When Shall We Meet Again?
by Abhimanyu Rajarajan
Description
What happens when ...
· a software billionaire finds his company’s attrition rate scaling new heights?
· a programming de-bugger meets his ‘break-up” girl after 5 years?
· a revered Swamiji is asked to become a corporate trainer of an IT company?
· a cheerful flirt proposes to a girl who is yet to recover from a relationship shattered by infidelity?
· a college couple gets into a tent in an inebriated state during picnic?
· a software Team leader is physically assaulted by her lover in front of her colleagues?
· a drunkard father meets his estranged daughters after a decade?
· a pervert manager cajoles a new recruit to his private cottage?
· a doting couple’s aborted child enters the body of a Sadhu?
· a lonely girl is lying in bed fully intoxicated and at the mercy of a famished lecher?
What happens? Passion, love, philosophy, perversion, thrill, drama, and wit.
Meet the characters:
· Naren: A brilliant programming debugger; loved Aarthi at college. As he steps into a new relationship with Lisa at office, he finds his break up love Aarthi coming back again. And he is in a dilemma.
· Aarthi: A young petite girl just out of college. Joins an IT company to find her past lover there. Caught up in a quandary between the cheerful Prem and the moody Naren. Whom should she love?
· Lisa: A software executive. Loves her colleague Naren and will do anything for her love. Hides her sensitive feelings of love and tries to wear a dominant mask. Maybe she may have to shed it some time.
· Prem: A happy-go-lucky guy who falls for the wrong girl and gets it right the second time. Or almost right. Prem has an uncanny way of winning hearts and breaking his own heart.
· Narayan: A pervert manager who is out to seduce the girls. And when the girls cross his way, he lines up bigger dangers for them. Even rape is not beyond his scheme of things.
· Aathmananda: A revered Swamiji who becomes a corporate trainer. Expert at transforming lives and making people come out with their deep secrets.
When Shall We Meet Again? has a bit of everything. An IT industry romance thriller with lots of life's philosophy thrown in.
Excerpt
The human life is akin to a river. None can foretell its direction. Rivers are born small. They get bigger as they advance. Same with humans too, both spiritually and physically. The rivers collect sand, stones, leaves, sludge and whatever they tread in their paths. Humans too carry with them their upbringings, their education, the habits and style of people around them, the culture of their places and most importantly the memories of life events and their influences upon them. Rivers go through lean patches. Humans too. Rivers are sometimes very calm. They sometimes flood. Same, with the humans. Some rivers are ruthless. They cause floods and destroy lives. Some humans are ruthless too. They get charged up and try to harm others around them. Some rivers irrigate and help in a positive way. Some humans serve and help the people around them. And let me add that clichéd sentence to this list: All rivers join the sea. And all humans merge with Him. Therefore, rivers symbolize us. They are like the human shaped deity in which we see our Gods. After all, identification is required to create oneness. And oneness is the essence of Gita. So in rivers, we see ourselves. What’s wrong in worshiping them?
Review
By bujju
When I started reading when shall we meet again , I had my fingers crossed. But in the end, I loved it . Great book . Brilliantly plotted . First Indian fiction about romance in software industry with real people. That's the best part. Everything looks real. The characters, their problems. And the final solutions. The office setting is very realistic. Swamiji's philosophy gems that are interspersed across the book are worth a read. The author keeps us guessing what will happen to the lovers who broke up, till the end. The villain Narayan is absolutely despicable and there is an eeriness whenever he comes in the story. I loved Lisa. Lisa symbolizes the young executive in today's world and her tender feelings are very well brought out. Loved the debate scene between Aarthi and Naren. I recommend if you love Indian romance fiction.
About the Author
Abhimanyu Rajarajan works for Indian Oil Corporation. When Shall We Meet Again?, the best selling romance thriller of this year, is his debut novel. Abhimanyu has not let his Engineering and Management degrees come in the way of understanding what raw life is. His writings depict an avid interest in life and how people react to it. Apart from writing, his pastime includes reading and music.
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