When The Signal Turns Red by Jayanand Ukey!!!

            I finished this quick book in the matter of 3 hours. It is always fun to read a book of less than 200 pages if it has almost every aspect of story included in it that my eyes and mind searches for. Fortunately, this 196-pages book- "When The Signal Turns Red" published by Alchemy Publishers is a good book. The debutante author of this book is Jayanand Ukey who works for an IT company and is also a freelance journalist and blogger. He has a computer engineering degree from VESIT, Mumbai University. In a career spanning a decade, he has kept his hobby alive by writing three books. This book is his first published work. Jayanand lives in Mumbai with his family. As this book is seriously something that stands with other fiction books, I don't understand as to why didn't the author go with a better publisher. This book deserves one. The cover page of the book is beautiful and attractive. And its by none other than my favorite cover designer- Pinaki De. 

              Coming to the story (it's better stated in the synopsis so why use my words? :-))- 

A global ordeal 

A couple in distress 

The struggle to keep afloat 

Prudent thinking in tumultuous times 

Girish and Prajakta are in love. Very soon Girish will be joining the numero uno IT company of the country. He prepares himself by buying expensive clothes and other accessories he had always dreamed of. He and Prajakta have together planned to build on a good bank balance and then meet each others families to talk about marriage, probably after a year or two. Unexpectedly, the families get involved before Girish can join the IT company. Against all odds, the couple manages to convince their family and an engagement date is fixed. But destiny has other things in mind. A global catastrophe mars their plan which leads to the engagement getting annulled. 

Will Girish find a way out of his predicament? Will he ultimately win Prajaktas hand or will he move on in life, learning to live without her? 

            Jayanand Ukey is himself married and hence the way he has described the whole situation on the same topic can be related. He has a good skill of projecting conversations in a story. I, generally, get bored by too much conversation in novels but the way author has written every conversation excited me rather than killing my interest from the novel. He has good narration skills. And the way every twist has been handled is why this book is in my Favorite List at last. Though the topic could have helped the author to dramatize many situations but he kept them realistic so that we can connect the story with ourselves. And he succeeds. 

              Love marriage is shown in a very good light. There is no segment when you would feel that author should have tried some other way to solve a particular mystery or twist. Everything is perfectly written. And the most beautiful thing is that the story is not been stretched or intentionally dragged. Other authors have also talked about the same plot in their books but they have written in 250-pages or more. Here, 196 is all that Jayanand Ukey has used. Yet he has talked about all that is needed to be talked in a book written on this topic. Kudos. Book starts at a high point. And the same zenith is retained till the last page of it. The initial pages itself creates the interest. Later on, when parents of Girish and Prajakta meets for the first time is also kept as a suspense and a heart-beating moment. The meeting itself is wonderful. Then the way Girish and Prajakta feels satisfied with their life is a beautiful segment.

           Later on, the entrance of recession as a twist in the story is something that could happen with anyone's life. Then the marriage being in a danger mode is powerfully described. The role of protagonists' parents is the major reason why one would love reading the book. Specially the role of Mr. Chitre, Prajakta's father. The entrance of Madan in the story creates a fury in us. It is then that I felt the book went little Bollywood-ish else everywhere it's a story of an average Indian family. :-) The climax yet is another beautiful way of how the book has been ended with. I would love to read more stories by Jayanand Ukey in future. And everyone who is excited about their marriage will find heaven in this book. :-)

            The drawback is that the book is been kept away from introducing any of the friends of both the protagonists. It could have added more flavours. The media articles on economy crisis is something I got bored while reading. It should have been avoided. And next problem that I have is with the Publisher. When other fiction books of more pages and popularity are available for just Rs. 100, is 175 a good number at which you are costing the book? Think and revise the cost.

 In all, I give the book- 4/5. Go get it.

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU