[ultimate_heading main_heading=”The Allegorical Expedition by P Satyadeep” main_heading_color=”#1e73be” sub_heading_color=”#8224e3″ spacer=”line_with_icon” spacer_position=”bottom” line_style=”dotted” line_height=”1″ line_color=”#1e73be” icon_type=”custom” icon_img=”id^48|url^http://ashvamegh.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ashvamegh-ICO.jpg|caption^null|alt^Ashvamegh Journal Icon|title^Ashvamegh ICO|description^null” img_width=”48″ main_heading_style=”font-weight:bold;” main_heading_font_size=”desktop:34px;” line_width=”3″ margin_design_tab_text=””]a fresh plotted novel with great theme handling by the author… a must read for those who want to read something new and ‘not in trend'[/ultimate_heading]
Book – The Allegorical Expedition (a quest for truth)
Author – P Satyadeep
Publisher – Partridge (2016)
Page Numbers – 200
Buy the book: Amazon Link
Reviewed by – Alok Mishra
These days, whenever I (or anyone else in this field) get an invite to review a book, the first feeling, I am sure, that usurps the excitement would be – oh! again! Believe me when I say this because I know this well. The trend of writing books has claimed many professionals from various fields and it’s great; most of them, however, follow this or that person from the field of writing, no doubt about that.
I got to read a book by P Satyadeep, an HR professional, The Allegorical Journey. This book surely stands to its bold title – a journey which is full of experiences that qualify for something more than the usual (casual) days’ lot.
“The coffee shop at the hotel overlooked the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple on one side and the Assi Ghat on the other. It was a beautiful view from the terrace. The street was crowded with devotees either busy in purchasing offerings for the lord or trying to find their way into the temple. ….. Har Har Mahadev.” (pp.34)
Now believe me; I have read absolutely nothing of this sort praising the landscape that will not only appeal to the readers but also give them a respite from the usual ‘city life’ in the novels by modern authors. Satyadeep is doing here no less than a breakaway from something which is the trend – a trend to keep the fiction in the glimmer of city life and painting everything which is pompous. And once I have read his writing, I am sure, he has been successful in doing the same.
However, is it all about the novel The Allegorical Expedition? Certainly not! There are many things that I need to bring to the light of the readers. The novel is really allegorical, first of all. This is a novel in which the author has created such a lively character which can shadow anyone of us. As readers, we just tend to project ourselves in the novel and get on with the expedition to seek the very purpose of this mortal life. Satyajit, the protagonist of the novel, is a film director and as the novel progresses, we find him travelling to different places and seeking ‘something’ which is more than the ‘usual’. Encounters with different people; skipping different kinds of places; finding new varieties of stories; letting himself loose in a new kind of freedom… all these ultimately land Satyajit (SJ) to a place, ultimately, where he has become famous and the movie which he has directed by this accumulated ‘expedition experience’ is breaking all the box office records!
Another important aspect of the book is that P Satyadeep, the author, has tried to revisit the scriptures of the great Hindu religion. I loved this part in the book. Along with the major plot, in which the events take place, a parallel narration goes on (in the form of stories and film shooting). And there you find the ‘revisiting’ by the author which brings out major knowledge for the young readers and they will surely love it!
“Precisely, you see Lord Yama is known as Dharmaraja. He is not the God of Death as he is portrayed, then he would be known as Mrityuraja. He follows Dharma and true to his nature, stratifies and sorts the Jivaatmas into an appropriate Loka.” (pp.152)
My concluding remarks about the book would be – superb! After many days I found something of this kind and I truly enjoyed reading the book to the end. There is a great fusion of the present and the past and the relation of people with that. Being a debut author, Satyadeep has done justice to his work. He has presented a quality production to the readers and I am sure they will love the book. Go for it guys and make your Sunday great… happy reading!
However, is it all about the novel The Allegorical Expedition? Certainly not! There are many things that I need to bring to the light of the readers. The novel is really allegorical, first of all. This is a novel in which the author has created such a lively character which can shadow anyone of us. As readers, we just tend to project ourselves in the novel and get on with the expedition to seek the very purpose of this mortal life. Satyajit, the protagonist of the novel, is a film director and as the novel progresses, we find him travelling to different places and seeking ‘something’ which is more than the ‘usual’. Encounters with different people; skipping different kinds of places; finding new varieties of stories; letting himself loose in a new kind of freedom… all these ultimately land Satyajit (SJ) to a place, ultimately, where he has become famous and the movie which he has directed by this accumulated ‘expedition experience’ is breaking all the box office records!