Sunday, January 19, 2020

Calling the Cows by Mohan Narayanan


The book by Mohan Narayanan, his 7th work of fiction, is definitely worth a read. The premise is based on the Latin phrase that means You Become What You Eat. 
What is interesting is the way he weaves his narrative: of course, Mr. Narayanan is known for interweaving of myths and legends across cultures. He is also known for his meticulous research based factual observations on scientific phenomenal influence on society at the crossroads of religious beliefs and inexplicable real time occurrences. In this work all these are present. However, what stands out is how all these combine within the space of a novella. 
I'm not going to spill the story or its sensational ending, all of which makes for a terrific magical realistic movie potential in the same vein as say The Life of Pi. Suffice it to say, when the pipe is played, the speakers are turned on, when the calling starts and the cows start flying home....it gets visceral, you might as well be sitting in an IMAX, wearing 3D glasses, seeing the horns graze past your cheek, as they rush past you! A great, quick read if you just decide to travel, say an ICE from Berlin to Amsterdam or Munich to Paris Nord or Kobnhavn to Hamburg. It could well be a Shatabdi from Chennai to Bengaluru too. That is, if you set aside the nagging little proofing errors in spellings.

No comments: