03:02

Mainak Dhar says he wanted to explore what happens when a generation used to Facebook activism has to take charge without technological crutches Mainak Dhar has taken a break from zombies. In his latest thriller, 03:02 (Westland Rs. 295) the villains of the piece are IS militants. “I wanted to build off something that is a real horror and insert it into our normal lives,” says Mainak over the phone from Mumbai. The book tells the story of Aaditya who after eight years of excel sheets and investment advice has got a longed-for promotion and is all set to conquer greater heights in the corporate world when at 03:02 on a Sunday morning, the world turns dark, as if someone has turned off a master switch. All electrical appliances turn off. And when you think how much of our lives are chip-based — from cars and computers to pacemakers and money, you can imagine the havoc such a situation will create. “It is the continuation of a theme; of extreme situations and how normal people cope. On paper, or rather digitally we are connected but actually we are not. We need to get out of the bubble we live in.” Describing the book as “a commentary,” the author of the bestselling Alice in Deadland series says: “A building society is a microcosm of India.” Choosing to call Aaditya’s apartment complex Hiranandani Gardens, Mainak says, “I live there and I wanted a real neighbourhood where you find a broad cross section of people both to build in the enhanced relevance and reality and also because I wanted something a bit away from central Mumbai to add to the isolation and not knowing what is happening in town.” The reluctant hero is common thread that runs in Mainak’s novels and this one is no exception. “Rather than a Rambo or Bollywood hero, I naturally gravitate towards a normal person and how he would meet challenges.” Expanding on the themes of the page-turner, Mainak says: “I wanted to explore what happens when a generation used to Facebook activism has to take charge in a real world without technological crutches, when their engagement has to go beyond liking or sharing something online… social media can be shallow and superficial. The book looks at personal accountability, how people have to take ownership.” Mainak has lived abroad for “15 years and what I love about India is democracy. It is a wonderful asset to be able to express our opinions freely.” The novel opens with a quote from Nietzsche, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” Explaining his choice, Mainak says, “In the black, bleak landscape, despite all the horrors, Aaditya fights to retain his humanity, the values that make us human. I chose to set the climactic battle on Divali eve to celebrate light and the destruction of darkness.” About a sequel, Mainak says: “I have not consciously thought about a sequel. It would have been glib to say all is well that ends well, that is why I kept the conclusion open-ended. Readers have been asking what happened next, what happened to Aaditya’s father… I believe in never say never.” Locations play a huge part in Mainak’s work — Zombiestan was set in a Delhi overrun by zombies as were some books of the Alice in Deadland series. Mainak did school and undergrad in Delhi and went to IIM Ahmedabad. “I like to set my novels in places where I have lived,” says the 42-year- old author. “If you remember Chronicles of the Undead was set in a house on a hill in Gangtok. My uncle had a house there. Like Aaditya I live in Powai.” Talking about the title Mainak says there are two reasons for it. “Three in the morning is when things happen. It is supposed to be the time when the Army plans attacks. The other reason is completely arbitrary. 03:02 has a nice ring to it!” Insisting that, “This is the first novel that is being released when I am in India and I am very excited about it,” Mainak says, “I cannot stay away from writing. I have a bunch of conflicting priorities but I write half an hour a day. I run for an hour in the morning and that is when I think about the plot. I also get a lot of time to write when I am travelling on work.” Mainak says he did a lot of research both at the “Macro and micro level. I read about electro-magnetic pulse and at the micro level, I studied building societies and how they function.” While we can all recognise the troublesome Mr. Suri in our building societies, Mainak says the characters are not based on one particular person. “They are composites of people I know. For instance, I borrowed my driver’s name for Mahadev, the resourceful auto driver, and the protagonist Aaditya is named after my son. The IIT kids are based on bright IITians I have met.” The Mumbai-based author says he drew inspiration from his maternal grandfather. “He was a freedom fighter. That was a generation of ordinary people who fought the British and got us our freedom. He would tell stories. One of the voices in my head while I was writing was my grandfather’s.” --------- 03:02 - Mainak Dhar Kaushal Mahesh Gupta 10:33:00 PM 03:02, Book, Book Reviews, Crime Thriller, Fiction, Mainak Dhar, Westland Ltd Mumbai, as it is known, is a city that never sleeps and stays true to the saying as well. A city that never sleeps, what it does throughout then? Work? Entertainment? Think? What all? That is something, one realizes or rather sees through with a first hand experience only after being in Mumbai and spending time exploring the city. There are various things that the city will offer you, right from entertainment to joy, from happiness to heartbreaks, from peace to persistence and from anything to everything. Being a Mumbaikar, I can affirm that the city has unity even in adversity and may divide around movie releases, elections and sports. Mumbai is the amalgamation of every single human emotion from good to worse. But, what if the city faces a blackout? A complete blackout? A thought, you wouldn't ever want to pass by your mind. I recently read 03:02, a book by author Mainak Dhar, who describes himself as a cubicle dweller by day and writer by night and is based out of Mumbai. Mainak Dhar has previously written books like Zombiestan, A Little Mayhem, Deadland, Phantoms Of The North amongst the others. 03:02 is a fictional story which revolves around the plot of a complete blackout in the metropolitan city of Mumbai and then the world at large. The story is about the combat and the fight back by everyone, it is about the survival first and then the existence. Book Review : 03:02 - Mainak Dhar Book Review : 03:02 - Mainak Dhar 03:02 starts with introduction of Aadi, his routine and the changes his life is going through, only for betterment, but something keeps bothering him before he can make up his mind to accept the change. Aadi, is like any other human working in a corporate keeping the aspirations aside and then one day in the middle of the night, his life, his vicinity and the city get struck with a blackout, which at first seemed like a power cut. Moving ahead, the heroics of Aadi, come into the picture and how he plays a crucial role in an attempt to get rid of the blackout and the subsequently huge problem behind it. Does Aadi manage to get rid of the problem, and become a hero? That's for you to read and find out. Mainak Dhar has taken the complete liberty as far as fiction is concerned, so some things, however unrealistic they sound in a real life scenario, can be ignored as a part of the overall story. The story at certain places raises concerns of global issues as a part of the narration and suggestive measures, by the protagonist, for the same are taken. In the book blurb, the author says that "This is our story" and while you read you do find it relevant. The subtle start slowly turns into a fast paced action thriller that grips you, and the detailing to the situation acts as an adrenaline rush to the story. The imagination that has been put behind the story is commendable and the writing compliments the same. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read something that revolves around science, geeky stuff, war and fiction. Other Details: Published By: Westland Ltd. Copyrights: Mainak Dhar ISBN: 978-9385152962 Genre: Fiction