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Literary Review
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Sumthing of a Mocktale
SUCHITRA BEHAL
Sumthing of a Mocktale; Soma Das; Srishti; Rs. 100.
Here’s another book on college trivia. This time its based in JNU, that huge sprawling university in Delhi well known for its leftist leanings. Much water has flown under the bridge since then and JNU today seems to have lost some of its shine as a political hub.
Kaya,a new student, finds that time is divided into zones. Sleeping and stumbling into class and then trying to hook some answers to make a decent grade in the exams. Life is one big riot where each group is out to murder the other.
The descriptions of the different categories that attend this university are apt. There are the Biharis, the Southies , the Bongs and the Oriyas.
There is Ganga Dhaba that everybody who has had anything to do with JNU knows about and, of course, there are the Rocks. The rocks of JNU are silent spectators to all that happens. Late night declarations of love, piss-outs and doped-out hanger ons. The rocks witness break ups and more.
Kaya is more of a ringside viewer with her two friends. The trio live life just like any college going kids — pretty apolitical and immersed in their own lives. Till the exams.
Then there is a mad scramble for chapters that have never been looked at, answer sheets even if it means stealing from the others.
Unfortunately what could have been a laugh-a-minute book on the many foibles of college life, this one falls short of that final touch of humour and, to make matters worse, is riddled with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Editors need to look beyond story content and sharpen those little blue pencils a little more often.
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