Lucifer’s Lungi
By Nitin Sawant
Review By Ila Garg
“…sometimes
the road less travelled, is less travelled for a reason…”
Lucifer’s
Lungi, by the debutant writer Nitin Sawant
is published by Fablery Publications. The book jacket is appropriate and hooks
the readers instantly. The old temple, the moon, everything is appealing. It
intrigues the readers into believing that it’s a horror story. The book is
small sized and makes you wonder what can be stored in it. This novella is an
in and out thriller and the cover adds to its thrill.
The author has tried to make a living by
being a software programmer, engineer, stock market analyst, copywriter,
journalist, tele-shopping expert and jewellery designer at various stages of
life. He has travelled far and wide across the world, and has led a nomadic
life for past 20 years. This gives a unique perspective to all his tall tales
and offers a distinctive colour to his writing. There’s usually a tinge of
sadness to every joke he’s experienced. And he’s always ended up laughing,
whenever he’s lived through a horror moment, like in the ‘Lucifer’s Lungi’. It is his literary debut.
The blurb reads as, “An atheist city-slicker unleashed on
a medieval holy village...
A simpleton village
priest's boy who blindly worships and guards a pantheon of Gods and Their
traditions...
Strange things happen
when their worlds collide!
This is a tale of that
turmoil on a lonely night in a jungle, when the ghosts you never knew till a
few hours ago are let loose on the ghosts that you always carried within,
unknowingly.
Welcome to the unholy
clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods and demons. A clash
that will test your convictions. A clash that will rabidly claw and unmask your
subconscious, leaving you naked and paralyzed in front of your demons - in a
climax that is as ambiguous as it is certain...
Welcome to the madness of
'Lucifer's Lungi'... where What-You-See-Is-NOT-What-You-Get...”
The author begins absurdly but soon takes his
readers on this gripping ride. This book is written in the form of a
travelogue. The protagonist of this pocket-sized-rocket is an atheist working
in the city. He loves to take out time every weekend to go on trips. It brings
colors to his monotonous life. It’s almost like an escape route from his
neck-breaking corporate life. On one such trip, he lands up in a village where
people question his purpose of visit. They want to know why ‘saar’ (sir) has come there if he
doesn’t want to buy flowers or visit a temple.
The people there further believe in strange tales
and traditions. They believe in the wrath of ghosts and similar things. He is
caught in this ‘unholy clash of beliefs, fears and frailties with unknown Gods
and demons’. Much against his will, he is drawn into a world that plays on his
subconscious fears and his imagination, driving him to a state of no-return.
Bringing to the fore, the rift between Lucifer and
God, good and evil; the author has indeed taken a bold step. The way this
narrative is written, it compels the readers to believe that it is a realistic
tale. The author has managed to keep the story tight knit and though it is fast
paced, yet it seems comfortable for the readers.
The language is easy to comprehend, with a little
use of vernacular words like ‘Apattu’ (hazardous), ‘Tondaravu’ (trouble), etc. All
characters are sketched very well and they make the plot more interesting.
Author’s language is really fresh and the narration is entrancing too. Readers
will find it interesting and will not be bored.
The
111 page book manages to be a wonderful read. This book is definitely a page
turner and a very quick read. Though my first impression was that the author
won’t be able to condense his ideas in such a small book. I wasn’t too sure if I
would like this novella but gradually as I began reading, I realised how intelligently
Nitin Sawant has used the right amount of words to grip his readers.
For a debut writer, Nitin
Sawant has presented a nice book with a different storyline. The plot and
thrill kept me glued to this book. Due to the simple language used by the
author, the readers will not find it difficult to comprehend.
The downside of this
book is its editing. It left me disappointed. To err is human, but to err and
err again is not justified. From the “po-logue” to the “ippo-logue”, the
narrative has a lot of spelling, punctuation and basic grammatical errors that slipped
through the writer's and editor's eyes. Apart from these, the excessive use of
slangs like kinda and gawd made this dish too salty for me!
‘Yay’ Factors: The compact story line.
‘Nay’ Factors: The too many editing errors right from the
first page to the last page.
My Verdict: To find out who is
the protagonist, why does he go for the weekend trips, why the locals question
his visit, what is the mystery behind the temple, will he get back, how does he
deals with the clash between fear and power, good and bad, who wins this clash in
the end - Lucifer or God; you will have to read the novella, Luficer’s Lungi.
Ratings: 3/5
Buying Links: Amazon|Flipkart|Homeshop18
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