In the age of fiction series where maximum debutant writers play with some most universal subjects like romance, thriller, relationships to name a few sidelining the issues that has a social relevance on the civilisation and in nation-building as a whole, the debutant novel of a budding writer Gyandeep Kaushal and a civil servant Nitin Madan Kulkarni delves upon one of vital but yet less talked about subject – ‘Why Men Rape’.
The novel’s name inspired from the Greek Mythology character – Pluton, the God of the Underworld, who abducted and raped Peresphone, the Goddess of Spring Growth and was never punished for the crime. Pluton’s act and more is what Pluton’s Pyre: Evolution of a Demon’s protagonist Suraj Deoria from Uttar Pradesh replicates. However, unlike the Greek God, the protagonist who is also a murderer was punished and sent behind the bars. And it’s within the confines of the four walls of his small cell, he pens down his entire life in a diary.
Conceived and written after much planning and research, Dr. Kulkarni while discussing elaborately about the content of his debut novel said, “Before penning down my first fiction, as many as 36 rape convicts of Birsa Munda Jail were interviewed to understand the reasons and circumstances that forces a man to commit such a heinous crime. The book will give the readers an idea about certain psychological aspects especially about those who commit crime against the women.”
Dr. Kulkarni further added that to address such issue, a social provocation is required and as a society each one of us need to brainstorm about the root cause of such incident. Crime which is considered to be a complex subject as several psychological factors is associated with the criminals, the Co-Writer of this book published by Bloomsbury Prime, a law student, Gyandeep Kaushal said, “The content of the book is linked with each individual. ‘Set Pluton on fire, burn him for what he did’ but understand the factor as well.”
Governor Draupadi Murmu who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and who launched the book said, “Through reading and writing, several topics which can have long impact on society are developed. The books which are the prime source of knowledge leave a great impact on readers mind and are a great source in decision making.”
Appreciating the efforts of the debutant writers, the Governor said that I hope ‘Pluton’s Pyre – “A tale of a demon” will not just be seen as a fiction book but will further aid in curtailing the crime against women. Justice DN Patel, Jharkhand High Court, Gautam Kumar Choudhary, VC – National University for Study and Research in Law were present on the occasion and inspired the debutants novelists with their words of appreciation.
