A Welcome Departure
ANITA'S LEGACY: An Inquiry into First Cause
GURPUR M PRABHU
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Was the 'Big Bang' theory just a big hoax or did the world come about after a violent explosion?
Questions, questions, questions.
And few satisfying answers. "Why is there something instead of nothing?" ponders Gurpur M Prabhu, the author of Anita's Legacy - An inquiry into first cause and goes on to provide new insights into matters using physics, metaphysics, philosophy and spirituality.
And the result is a novel that marks a clean departure from a whole genre of fiction. For those who have had their fill of romantic capers and adventure sagas, Anita's
Legacy... offers a welcome break.
At the centre of the story is Anita, an inquisitive teenager with a probing mind that questions the established tenets of religion and physics and seeks answers. Her mentor who endeavours to come up with answers to her queries is a retired Major Norman Kay, an agnostic at heart. Then there are the girl's parents Alan, a research scholar, and Meg, and Anita's romantic interest Chris.
With these characters Prabhu has woven a tale that takes the reader on a quest for first cause and it is to his credit that he has been able to sustain interest right through, making optimal use of science and religion, the Bible, the Gita and the works of Omar Khayyam, to elucidate his theories and substantiate his arguments.
A mixture of fact and fiction blended with care, the book ends with the death of Anita and Major Kay, both dying with many of their questions unanswered and their theories un-corroborated. And perhaps for the first time a book has a surfeit of blurbs, credits from lay readers and established writers that sing praises and highlight the book's intrinsic values.
The author's simple, lucid style carries appeal, scientific jargon notwithstanding. A certain degree of poignancy and a tinge of sadness also enhance the book's value considerably.