The Curse
by
Randeep Wadehra
Blurb
Through peace, it’s justice we seek!
The hunter will meet the fate of the hunted
And the mighty will serve the meek!
Twenty years ago, a corrupt President, a greedy industrialist, and a sycophant policeman uprooted the tribal people from their own land and burned their houses. Twenty years later, the Republic of Bodh is in danger from a similar evil troika.
The curse uttered by a frail tribal woman during the carnage twenty years ago has inspired Jwaala, the only female leader in the Senate, to reform the Republic of Bodh.
But the same curse has turned Saaya, once an innocent victim of the massacre, into a relentless killing machine with a mission to prey on the predators.
Even when the Republic spirals into a storm of scandals, the greedy and corrupt President Chaupat is torn between his lust for a dancer and his unrequited passion for his wife Kaamini.
Will Saaya succeed in his mission or will Chaupat thwart his efforts?
Will Jwaala, orphaned in a violent attack, be able to turn the curse for the greedy into a blessing for the poor? Will she succeed to save the Republic from another ensuing bloodshed?
The Curse is a gritty political thriller about people who have lost much to greed but want to transform their nation.
My Review
I didn't like the book. In fact, I had already started to regret my decision of agreeing to review it by the 5th page and was about to give up and return it.
But, then I thought of the reason why I had picked it up on the first instance. It was the credentials of the author, Randeep Wadhera, and his vast experience- as a journalist, a multi-published writer, and a poet- spanning well over two decades. I realized a person of his stature definitely would not write a book that read like a Panchtantra comic. So, I carried on, and I'm glad I did.
This book is a masterpiece. The narrative is as smooth and well-paced as it gets, the characters and locales are etched out in minute details, and the storyline is excellently knit together with the opening scene of every chapter beautifully connected with the last scene of the previous. Not once did I come across a jump, a bump, or even a jerk in the entire narration.
I was especially impressed with the kind of thought process the author had put in while envisioning the entire plot, and the biggest example of that is the names he has chosen for the locales as well the characters. Insaaf is the name of a Judge therein, Shabd is a journalist, and Chaupat- no prizes for guessing- is the King or the Head of State. There are places called Bodh, Patal Lok, and Asur Lok, leaving little to the imagination about their state or condition.
'The Curse' is a political thriller, and I must say, the author has put all his experience as a journalist to excellent use here. The perfect mix of humor and satire gives the book that much-needed feeling of lightness, but do not make the mistake of taking this to be a light read. An average or a casual reader will not find the language to be easy and might even have to consult the dictionary at a few places. But then again, if your favorite writer happens to be a certain Mr. Bhagat, please stay away from this book.
To all those looking to read a well written and edited book on political satire with evidently great research and planning having gone behind its making, I would recommend you pick up 'The Curse' today.
I give this book a full 5 out of 5 stars.
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the book from the author via The Book Club, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. No monetary transactions were involved.
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About the author
"I am an independent content editor, columnist, radio script-writer and blogger. I was a columnist for The Tribune for about fifteen years; my columns – Punjabi Antenna, Write View, Short Takes and Channel Surfer – were quite popular. My articles also appeared in the Chandigarh editions of The Times of India, The Indian Express, the Haryana Review, and the SouthAsiaPost.com. My analytical articles on current affairs as well as various important social and national issues have featured in the op-ed columns of The Financial World, the Tehelka, and The Daily Post etc.
I did freelance scriptwriting for All India Radio, Chandigarh as well as its World Service. For instance, I have done a five-part series on Chandigarh for the All India Radio, which was broadcast on primetime. Scripts on Microfinance and India’s growth prospects were broadcast by the AIR World Service.
I write both fiction and non-fiction. I am a published author. A collection of my short stories Walls & Other Stories was published in 2004, and the other Rendezvous in Cyberia in 2017. Canada’s All Hallows magazine and the USA’s Espresso.com, fictionmagazines.com and IndianReview.in etc – the literary websites that pays its contributors — have published a couple of my short stories. In addition, I am translating a Hindi classic into English.
Some of my poems have been included in the anthology, The Silken Web, published by the Bangalore based publisher, Unisun, in 2007. The Beehive Press, London, included one of my poems in an anthology titled Earthly and Divine Love. My poems have also appeared in Femina, the Asian Age, Deccan Herald, the Chandigarh edition of The Times of India, and The Tribune. In May 2011, my poetry collection, Singing through the nightmare, was published by Ukay Publishing Co., and has been well received by critics and poetry lovers alike. My latest anthologies – My Beautiful World (Illustrated poems for children) and Rhythms of Love are available on Kindle, Amazon.Com and Pothi.Com.
One of the books edited by me, Evolution of Education in India: a historical perspective by Lacchman Dass Bhimbhat, was published in the first week of July 2011. Another book, an autobiography edited by me, Law, Lawyers & Lawmakers by Harbhagwan Singh was published in 2014. Both these books are available on Kindle and Amazon.com outlets.
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