That feeling when humans lose to machines

Life from 5 years to roughly about 23-25 years are tough on Earth, especially in competitive places like India. The target audience are kids turned to teens and later to adults. You are required to study, study and study till your grades improve (exam on exam and relative improvement compared to your batch-mates). Post 10th starts another bottleneck competition to fetch the best seats in top colleges. The cycle of “study-study-score-secure another seat” continues for 2 more years and you reach the first genuine crossroad of your life. What to do after 12th? The preferred fields are Medicine and some take Engineering (although this preference is diminishing every year). 

Once you have decided the future course of action, another cycle starts till you finish your graduation and starts searching for a job. Now assume you got your job (dream or not – immaterial in this case). You join a company, meet your team, your bosses and learn about what (all) you are supposed to do. Irrespective of what your job profile is, you will have to do something that is mandatory. The document you are viewing needs to be viewed again while you are travelling. Assuming you don’t have a smart device, you will inevitably click on File >> Print >> Print or for the tech geeks out there – “Ctrl+P”. You walk towards the printer to collect your printed document and… wait. Wait again. Still wait. Why is the printer not responding? The diagnostic side of you wants to check the buttons on the printer, maybe there’s a start button somewhere. Bingo! There is. You press the button. No response again. You repeatedly press the start button illogically hoping that pressing continuously will make the printer realize that the user is frustrated and it better get started. But that’s not how the machine is configured.

That’s when it hits you badly. All that study, all the sleepless nights you took to study stuffs, some of which you didn’t like is of no use. All those mathematical formulae, geometry, trigonometry, Mechanics, Engineering Drawing, Mobile technology, Radar and Satellites, nano-technology aren’t equipped to help you solve this straight-forward problem. The medical folks, you went through hell by studying Anatomy, different systems in human body, dissecting animals and human bodies to learn the working and structure and don’t even get me started on nervous systems! But those things won’t come to your aid to solve this, will they?

But you can’t look like a fool now. You are a graduate after all. They say trials bring out the best in you. So, you first start looking to your left and right – not for help initially, but to see if anyone’s watching your misery. No one. So, it’s not worse than you think. You take a close look at the printer, just to check if you are missing something. The chord is connected. The printer is switched on. The maker’s logo is flashing on the small screen. Basic checks done. You look at the buttons they have on offer. You then try fiddling with the buttons, try tweaking the settings and then press start again. No response. To emphasize your frustration, you repeatedly press start again.

Now comes the “seeking help” phase. You start looking for friends / colleagues you know. Then someone walks by. You immediately look up to him as your Good Samaritan and ask him for his help. He smiles (not sure if he was smiling ‘at’ you or was that just a courtesy smile), looks at the printer, presses the start button (as if you haven’t done that already). He thinks for few seconds with a twisted expression on his face suggesting he is deep in thought and then says something that makes you feel so little that the solitary ant you saw near the printer suddenly looks like a giant Elephant ready to trample you under his feet. You sheepishly follow the advice and then the much-awaited printout comes out. You wonder how did you miss that basic electronic solution?

The advice – Restart the printer and check again! 

Book Review: The Guardians of Karma

"The Guardians of Karma" is a complex yet relishing blend of mythology and science fiction from an era where inhabitants on Earth were technologically and spiritually more advanced than what we are today. Many "myths" we thought were myths are supported with proper scientific explanation. Every marvel mentioned in the book is explained scientifically in detail to portray a picture of realism even in pre-historic times.

Judging a book by its cover - Unique combination of mythology and technology is clearly depicted in the book cover. You can see an advanced military machinery targeting what seems to be an ancient yet developed place.

Who should read this book - 
1. Mythology book readers
2. Science fiction book lovers

3. Readers who admire / get a kick by experiencing a well researched subject

What's the story like - The book starts with two Bheeshma monks (Acharya Parashu and Hara) on a secret mission. They come across a damsel in distress (Dev Lok princess - Uma) and rescue her from the clutches of Vetals (robots dumped after unsuccessful experimentation from Daityan empire). After reaching Dev Lok, they soon realize the bigger picture and a bigger problem - rising sea levels disrupting the life in Dev Lok and Daityan Empire. Dev Lok is relatively better off as they have used technologies that support nature. Daityan, meanwhile, have gone all out to utilize technology to satisfy their material needs and hence are now suffering. The only way for Daityans to come out of this crisis is by declaring war against Dev Lok and claiming new fertile land to survive. Daityan know they have a better chance of winning since they are technologically advanced compared to Dev Lok. The only people who can help Dev Lok against Daityans are the two Bheesma monks, especially Hara, who are in a mission of their own. Will Hara succeed in fulfilling his karma? If yes, then how? What other complications await him and the impending war between Dev Lok and Daityans form the crux of the story.

How's the writing - The book has two parallels - the story and queries related to spirituality - both in equal measure. Also, the author has described cities like Amaravati and Atalantpuri in complete detail that we literally start visualizing the fictional cities. Spirituality is also described in detail. Various means of achieving karma, identifying karma are explained through Acharya Parashu. Readers looking for spiritual enlightenment will find this book far satisfying as it attempts to answer the questions we have been chasing all along. However, readers more concerned about the story-line will prefer to skip some paragraphs / pages simply to concentrate on the story at hand. Mythological books require a lot of research and the author has done complete justice in this department. The first half of the book was almost error-free, though I can't say the same about the second half. The treacherous plan of a Daityan leader, Mahishasur, could have been the turning point in the book. To my utter surprise, this angle was completely ignored in the climax.

