. It brings up the rear end rather well, resonating with the common theme of weaving history intricately into fiction to create four fascinating tales.
So what would you say is common between a New Zealander and a Corporate honcho?
It is rediscovering a good read!
Tilak Ghoshal is an erudite reader. An engineer by training, he was the Business Head with Unilevers and post-retirement, continues to be an advisor to many MNCs and Indian conglomerates.
Having engaged with the Chronicler and after reading the book, he has the following words to offer:
“History – replete with many lesser-known facts and events – is beautifully woven around delightfully moving stories. As I read through, I had to pause here and there, struck by the true import of the adage ‘truth is often stranger than fiction….. Any time is a good time for such a wonderful read – but more so in the joyless ‘dark age’ mankind now finds itself in….. Wish you many more successes in your future literary endeavours, Shakti!”
I feel truly acknowledged by these words.
While across the seas and at the other end of the world, Dipankar Goswami in Auckland New Zealand, looks forward to a tete a tete with the Chronicler. I am left wondering how that would be.
Adjudged Book of the month ( Mar’21), ‘The Chronicler of the Hooghly and other stories’ is impacting readers worldwide, as evidenced by Reviews on Amazon, GoodReads and Blogs.
Available on Amazon, Flipkart and select bookstores.
Dr. Shweta Sachdeva, Author of The Converging Point, writes thus:
‘The Chronicler of the Hooghly is a fictional novel with a magically woven plot of four stories through the mind of author oscillating between the past and the present events.
The book creates a fascinating tapestry of faith, relationships, and greed. This is Shakti Ghosal’s first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style.
Must read!’
Adjudged ‘Book of the Month’ in March 2021, ‘The Chronicler of the Hooghly and other stories’ is available worldwide on Amazon, Flipkart and select bookstores.
Spanning a century between the pandemics of 1919 and 2020, Dipen and Indranil are confronted by tragedies under vastly different societal conditioning and development. What is their link spanning four generations which arises from an old and dilapidated palace and its massive Shiva linga?
Can the Chronicler with his tale of the Pandemic come up to the expectations of Jayashri Ghosh , an avid reader in Kolkata?
Available worldwide on Amazon, Flipkart and select book stores.
A New Beginning 