Kalyug is the first novel of R Sreeram to be published. Released in 2014 by Westland Press's Tranquebar imprint (ISBN 978-9384030650), Kalyug is about a bloodless coup in India in 2012 following the death of a decorated war veteran, Major General Iqbal Qureshi. Drawing parallels from the India of those days, Kalyug is part-satire, part-fiction and was noted for its subtle references to real-world incidents and characters.
Contents
Blurb
The death of a decorated war veteran, one of India's foremost military officials, triggers a chain of events that threatens to spiral out of control. The democratically elected government is overthrown and a new one is formed in its place.A fierce and pure regime that promises it's people the kind of governance they have been deprived of. Just. Fair. Unyielding. Operation Kalyug has begun.
Caught in the middle is Bala Murali Selvam, a writer who is still tormented by the memories of his persecution at the hands of the erstwhile-establishment. As the new government battles factions fighting for control, international intervention, personal agendas and incompatible motives, Selvam is swept along, a bewildered-pawn in a high-stakes game. Forced to question everything he has believed so far, even his innate sense of justice, Selvam struggles to choose sides. Will his instincts fail him when he needs them the most?
Background
According to the author, Kalyug was inspired in part by the 1974 Emergency, about which opinions still remain divided. There are also references to events that happened in 2012 and 2013, particularly the scams that exposed the then government to a lot of ridicule.
Reception
Kalyug has received good reviews from many readers on account of its fast pace, relevance and thought-provoking passages. Critics have pulled up the rather sudden ending, calling it cliched in contrast to the unusual narrative that preceded it.