So, what do I think - This book was a definite page turner for me. I personally enjoy mythological books that include science as part of their novel - something that Indian authors should explore more. The audience of this book is not restricted to youth but can also target readers with 30-45 age group as they can relate to mythology more than youths. Youths meanwhile can focus more on the scientific / technology marvels described here.

My Rating: 3.5 / 5

Book Review: Ohh! Gods are Online..

"A magical tale of real gods, corrupt men and virtual worlds" is how the co-authors decided to describe the book. And they are dead right about it. In the acknowledgement section, the reader is introduced to two co-authors Rashma N. Kalsie and George Nixon who have never met. This makes the book all the more intriguing. Also, the cover page shows Gods with latest gizmos and you know you are in for a different ride! So, we have Gods, humans, technology, creativity and a little spirituality all mixed together in one book.

Target Audience:

1. Readers who admire creative novels

2. Indians, since the plot revolves mainly around India

Plot: The book starts with the life of Chris (new name of Christ). He lives in England near the sea shore. He is managing a new heaven which is full of chips and fish. There's Nick, the devil too. Feeling lonely, he finds a new man-made marvel - Facebook. Fascinated by it, he creates a profile and starts searching for fellow Gods. He meets Buddy Roy (new name of Buddha) and him, he finds Krishna. Krishna is working in a pantry inside a hospital. Krishna and Chris starts chatting about the new phase of life they are in and the troubles faced by humanity which wasn't predicted when God made humans. Gods marvel at the technological advancements man has made but pity the same humans for the kind of life they are living. In between, there are storied of a Tsunami in Japan and a creative way of who caused it and how gods came to salvage the situation.

Writing: The book starts a little slowly since the co-author's have to lay the foundation of the plot. It takes a while for the reader to realize what's happening in the plot, why are God's on Earth, why they have taken different forms, what's the difference between heaven and hell, how devil works etc. Mind you, all this is a work of fiction. God's are shown in their typical way. They have their strength's, their own beliefs an different ways to support their followers. Unlike what's happening in today's world, God's are shown to respect other God's followers too! A different way to perceive spirituality indeed.

All in all, I feel this book is a very bold attempt at inducing creativity by having Gods working with the gizmo's and technological advancements like Facebook. It will be creative for some. For others, it will be taking the concept of "art" too far. Remember, we are in India and most of us don't expect others to doubt our religious beliefs. Be that as it may, I am sure the book will sell because of its creativity (in plot and cover page) and the anxiety factor. 

My Rating: 3 / 5 (considering the broader audience)

Book Review: The Secrets of the Dark

"The Secrets of the Dark" is the first part of a series called "The Saga of Agni" and it deals with exactly what the title suggests - to decipher the secrets of the dark. It's a fantasy thriller where you will be introduced to new lands, there are kings, guardians, super powers, theories et al. One look at the book cover will reveal a lot more about the book and it's story. You see a lot of hooded people and an image of one hooded person guarding what seems to be a globe with the following written in blood red color - ".. the debt of blood is never repaid". Anything more will be a spoiler alert.

Target Audience:

1. Fantasy Fiction lovers

2. Readers who get a kick exploring mythical lands.

Plot: The book depicts the mystical lands of Gaya. This land is divided into two parts - the land of the rising sun and the land of the setting sun. There's a defined prophesy / prediction that is bound to happen - a destroyer will be born from a royal family who will be responsible for the destruction of mankind. The onus is on the seven guardians of Gaya to protect mankind from the destroyer. One king decides to save his child Agni from the guardians by sending his child from the land of the setting sun to the land of the rising sun. He grows up as a ward with the son of the king of Himadri, Prince Yani, and Vrish, the son of Briksha who brought Agni to Himadri. Then a catastrophic incident happens that forces Agni and Vrish to search for the 'whodunit'. This search unearth many deep and dark secrets (and hence the name "The Secrets of the Dark"). Though there are other sub-plots too in this book, it essentially concentrates on Agni and his journey to find the culprit.

Writing: If you need one reason to read this book, I suggest this is it. Author has a peculiar way of writing and grabbing readers attention. Not only that, he ensures you are engrossed in reading and simultaneously visualizing the scene. To write a book as this, you need to describe the place with utmost clarity and he has done a wonderful job at that. There are some grammatical / spelling errors in the book especially when something big is going to happen in terms of action / emotion / twist which, if you are highly engrossed, can easily be ignored. Also, the ending can be a little dubious. One way to look at it will be to understand that the ending will continue in part 2 of the series.

Since this is the first part of the series, his future book will solely depend on the success of this book. Quite a risk, but will be highly rewarded too. Indian authors are waking up to explore different types of writing and the readers are ready to explore reading the same. Watch out for more such books in the near future, if not already!

Overall, "The Secrets of the Dark" is a fantastic debut novel from Arka Chakrabarti. At the personal level, I shy away from the mystical books as it involves too much of imagination, recollecting different names and places in the novel and thereby more time to complete the book. But I will now start changing my ways. When is the 2nd book coming, Arka?

My Rating: 3.5 / 5