The Lethal Elixir

Certain images create an inerasable imprint. Like… “…the images of two mothers…my Ma and my Ayah. One in the form of Sita, that mythological heroine from Ramayana who silently withstood the onslaught of miseries as well as sufferings… the other embodying the spirit of the mythological figure of Nemesis, synonymous with retribution and revenge and destroying the devil and evil.”  “…With a blood-soaked butcher knife on the right hand and blood-stained heavy metal rod on the other, with bloody scars and spats on the face and dress all around, the figure appeared with a posture firm and strong.”   “He… turned around only to see a wearied, downcast Gopal in the elevator mirror… Here he was standing like a convict in a jail cell for no fault of his. He felt sympathy… for that prisoner of life. In that life, Lady Justice had been truly wearing the blindfold while tilting the balance of the scales first with hope and happiness and then dumping the other side with desolateness and depression.”

The bouquet of stories thus is a microcosm of the eternal tussle between man and destiny. The resultant conflict of forces and the perennial dilemma that overwhelm the society at large are portrayed in detail using the apt situation and the right character. The book is embellished with such enduring images.