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by: Dinker Charak
Publisher: Writers Club Press, 2002
Reviewed by: Srivats P. Love, search for love, mystic and philosophical outlook at God and the first mystic science fiction I have read. With such themes, ´The Murmurs of the Dawn´ is one the most intriguing book I have read. Amidst some heavy stuff relief is provided by few lighter stories. And then there were a disappointment or two. The Goodnight Conversation: What starts as a simple conversation in bed from the husband´s point of reference turns into a story that made me ask myself, with whom I could talk this? A lonely answer echoed back. The Boat Ride: Having left ones hometown myself, the story was almost as if told about me. The Ocean and She: A wonderful sweet/sad story about ´wanting something so bad that one loses the image of what one really wanted.´ The Morning: This story seems like a filler put in to add few pages to the book. Though a good ending, I almost wished it was not part of this collection. The Blessing and the Burden: Those who are aware of Indian culture or belong to that culture, will be surprised to see the author touch a subject that now seems so obvious, but somehow no one ever talked about it. Story of a classical flute player unfolds into a mythological ending. One Hundred Twenty Four Hours and a Few Minutes Later: It has happened to all of us. But the slow way the author builds it up and then ends it almost frustrates one in the way that is wonderful result of a immensely well written story. Disability: Almost a science fiction, the story of a boy made me feel, "What is this???!!!???" If it had not that one sci-fi element, it could have been a great human story. The Madman and the Girl: A good doze of mystic philosophy. A simple tale but leaves a sense of profound aftertaste. Are You Waiting for the Rain Too: Yet another example of how the author is not just a good story teller, but almost a mystic himself. The Temple Tea Stall: If you have studied or worked in India, you have been to a roadside tea stall, the ´chai wallay ki dukan!´ A very interesting place to be as one finds out in the story. My Otherself: Almost made me feel as if I was looking from inside Majnu. Second story not worthy of this anthology. Every Passing has a Story: A story of a writer who goes out on a walk one evening ... Lost Homes: Looks like straight out of a ´70s masala Bollywood but yet very touching. Where Love Lies: A ´special´ girl´s simple view of world Murmurs of the Dawn: This one story almost justifies buying the whole book. It is a mystical science fiction which only an Indian could have thought of. Jam packed with philosophy, science and an iconoclastic view point on quite a few everyday things it ends in the most subtle but shattering climax. Ever wondered how random random number are? If God does not play dice with the universe, then what does he play? How would ´inverse´ Murphy Law state? What is a ´Catch-69´ position? Was there, or will there be an evolution of intelligence and what are the stages? Artificial Intelligence and extra dimension? This story is a apt example of short stories that would easily turn into an amazing novel.
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