BRAHMAHATYA
by
Rajiv Mittal
Blurb
A story of revenge and redemption and deeds shaped by forces that humans believe they have defined through mythology and scriptures but still struggle to understand.
A woman employee of a retirement home is shocked to discover that a new resident is in fact the son impersonating his father. The son is seeking revenge. She, by her past actions, is unwittingly complicit in his being there and now tries to thwart his peculiar plans. A senile woman-resident and an enigmatic founder offer him sage advice. The samudra manthan (a major episode in Hindu mythology), a slightly dim secretary and a sinister boss play their part in ensuring justice is finally served but in an unexpected manner.
The novel quotes frequently from the ancient Hindu scriptures and stories that the protagonists use to justify their actions. The treatment of the elderly in society is a major theme.
‘I found Rajiv's novel completely charming. The story is always interesting and is funny and moving by turns. It has really original elements with its setting and his use of the Hindu stories. I think it is such a good novel and with such appealing characters. I loved it!’ - Rebecca Smith, author of 'The Jane Austen Writers' Club'.
My Reveiw:
Doctors are often regarded as Gods. But
what happens when some of these so-called Gods become arrogant and selfish
which leads to the death of a person or damage the future of a yet to be born
child.
We often say there is always a rotten apple
in a basket of good ripe apples or a bad fish amongst good fish in a pond.
Similarly, each institution, be it an orphanage or hospital or an old age home
all consists of some individuals who are the rotten apples.
Ravi has a grudge against Dr. Chari, as he
had refused to admit his ailing father in GMR, an institute for old and ailing
people. Bhavna also dislikes Dr. Chari as his callous attitude during her
delivery lead to brain damage due to lack of oxygen due to which Laxmi suffers
from Athetoid cerebral palsy.
Brahmahatya is a mix of suspense and spirituality. The
story is based on spirituality, as most characters, belong to Tamil Brahmin
community, and each act/deed of the characters are explained with verses of
Samudra Manthana or some famous verse of Hindu scriptures.
Brahmahatya is a well-developed, engrossing story,
though initially it looks like slow paced and you somewhat get lost while
reading but then as the plot unwinds itself, everything falls into place.
But as they say, not everything is perfect;
similarly, I found some flaws in the book. Some editing error in a couple of
places, a verse had few words missing and main suspense, ‘What is the relation
between Dr. Chari and Reddy?’
Secondly was expecting some punishment for
Reddy for his bad behavior as he deserved to be punished.
Other than these flaws I must say Brahmahatya is definitely a must and good read.
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About the author
In Rajiv Mittal's own words:
"I was born in Chennai, India in the early nineteen sixties. I am an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a CPA from Australia. I now live in Melbourne after a stint of several years in the Middle East.
Writing was a vague aspiration. It became reality thanks to a stranger who said I reminded him of the main character from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann. He quoted from it, ‘Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.’"
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