Journey of fate

Vikrant Parmar

It’s the stuff dreams are made of, at least for the protagonist of author Rakesh Chopra’s novel A Cello for Bihar. So when Khem Rao is born in a sleepy hamlet, Jowar, in the heart of Bihar, little does he know that destiny had written his script with a golden pen. Through initial years of penury, the ‘unimaginative, bashful child’ shows a deep affinity towards music, his ‘breath of life’. He goes through the twists of fate, which sees him getting kidnapped and, after a daring escape, landing on a ship that sets him on course for a bright future. Khem’s talent draws him towards the cello, a musical instrument that becomes the love of his life. Such is his finesse with music that it pretty much determines Khem’s life path. Love happens too and so does heartbreak. And then, a happy surprise awaits the protagonist at the denouement, once he is back in his home-town after travelling across the globe.

The author has a rich repertoire of words, which he has generously used throughout the narrative, sometimes even at the cost of being jarring. Too many co-incidences cloud the mind, leading to the belief that pure fantasy is indeed far removed from anything temporal. Yet, such is the stuff dreams are made of!