Vikram and Betaal by Amit Juneja: Night of the Blood Moon by Amit Juneja
My take on the book:
Vikram Chauhan, CEO and founder of FortifAI in San Francisco, is at the peak of career success when his wife Meera finds out about her stage four Pancreatic cancer. While doctors have given prognosis that it is terminal and Meera began treatment, Vikram started researching alternate treatment options. When he came across a random blog which mentioned about a hidden temple in Gresham in Rajasthan, India, where the priest helped cure a terminal cancer patient, Vikram hopes Meera can also be cured in a similar fashion.
Since the blog writer mentioned about being blind folded for his entire journey to the temple and back, Vikram had to request his friend Dushyant for help in locating the temple. Dushyant was Vikram’s best friend during Vikram’s growing up years in an orphanage in India and since Dushyant respected Vikram as an elder brother, he deploys his trusted employees Shankar, Kalpana and Bhadra. Gresham and the Sambhal forest around it are known to residents and tourists who have gone missing under mysterious circumstances, leading to the locals staying tight lipped.
With time running out, Vikram reaches Gresham and with the help of Haricharan reaches the Yamanadu temple on the night of the Blood Moon where the chief priest Shiladitya performed tantric rituals involving humans and animals. Shiladitya who is already expecting Vikram’s arrival promises to cure Meera if Vikram will catch and hand over Betaal, the pisach. Betaal is bound to the forest for seven days after the night of the blood moon until when Vikram has time to capture him. Will Vikram be able to capture an ancient demon and save Meera forms the rest of the story.
When I picked the book, I assumed it is a modern retelling of the Vikram-Betaal story I read in my childhood. While the author begins with the legend of Betaal, Vikram Chauhan’s story is about a fintech entrepreneur from Silicon Valley who is known for his logic and working with data but is forced to believe in the supernatural. The story revolves around the moral dilemma of Vikram as he is constantly questioning this quest to save Meera and the collateral damage around him as Betaal plays mind games with him.
The author retains the original format of Vikram-Betaal interactions with Betaal narrating stories and posing riddles to Vikram. The author creates a fictional world of Yamanadu and Gresham surrounded by Sambhal forest giving it all the eerie feels. Vikram, Dushyant and his three employees carry most of the narrative. Vikram is not the typical “hero” who succeeds in all scenarios, but when caught in the most unexpected conflict, it is interesting to see how he holds his moral ground.
The subplots which felt a bit abrupt and confusing before the climax are well tied up by the author. I also liked how the author contrasts the stories narrated by Betaal to how they are documented by the police — the same story that became a rumor vs a more scientific reason.
A gripping blend of modern-day ambition and ancient Indian mysticism, Vikram and Betaal is a worthy modern reimagining of a timeless legend.
My rating:
5/5.