The Redeemers by Suresh Taneja (Book Review)!!!

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   After a long while, I picked up a book that's published by Frog/Leadstart publication. Though this is a self-publishing company but I acknowledge some of the book that I have read from this source. And the amazing part has been that either I have loved the books very much or I have directly rejected them. But the book that I have just completed is the one that I found mediocre- Neither very good nor very bad. "The Redeemers" by Suresh Taneja- who is a chartered accountant by profession and is looking after the financial affairs of a listed company. He published his first book We can pull it off in 2010. This book is an improved and complete version of his earlier book. Suresh aspires for maximum readership of the book, particularly by children and youth. 

             Suresh strongly feels that the youth need to play a leading role in shaping up the future of our country which presently is plagued with alarming proportions of corruption, malpractices and declining moral values. The intent behind this book is to kindle a sense of awareness amongst the youngsters on their possible role, encouraging them to be creative in finding solutions and inspiring them to translate their thoughts into action. Suresh writes regularly to express himself on a variety of issues. His writings are generally inspired by his life experiences and keen observations. Suresh does not wish to confine himself to issue based books only; he is keen to experiment with different genres and capitalize on his knack for storytelling.

Synopsis of the book says-

One bizarre vacation marked a turning point in the lives of four teenage friends. It dawned upon them that corruption and malpractices had become rampant and deeply ingrained in our culture. They felt anguished and shocked at the shameful state of affairs. They pledged to redeem and change the destiny of the country. They had only two weeks of vacation left to take some big initiatives. The pressure on them was immense. Status quo or failure was not an option for them. Read the inspirational story of a unique movement masterminded by youngsters through innovative ideas and creative thinking. Not a single family could escape from its unrelenting onslaught. It was a rewarding outcome for their persistence and hard work, as they nostalgically recall in 2030.

          Coming to the author, Suresh Taneja does have a great ambition of spreading message through his writings and it can be clearly seen in every page of the book as he does not leave the focus from the subject/issue. He also has good imagination. The only problem that I feel is with the execution of the stories that are in his mind. It's either because of no hand in writing before or bad command in the language. The story that he has written has almost everything that should have been in a book that is based on a group of friends trying to eliminate corruption from India but there's an X-factor which is missing throughout. There are moment that excites you but because the language isn't as fluid as it should have been, you don't jump off from your bed but read the whole sequence with just a smile on your face. 

        Book is written with a good style of going into a flashback while the current year is said to be of 2030 where 1 Rs=100$. Though it makes us greedy to experience such a moment but it seems to be so unrealistic that we sit down again. India is being talked of as superpower in 2030 according to the author. And then he goes to the flashback where he tells about how it all happened because of just 4 young college students who lead the scenario. The first incident of road accident that enlightens the brain of these 4 Indians is given a good justice. Later on, the conversation that makes this children take a step forward towards eliminating everything is also exciting. Then how the whole thing comes up is wonderfully written. The part of the media and Zarine is discussed briefly. The family tree of the protagonists shown in the first page of the book is a very good idea. I liked it. Else everything is fine.

       Coming to the drawbacks, as I said that initially everything looked exciting but the book failed to create that feeling of extravaganza because of bad execution. Though the story selected and plot chosen could have been favorite of Indian readers as its inspired from one of the movements that took place recently but its kept too simple for a book that lies in a genre "Fiction/Drama". Even when this book is re-written and released with a new title, I still think that there are many limitations. I would rate this book a strict average- 2.5/5. If this would have been a Non-fiction, I would have given it 3.5 but as its a fiction book, we expect some drama, twists and goosebumps-giving sequences. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!