Hatya | A Short EBook by Kamal Upadhyay | Personal Reviews

Recently I got a chance to read Hatya (हत्या), a short EBook by Kamal Upadhyay. As we’ve already read and reviewed
Lankapati Ka Loktantra (लंकापति का लोकतंत्र) which is a satirical take on modern politics in the context of the characters from Ramayan (aka Ramayana). Hatya is available to read on the Juggernaut app, and if there is a promotion running, you can get a chance to buy it at a very nominal rate. Mostly you don’t need to pay more than what you pay for a half (cutting) tea 🙂 in such case.

Let us start with a look at the cover page of the EBook.

If you are a fan of Hindi pocketbooks, the cover page will surely give you a deja vu feeling. I found it “not very attractive yet convincing” one. And, no matter how much philosophical we can get, the first impression any book can register in our mind is through the cover page, and this book can create a moderate effect via the same.

Book Plot:

Well, for short story, talking much about the plot cannot be spoiler free. So I am going to be very brief here. A lady named Gautami (गौतमी), living in a middle-class family environment is a widow. Her only reason for living, her son, Sandoop (संदूप) is missing since a remarkable period now. She hadn’t lost the hope to meet with him someday. During her college days, she fell in love with Varun (वरुण) and eventually they got married. Their marriage was not approved by her father (Mr. परांजपे), and he had reason(s) for that.

One day, in an accident she lost Varun and since then Sandoop was the one she was living for. Despite approached by her father so many times, she didn’t move into her parents’ house and keep living at the place where Sandoop and Varun shared some golden time with her.

Her routine life was interrupted one fine morning when Inspector Aditya called her telephone. She was informed that a dead body was found by the police and features of the dead body are matching with Sandoop description! She needs to go to the police station and then the morgue to verify if it is Sandoop. Her father also came to assist her in this tough journey?

Will the dead body belong to Sandoop? Was it the only murder happened in the story? Will the real criminal be identified ever? To get the answers to all these (and many more) questions, you need to read this gripping short EBook.

In terms of literary aspects, the book is really good. The way the suspense is built and one by one wrap are opening with twists and turns throughout the story will keep you glued to the book. Actually, once you start reading the book, it is tough to stop in between. The book remains faithful to its genre for sure.

By reading this book, you can clearly see the author’s vision behind writing it. Like a commercial movie, the book is written in a way that a maximum number of readers go for it. And you know what sells, right? So in addition to well-written drama and nicely-built suspense and thrilling moments, the book has its own dose of adult material also. So, it is strictly for the mature readers.

Here are some of the interesting lines from the book:

उसकी आँखोंको काले रंग के काजल ने कुछ इस तरह घेर रखा था, जैसे आँखें वहां ज़बरदस्ती करके आ गई हो, अन्यथा वो जगह काजलों के लिए ही थी.
— — — — — —
पंखा बड़े ज़ोरो की आवाज़ करते हुए घूम रहा था, लेकिन उसकी हवा आवाज़ से कहीं काम थी.
— — — — — —
अचानक ही घर में इतना सन्नाटा पसर गया की घड़ी की ‘टिक-टिक’ की आवाज़ को भी हर साँस के साथ सुना जा सकता था.
— — — — — —
हम इस तरह अपनी पुलिस को बिस्तर पर थोड़े ही पड़े रहने दे सकते हैं…
डॉक्टर साहब की बात में हास्य था, लेकिन इंस्पेक्टर आदित्य इस समय मज़ाक के मूड में नहीं थे.
— — — — — —
सीट बेल्ट तो गौतमी ने कभी नहीं लगाया था तो आज क्यों लगाती? हाँ, यदि कोई बता देता की आज दुर्घटना हो सकती हैं तो शायद वो सीट बेल्ट लगाने के बारे में सोच सकती थी.
— — — — — —
गाड़ी के पेड़ से लड़ने पर जो आवाज़ हुई थी, उससे जंगल की शांति भांग हो चुकी थी.

The book has some punchlines as you can see one or two above, making it like a James Bond novel (or film), where you can get everything to get entertained.

I like the way characters are built and explored. None of the characters in the story is either black or white, it has its own shades of grey. And that is how real life characters are found. The policemen here are no supercops, they can also get hurt and they need to get hospitalized too. Till you reach the climax you will feel that the criminal will get away with what he/she has done. Will he/she? It is up to you to explore.

The pace of the story remains fast almost throughout. And in a short story, a writer cannot afford losing grip for even a page or two also.

Summary:

A complete masala crime thriller with its own dose of adult stuff. A short read which you can finish within 1 hour.

If you already have read the book do share your remarks and thoughts via comments below. Does this review help you in making your decision to buy or read the book? Do not forget to share this article with your friends over various social networks via Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and others. And yes, you may like to subscribe to our RSS feeds and follow us on various Social networks to get latest updates for the site to land right in your mail box.