Pokhran by Uday Singh traces through the life of a boy named Chaitanya, who was born in Pokhran, a year after the ‘Smiling Buddha’ nuclear test. The whole nation celebrated the success of the first nuclear test, but the resultant nuclear fallout from the test remained hidden.
Unfortunately Chaitanya and a few other children were born with disabilities caused by the radioactive fallout from the nuclear test. Life was never easy for him. His father, Paramvir, made sure he was ready to face the battles in life. Chaitanya was bullied, he lost his loved ones but he always found a reason to live. His sister, Radhika remained as his pillar of support throughout his life. Chaitanya was lucky to find mentors who guided him towards greatness.
He learnt from his father that the greatest joys in life are found in the service of others. This is his story of uncovering the truth and rebuilding Pokhran.
“In life, you are either a warrior or wimp. Once you make a decision as to which one you are going to be, you stick with it till the end, no matter what.” – Uday Singh, Pokhran.
Firstly, I would like to appreciate the thought process gone behind writing such a story. All the characters are developed well as the story progresses. We can learn so much from the protagonist. Despite the hardships, Chaitanya worked hard and found himself at MIT. My heart ached each time he faced the loss of his loved ones.
Zara proved that love makes one look past the flaws of the other person. She is a brave woman. She plays a crucial role in Chaitanya’s life. Her dreams were very inspiring and the story revolves around that.
The cover of this book was quite misleading. The blurb portrayed a different outlook on the story. There is a constant switch between the present and past which I felt difficult to grasp initially. At times, I felt there were too many unnecessary details that diverted from the storyline.
First few pages of the book will get the readers at the edge of their seats. The language used is good. There were many social issues like challenges faced by refugees and immigrants, accumulation of wealth, overt discrimination discussed in this book. The solution offered to reduce the gap between the rich and poor was very impressive. Pokhran is a book that is inspired by real-life incidents and people which makes it even better. Pokhran by Uday Singh is a very informative book.
Overall, this is a different and a thought-provoking story. I enjoyed reading Pokhran by Uday Singh. I am Recommending Pokhran to all.
Rating Pokhran by Uday Singh – 4 stars on 5
About the author-
Uday is an economist and an engineer with keen interest in philosophy and a firm belief in the progressive march of humanity towards a better and brighter future. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey and works in New York. He is a Columbia University Alumnus, ex-strategy consultant with McKinsey & Co., investment banker, and writes on economy, philosophy, and fiction.
Hi to all, how is the whole thing, I think every
one is getting more from this web site, and
your views are nice in support of new users.