Karnalok

KARNALOK, IS THE STORY OF REJECTED, ABANDONED, HOMELESS ORPHANS AND THE WORLD THAT THEY INHABIT. THOUGH AUTHOR DHRUV BHATT BASES HIS NOVEL ON THE SYMBOLIC REFERENCE TO KARNAS IDENTITY OF ABANDONED AT BIRTH, THE NOVEL IS NOT CONFINED ONLY TO THAT SINGULAR MYTHOLOGICAL REFERENCE. DAIVAYATTAM KULE JANMAM WAS KARNAS SIGNATURE LINE. WITHOUT BEING A CONCRETE PRESENCE IN THE NOVEL, KARNA IS OMNISCIENTLY PRESENT THROUGHOUT, REMINDING THE READER OF HIS SIGNATURE. BHATT EXPLORES THE WORLD OF INNOCENT CHILDHOODS IN ORPHANAGES AND THEIR LIFE EXPERIENCES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF EXTREME PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CONFINEMENT, WITH A VISION THAT IS BROAD, DEEP AND COMPREHENSIVE. 'KARNALOK' HANDLES THE THEME OF MOTHERHOOD IN VARIOUS FORMS, FROM UNSOLICITED AND UNWARRANTED PREGNANCIES, TO MODERN DAY SCIENTIFIC METHODS OF SURROGACY, THEREBY ALLOWING BHATT TO FULLY EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF 'BIRTH'. आपलं कुळ, गोत्र, पूर्वजांच्या सात पिढ्यांची नावं घडाघडा बोलून दाखवू शकणारा; पण ज्याचं स्वतःचं नाव कादंबरीत कुठेच येत नाही असा नायक. विचित्र परिस्थितीच्या कचाट्यात सापडल्यामुळे, स्वतःचं नसलेलं घर सोडून जातो. 'अनाथ शब्दाची चीड असलेला हा बारा-चौदा वर्षांचा मुलगा योगायोगानं नेमका अनाथालयाशीच जोडला जातो. मी 'त्यांच्यातला नाही हे स्वतःला आणि जगाला बजावत असतानाच नकळत 'त्यांच्या सुखदुःखांशी बांधला जातो. कुळ, वंश, जात या शब्दांचा अर्थ शोधतच मोठा होतो. केवळ शब्दातच अडकलेल्या अर्थाची निरर्थकता आणि साक्षात अनुभवातून सापडणारी ज