Review: A Man from Mandu

A Man from Mandu by Manoj V Jain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Man from Mandu stands out for its simplicity of messaging. It wades into the periphery of spirituality while keeping the story and narration fairly light.

The story starts with Tarini who is seeking ways to advance her career. She is hoping her friend Paulomi will speak to her husband and get her a job at one of his startups. They agree on a bet – if Tarini can promote a guru who develops a following within a year, Paulomi will help her with her career.

Tarini puts all her energies into this. She runs into Dhawal, who seems best suited for this. Dhawal becomes Avishkar Baba who conveys his message to his audience in the form of short stories which prompt thinking and introspection. Tarini also finds two more people – Anil & Puneet to help in marketing & event management.

Avishkar Baba’s popularity grows, but will it sustain? If it does, what should be Tarini’s next move? What will Avishkar Baba do after their contract period of a year ends?

I found the story to be good, and the pace is just about right, making this a smooth read. The format of a set of stories within the story was interesting, and the stories Avishkar Baba tells his audiences are largely the right ones – some are especially good, though not all.

Overall, a good read, with the right summary at the end.

I received a free copy of this book to provide a review.


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