This is the second book of Manoj V Jain that I have read. These days, with so many authors coming up just with candyfloss boy meets girl love stories, Manoj Jain definitely writes at a different level altogether. Dystopia was a story of kids going into adolescence, reminiscing their times, lessons and experiences with a voice of dystopia in the background as a guide. A Man from Mandu is a powerful story full of so many life messages in simple words.

The story is of Dhawal, a simple so-called conman guide near Mandu in Madhya Pradesh and how he meets Tarini, an ex-corporate bigshot who got into the insider trading scandal and is now off from it. How as a part of a bet with her friend, she decides to create a godman Avishkar Baba, the Baba of Stories, out of Dhawal. Dhawal himself evolves in this journey and gains immense popularity through his sermons which are in the form of short stories he narrates as well as a carefully crafted image by Tarini and his media and her organizing team. The storyline is simple and gripping and you are engaged in the book throughout. The tales or stories which are narrated by baba as part of sermons are unique and definitely carry a deeper meaning for readers to reflect upon.

As Manoj Jain is no Chetan Bhagat that his book would carry inherent publicity but I would say it as a must read both as a fiction story as well as a self-help guide more on lines of Robin Sharma philosophy. I would definitely like to read more of Manoj Jain. *********************** Buy the book here: