A review by madrasimanifesting
Pokhran - A Novel by Uday Singh

This story is set in Pokhran and hence gets its name from it. This is a place near Rajastan which is famous for the nuclear tests particuarly the Smiling Buddha project which helped India emerge as a nuclear power. Everybody talked about the succesful tests but the failed tests and what happened to the lives of the affected inhabitants of Pokhran were tragically buried secrets .One such person is Chaitanya the protagonist of the story . He and many other such children born during the period had disabilities caused due to the radioactive fallout from the nuclear tests. The struggles that he goes through in life for survival and the hurdles he faces how he finds a motivation to live is what this story is about. His father is one of the other important characters of this book. This book has a lot of emotions in it. The author has done a great job indeed.

Eventhough this is an imaginary story its based on true life happenings and quite well researched. It is very well narated and thoughtfuly written. Also fact paced which was good except for a rushed up closure. Definietely an eye opener on diff issues in the society and a must read . I am a sucker for historical fiction and really liked reading the forgotten history of Pokhran .

My Rating:  3.5/5