THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Philosophies, mythologies, love, emotion, drama, spy fiction, the list goes on. Spinning tales replete with these elements, a city-based doctor Arshi Asraff has come up with a book titled 'Gemini'.
Set in entirely different backdrops and tales from distinct decades, the anthology of novelettes collectively explores the human emotions and conditions. This, the author feels is extremely underrated in contemporary literature. He also shared that lesser authors now delve into the concept of humanity and emotions nowadays.
"In the middle of the hectic and tiring job, writing has always been an escape," says Arshi, a doctor working at Dr SMSCI Medical College. An alumnus of Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram Arshi writes solely out of passion and does not consider it as a full-fledged career. Someone who started writing at the age of thirteen, Arshi has worked in newspapers and written columns for online portals.
Speaking of the book titled 'Gemini', the author said, it is a horoscope which represents the two-headed Roman God Janus, the God of duality. The book cover bears a two-headed image referring to Janus. The title serves the concept of the human duality and the polar extremes of human emotions. By letting in various emotions - be it fear, anger, rage, apathy, failure, grief, vengeance, love or lust - the book imparts a lively feel.
Despite other predominating fictional pieces, the author never failed to put forth the epic tale of Ramayana. Unlike the original one, here Ravana is the protagonist. The story delves into Ravana's point of view. Meanwhile, the story depicting the warfare and spy fiction during the cold war in Soviet offered a different take. The other stories are set in the backdrop of Kochi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
The concept of how the human emotions manipulate us and vice versa is one of the large running themes in the book. With unexpected twists and turns, the book evokes curiosity among readers. "The novelettes will encourage readers to reach their own conclusions about the story based on their perceptions. Rather than imposing a message, the story is free to be interpreted according to the reader's taste" he said.
Arshi is happy that the book has scored an appreciable review from the readers. “Next is a full-length novel. I am working on it at present,” Arshi adds.