Book Review : ‘Legacy' by Mohan Prasad

Set in the post-independent India, Mohan Prasad’s ‘Legacy’ is truly a series of varied stories, holding onto an essential point. Let’s be led on…

Starting off with the hero’s father, Shankar Prasad, the book traces a rather longish line of how Darshan, or Dalai was born, named and brought up. 

Let us leap frog into Darshan’s hostel life where he sets up a life, where he joins the student movement under Jayaprakash Narayan. We are quickly put through a series of funny adventures of students, where we are meant to go through the oddities of food, and the hostel life. And Anita, of course. Anita, who is Darshan’s senior, quickly manages to capture his heart and his mind. 

He is one for the zealous life and so is she, but their routes separate. Darshan finds his fate in being a godman and one sees Anita become a naxal strategist. The godman, actually comes up, when Darshan ends up meeting a swami, who apparently is supposed to be Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

But, love builds on between the two, despite the events in India. India, which had received freedom, is haunted by communal events of a violent and severe nature. The death of his father and the Sikh riots and Anita, who is sick of the socio culture ends up turning to Naxalism, are all life-changing events in Darshan’s life.

The birth of their child, Subhash and his eventual rearing are all a part of the lives of both these characters. Subhash, who almost does not meet his parents till he turns 18, becomes the third angle mentioned in this book. Starting off with 1960 it moves on till the 90s.

What does happen to a Darshan and his love, Anita? What does happen to

Mohan Prasad

Anita’s idea of a social revolt, what does the godman achieve and how does his son figure in this eventful rigmarole?

This book is a post-independent picture of how the country faced its freedom, with its social problems and issues and problems. The protagonists, though in love with each other, have to face problems of a different nature. Their passion for separate issues and their deep understanding of them, though completely in diverse backgrounds, probably changes the entire structure of their stories.

However, the two of them have courage and strength, which wades them through, but never without the hurricanes and storms. The book was a fascinating read, but unfortunately has its disturbances, which caused the story to grasp at islands during its flow. Though, with the contradicting standpoints of Darshan and Anita, the story gives the reader, a whole new way of looking at India.

Definitely, a book to be read and beliefs, to be given a thought, again and again. This book is definitely of historical significance, with the author’s angle and thought provoking ideas of today.