Book Review: Prey By The Ganges

September 14, 2012 Reshmy Pillai

What would you do if your ‘only’ friend is murdered and you were witness to the act, hidden on the other bank of the river – scared, helpless and heartbroken? When all your waking senses will remember is the silhouette of the murderer under the moon against the dark of the night with blood on his hands amidst the gurgle of the Ganges.

Welcome to India in 1948. To Bihar. The country is now free from the clutches of the Raj but far east Janak Ganj and Narainpur, near state capital Patna, are far away from being even remotely free. The zamindari terror called Thakur Gajanan Singh exits in the two villages and the dark jungle of five miles in-between. A predator by nature, a bandit in the guise of a rajput, synonym to evil incarnate – a classic case of good blood gone bad. The thakur has everything he ever put his finger on – acreages, ancestral mansion, power, women, well stocked armoury and a horde of armed muscled henchmen, some of whom could match his evilness every bit. Everything. Except a diamond!
A diamond that was his foster mother’s whom he poisoned bit by bit, that had mysteriously disappeared after the death of his mother, that which is now with his brother – his real younger brother and that for which the thakur will not at all mind shedding blood. Thakur Suraj Singh, the younger and humane thakur is on the run, has no money and has no other option but to sell the diamond in a distress sale, if he has to stand up to his elder brother but Gajanan Singh aided by his cronies will not let him, at any cost. Amidst this sibling rivalry for the diamond on the surface and a lot of other under running factors, in walks Ravi – failed son, failed painter, father to be, part time herb picker, bada admi wannable. His artistic but articulate mind brews up the idea that getting the diamond from Narainpur would be his big moment, his way to make up to his father and get a life. Aware of all the dangers and complications, he plans meticulously and embarks on the journey to meet Thakur Suraj Singh and hoodwink Thakur Gajanan Singh. Just one man knows where is Ravi, his father’s apprentice, his best friend – Shambhu – the very same man who saw him die!

Prey by the Ganges is Shambhu’s journey into Narainpur and Janak Ganj not just to finish what his only friend started but also to seek answers. To walk into the lion’s lair, look him in the eyes and ask him – why? And to live the last living minutes of his dear friend, minute-by-minute. Standing up to Thakur Gajanan Singh is something that no man in the two villages has ever dared to and Shambhu has set out to accomplish the impossible with no hope or wish to return. It is a fatal mission but it is the least the bonesetter can do to set his conscience guilt free. While the journey is spewed with malicious beasts in human form, he is also helped generously by god-like humans leading an animal existence.

The book at the core is the story of entry and a terminal mission enactment in the very sector of Thakur Gajanan Singh’s power by a peace loving doctor – Shambhu, in just the duration of a night and Hemant Kumar, in his first published work, surprises you with his command over the story. It is racy, thrilling and completely in command. The most endearing factor in the writing is the author’s eye for details. Most of the crucial scenes in the thriller are elaborate, detailed, well imagined and perfectly conveyed, to the extent that you can actually see them happening in your mind (and mind you some of them are gory and bloody.) The metaphors with a desi touch are another plus in the book especially the Ganges, she looks nearly like another character in the book. It is a wonderful peek into the part of the country that has always been synonymous with lawlessness, brute power and incivility as far as I can remember. It very subtly conveys how godliness can exist even when under the acute pressure of evil.

The only achilles’ heel that hit me on this word journey has been the Indian-ness of the narration. Not that it is bad or unlikeable but there are phrases in there which, having had a childhood in north India, looked to me like absolute translation of a hindi phrase to an English one, those moments made me feel like I am reading a translated work! They say cut till you can cut no more, no sentence seemed not serving the story in the book and here goes the kudos to the editor. A job well cut.

Anyone who has a penchantment towards reading stories that smell of the soil of this land and not just the urbane glamour, vanity coupled with petty mind issues, has to read this one. If you love the brand of cinema that Prakash Jha and Anurag Kashyap make this is it, infact it reads like one of their screenplays. It would not be a surprise if someone asks Hemant Kumar to write a screenplay soon. I hope someone does.

Happy Reading.

Hear Hemant Kumar read the sample chapter for you:

Part of Indian Debut Writers Challenge and South Asian Challenge 2012

Title: Prey by the Ganges
Author: Hemant Kumar
Publisher/ Imprint: Wisdom Tree
Pages: 387
Genre/ Sub-Genre: Fiction/ Thriller
Rating: 3.75 of 5.00
Reviewed for: Publisher