Four Patriots By Sumit Agarwal



Book Blurb:

If you have ever fallen victim to the system, been humiliated, felt helpless… this book is for you.
Varun, a NRI software engineer, loves Alisha. Salman , CEO of Coffee Moments, loves Mahi. Raghav, a virtuous politician, loves Neha. Aditya, an altruist businessman, is married to Prachi. Destiny invites them to step out of their comfort zones and fight the devil that holds their country captive.

Will they choose country over love, comfort and success? Will they enter the Chakravyuh, intricately laid down to ensure their destruction? Will they come out of it alive and win back our lost pride?

Buckle up for a roller-coaster ride into the lives of these four young men who are out to change the system which could not be changed in the last 70 years of independence. A story fraught with romance and patriotism. Also pick this book if you are a patriot and do not believe that ‘is desh ka kuch nahin ho sakta.’ If you do, all the more reason to read it!


My Review:

I thank the author for sending me a copy of the book in return of an honest review. I must confess here, that I did judge the book by its cover, and didn’t expect the plot to interest me so much. And I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was amazed by the brilliancy of the plot that engaged me so easily and heightened my curiosity in bursts through quick and sudden turn of events. I do applaud the writer and the team for bringing forward a book so relevant to our times.

The book deals with all the problems our country currently faces – corruption, poverty, terrorism, naxalites, the Olympics, the taxation, the almost deplorable educational and legal scene, etc. This work of fiction has our country’s facts and general knowledge for public awareness at its core. One will learn a lot from the novel, from Contempt of the Court to the life and cleanliness in Singapore, from the political campaigns and elections to the Indian army. Remember what you felt while watching the Anil Kapur starrer movie Nayak? You will feel the similar kind of euphoria and pride while taking on the journey with the four protagonists.

The prologue is a big winner- it will pique the interest of even the most unlikeliest reader, or the non-reader. The Independence Day terrorist scene propels you directly to the climax of the tale. You just can’t NOT read further.

The Characters:

Aditya worked in an NGO that had ‘clean and green Varanasi’ as one of its main objectives. He uses his engineering knowledge and saves the day by helping prevent any disaster in their Chemical manufacturing factory where chlorine leaks occurs accidentally. This instantly wins you over. Raghav has plans to revamp the education system of the state, especially the primary education. He plans to do something through the country’s political scene by influencing the education ministry. Salman lives with his foster parents in the chawl, whom he loves dearly. His winning streak is when he blatantly opposes the campaigning MLA for his falsely laid promises. Varun works in a software company but is not satisfied in his job. He is a part of an NGO Kalpvruksh, questions the legal system of the country where the poor prisoners’ files are never brought up, while the rich are roaming out free. ‘What is stopping our government, the Law Ministry from creating new posts against the shortfall of judges in our system, and ensuring that none of the existing posts remain vacant?’  Winning streak, indeed!

Fast forward a few years, the four heroes are working shoulder by shoulder with Dr. Sabbarwals, as the core team and cabinet. There’s many more twists and turns- temple funds misutilization, controversies and media coverage, a terrorists scene, my favorite Olympics episode, and many more. A very interesting and riveting read.

Characters are likable, well portrayed through back stories, childhood settings and their own vision. The supporting characters are from different walks of life, add greatly to the story-line. The narrative is good, easy to read and follow. It connects India in a very real sense, from one end to the other, length and breadth. I liked the euphemism used in the names of political parties –Bharatiya Janhit Dal and Naya Bharat Dal.

Any passionate countryman would love this book.  

My Rating : 4/5 stars.


 About the author:

Sumit Agarwal is an IIT-K graduate who is now managing a group of chemical manufacturing industries in Kanpur. He is also a music composer, lyricist, singer and writer. He runs an NGO, Prerna, which is dedicated to the development of a stronger India. He can be reached at:
Facebook Page: sumitsvoice
Twitter handle: sumitagarwal17

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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