Title : Men And Dreams In The Dhauladhar

Author : Kochery C Shibu

Blurb as on Goodreads :

A Hydel project in the remote Himalayas- three people brought together by fate.

Nanda an engineer from Kerala at the dam construction site, hiding from his past, from the law, torn between the love for his dear ones, and the Kalari code of revenge.
Khusru, a youth displaced from his native village in Kashmir, a gambit in the terror plot that threatens to blow up the dam, working as a labourer at the site.
Rekha, a kathak dancer at heart, a doctor by profession, arrives at the campsite as the consort of Khusru.
A village that accepts the dictates of modernity with a heavy heart, its population steeped in superstitions and religious beliefs.

All throng the campsite like moths to a flame, some escape untouched, successful; some miss a step and perish. each has a story to tell and a dream to realise. Men and Dreams in the Dhauladhar are about the aspirations of these people, with their cares and worries woven to the site life. The fury of nature and hardships of project life have no mercy for the weak and no time for the dead.
Like an eternal spectator, the Dhauladhar watches as men risk their lives and limb in the quest to fulfil their dreams.

My take:

The story is all about AM Hydel power project which had taken place in the Dhauladhar range. A fresh new plot with different distinct stories. The author’s lucid narration and the vivid description has the potential to engross the reader. But with three stories running parallel, where various characters and their backstories had been introduced in consecutive chapters, I felt diverted from the plot. Because of that, the connectivity between each chapter was also missing. Also, characters that was given too much of importance had less contribution to the plot.

Then comes the technical part. If an overview had been given about the hydel power project than the detailed site life, then it would have been given a better understanding of the project. The detailed site life and labour life of what all those men had been through, their day to day life on the construction site and the hurdles they had been facing on the work process were well depicted and the author’s effort in this was commendable.

The latter part of the story was engaging and I liked it compared to the former one. The investigation part was rushed and I felt that it could have been given more importance. The climax was also not up to my expectations. Though the author had invested all his efforts in character development, I don’t feel connected with any of the characters either. Not an easy read. I would only recommend this book if you’re looking for something different from your usually read.

My rating: 2/5