'Rear Entrance' is an honest book from the sincere author David Barun Kumar Thomas. He was born to Tamil parents in Assam. The good son has dedicated the book to his mother Esther Padmini Thomas. His father S.K.Thomas was an engineer with the Central Water Commission.
'Rear Entrance' is an honest book from the sincere author David Barun Kumar Thomas. He was born to Tamil parents in Assam. The good son has dedicated the book to his mother Esther Padmini Thomas. His father S.K.Thomas was an engineer with the Central Water Commission. The author did his mechanical engineering from IIT Kanpur and moved over to the JNU for doing a Masters in History. However he did not complete the programme.
He started to work in the IT industry from the year 1980. David Barun Kumar began as a systems person, moved up and became a manager. He spent some time in Belgium while working for IBM. After serving in the ' Learning Services ' division in Belgium for some years, he moved over to work as the Regional Manager ( South & South East Asia ) of the same division. He quit in 2003 and moved over to Kodaikanal with his wife Sudha and began ' India Nirman Sangh '.
This NGO works with the women of the Kodaikanal belt by helping them with small loans. This is the first book by David Barun Kumar Thomas. The work of David Barun Kumar Thomas has touched the lives of 6000 women in about 25 villages.
The book ' Rear Entrance ' is a good read. Hachette India has done the right thing by publishing this nice novel and the cover illustration by Kedarnath Gupta is thought provoking. The story is spread over a couple of days and it deals with four people seeking a visa to the United Kingdom. The UK Visa office is the venue and this work of fiction is based on the author's exposure to the same while working in Belgium.
Four Indians get an oppourtunity to meet up at the Visa office. Amit Trehan - the well connected businessman, Ratnesh - the wheeler who wants to permanently live in the UK, Harish - the shop keeper who wants to just watch a match at Lord's and Seetha - an IT industry professional interested in research related activities are the four characters who form the crux of the novel. Amit wants to do international business and bring back a bit of the money hidden away overseas by his father during the Nehruvian era. Both Seetha and Harish are sincere when compared to the other two.
The British Visa Officer Dough Evans and his environment are central in terms of the location. Anxieties, expectations and personal agonies are brought out well by the author. We get to understand that the complicated but hard working life of immigrants who run services all round the clock adds to the economy of Europe. Sometimes it may make us think whether one should pursue this path. The waiting area, coffee zones, snacks etc., and the thugs are well brought out in this 220 page book.
The unbiased and honest book is a must read for people wanting to understand the procedures and maneuvers connected with seeking visas. One will also get to understand that bureaucratic considerations play a major role. Its equally interesting to understand that the ones who are dishonest have batter chance ! The Visa hall, the interactions with the official, the excitement, tension etc., are brought out well. A dinner at the residence of the DCM ( Deputy Chief of Mission ) is part of the intrigue.
Rita makes an interesting interlude in the story. The conversation between the ladies at the party, the courtesies extended by the Indian diplomat will expose the reader to a different kind of life style. Conversations between the various visa aspirants, their expectations, behavior, anxieties and attitude are brought out well.
We get know more about the business activities of Indians in Europe. David Barun Kumar has made it possible for the reader to understand that there are quite a number of options other than working for an IT firm in Europe and they are quite interesting. The book has received a good review all through. The Hindu, The Indian Express and Hindustan Times are among the publications that have carried a good review.
The conversations between the Visa officer and the aspirants, between the seekers and at the party at the residence of the DCM are well crafted. The readers will agree that Barun Kumar is a fantabulous wordsmith. It was interesting to catch up with him while he visited Coimbatore. " The book began in the year 2008 and was ready by 2010. I did not have much of an experience in publishing and had sent the book to a number of publishers and it got rejected.
The Editor at Hachette seemed to like it and it was published after a bit of tinkering. I must say that the Editor has done a good job for the process has added a lot of value to my work. I am grateful for that. Well, the book is based on my own exposure to Visa procedures in Europe while I was at Belgium.
Every aspirant has to spend many hours at the Visa office and will get to see people from around the world. Different interests, languages, motives, ideologies travel to the same destination ! This book was an opportunity to share my exposure to the readers. " stated the ever smiling David Barun Kumar Thomas, the author of this short and sweet book.
Now he is busy with his NGO in Kodaikanal and has formed several groups in the villages. The additional focus is on sanitation, health and education. Institutions like NABARD are playing a supportive role. Barun Kumar visits the villages couple of times a week in his ' jeep '. " I am deeply trying to understand more of Mahatma Gandhi and have been working on a book on him over the last two years.
The book should be hopefully published the next year. It will speak about Gandhi from a different perspective. Mani Pulimood and Ram Mani are the others who are with me. The journey has been interesting and I hope to do my best. " stated the author cheerfully. ' India Nirman Sangh ' had received the best NGO award in the year 2017 from the Government of Tamilnadu.
The author has portrayed the diversity of the current UK intelligently with the words.....' English speaking Noah's Ark'.... Joy and disappointments are part of the climax and the story wraps up with an interesting paragraph.... ' Seetha needed to be among her own for a while. She needed time to lick her wounds. To overcome desire, attachment and pain. To become a practitioner of the Upanishads. '..... Profound.