Beyond the Twist: The Monk, His Ferrari and the Fifth Dimension
In her review, Manjulaa Shirodkar praises Subrata Haldar’s The Monk, His Ferrari and the Fifth Dimension for seamlessly blending time, spirituality, and corporate politics. Featuring surprising twists and an earnest exploration of human values, this compelling narrative keeps readers hooked throughout.
Subrata Haldar’s book ‘The Monk, His Ferrari and the Fifth Dimension’ is a collection of a novella and some short stories each of which come with a surprise end. But that is not all. Set across different time zones and in various periods, they explore human values such as honesty and love as also the virtue of responsibility and sincerity.
The title of the book takes its name from the novella which precedes all the other stories. It follows the life of Rishi who after being reprimanded and humiliated publicly by his uncle for failing a school exam, goes on to become a world-renowned scientist. This to his mind is the best revenge he can exact for the slap that he had received from his uncle.
That one slap changed the course of his life. It propels him to excel in academics and study harder. He also becomes deeply influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and his journey from thereon takes on a different turn. Over the course of years, he comes to be called Swami Rishavanand – “a monk of knowledge, science and soul”, is invited for lectures the world over.
He gains recognition, fame and applause not just as a scientist but as one who’s deeply spiritual. Rishavanand’s life becomes an example to be followed by millions across the world, before an incident forces him to leave all the accolades behind and disappear from public life – a renunciation for all purposes. How the plot progresses from here on is what the novella goes on to reveal. It is interestingly written even though it comes across as amateurish in parts. There are gaps in the plot and the depth of character could have been explored some more. The fifth dimension that Haldar seeks to enunciate and talk about is unconvincing at best, yet the story holds you as you turn the pages to see how the plot will twist.
Among the other stories, the ones that catch the reader’s attention include ‘The Chameleon’ and ‘What the Heart Says’. Vastly different in their tone and tenor the former talks about an honest jailer Amulya Hati and how he gets duped by the criminals he is trying to tame and bring on track till he realizes that the systemic malaise is far deeper than he thought.
‘What the Heart Says’ is a heart-warming story of a bunch of officials in a corporate setting who try to help their colleagues – without making their efforts obvious in order to maintain the other’s dignity and respect. In this world of cutthroat competition and ruthless corporate culture, here is Manish, the hero of the story who has resigned from his job only to find that Mr Ghosh, his boss, is unwilling to let him go. How the story moves is an example of how values still exist in our world, but we somehow have lost sight of them – desiring to self-serve only.
Other stories like ‘Fools are Beautiful’ resonate deeply when a senior management professional takes matter in his own hands to ensure that the juniors reporting to him do not suffer the consequences of retrenchment and job insecurity. Subir stands up for those reporting to him at a time when his bosses have been contemplating cost cutting measures. The meat of the story lies in how he does it. Though the measures he adopts may sound a bit far-fetched they are believable in the circumstances that Haldar creates around Subir.
Subrata Haldar’s ‘The Monk, His Ferrari and the Fifth Dimension’ has some refreshing ideas and it would have helped the book vastly if the stories had been handled a tad more professionally. That said, it’s a book that helps you delve into the workings of the human mind just that wee bit more.
Book Details:
- Title:The Monk, His Ferrari and the Fifth Dimension
- Author: Subrata Halder
- Publisher: Bluerose Publishers
- Release Date: 10 February 2026
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 192 pages
- Price: 243 INR
- Where to buy: https://www.amazon.in/Monk-His-Ferrari-Fifth-Dimension/dp/9375422984
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