THIS is a science fiction in which Dr Anuj Kripalani, a brilliant scientist, has a computer, a machine man, who dresses and looks like a human being, as his private secretary and is named Adonis. There are other computers too with different names serving the humans in his laboratory. At the age of 37, Dr Kripalani marries his student, 22-year old Nayana, who works in the department of chemistry at JNU. They leave for the United States and have two sons – Rituraj and Rangaraj. But the American way of life makes Nayana restless and gets the better of her. After spending some time staying at home, she chooses to work with Mega Vision, which produces documentaries and TV serials.
Dr Kripalani wins the Marin Anderson Award worth several million dollars for his research in molecular biology at the age of 53. When he rings up Nayana to inform her of his award, his son tells him that she has gone to Italy in connection with her work. This spoils the happy day in Dr Kripalani’s life.
Gradually Dr Kripalani becomes a familiar figure all over the world and Nayana is proud of her husband’s achievements. He receives the Martin Anderson Award at his alma mater, the IIT in Mumbai and Nayana is excited for a few days but it does not take long for her to realise that her husband’s “sexual desires and sensuality had long taken leave of him.”
After seeking Ajanta’s permission, Dr Kripalani gives her Kayakalpa-25 pill and she becomes a beautiful and young damsel of his college days. At her insistence, Dr Kripalani goes to see her and she tells him to take the same pill to turn into a young man of college days or else she would stop taking them and return to her earlier state.
Dr Kripalani returns to India and meets Ajanta as his normal self by stopping consumption of the pill. He is kidnapped by his adversaries who want the secret of the pill for warding off old age.
The end of this very interesting fiction however turns out to be a damp squib.
-MG
(Niyogi Books, D-78, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi-110 020; www.niyogibooks.com)
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