Friday, April 24, 2020

The Bridge in The Moonlit Night and Other Stories - Manoj Das (2015)

National Book Trust published a collection of books from eminent authors. This collection of stories by Manoj Das contains stories that are published under various occasions and publications yet having a common theme. And theme here is of perception and deception. Each story is kind of laced with observations that are perceived by different actors and is different from each other. When the complete story unfolds one understands every person is enslaved by limitations of his own perception. Story starts with a politician who carried a seeming love interest to a fellow freedom fighter yet could never express in public, a nudist camp to be organized that never happens eventually, a lady who marries a crocodile and retells her story to a westerner who seem to be awestruck with the story tellers presentation, a general who leads a whole army struggles to deliver a performance on a stage, a jealous friend who ensures two lovers never come close to each other and in doing so struggles with his act all his life.

In world of perception is reality, Manoj Das brings up many great examples where the truth perception from everyone is not just ankle deep. While most stories you would have read elsewhere as a single the book gives out a powerful single theme to ponder over.

Most importantly, the book is currently available for free with NBT collection of hundred books during national lockdown due to COVID-19.

https://www.nbtindia.gov.in/NBT_FreeBook4.aspx

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