Kashi In Berlin

Set on the backdrop of fall of Berlin Wall marking the beginning of the end of East European Marxism, Kashi arrives in West Germany, meets Anadi and searches Kristina, his lady-love of East Germany. Does Kashi find her amidst German prudence, Stalinist communism, and Indian spiritualism? Do their attitudes change with time?

Vishnu D’banerji (Bishnu Deb Banerjee) : Born on 18th October 1960 in Delhi . He had done his graduation in Science from Delhi University and Post Graduation in Economics from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. While he was pursuing Masters in Regional Planning from IIT Kharagpur, he got offer from a reputed Nationalised Bank for the post of Management Trainee. He joined the bank in 1985 as a Management Trainee and is at present working in the bank in Middle Management position.

His first love has been literature. His earlier Publications are Hundred Meters, Lieutenants of the Jungle and His Grace.

Chandan Mukherjee was acquainted with me very closely, since both of us stayed in the same neighbourhood. I became more interested in him, when I came to know that he had been in Germany (East) for long seven years. During those days, traveling to any foreign country, especially Europe was a dream come true and a person having lived for such a long time there, would have raised curiosity in any Indian at that moment.

During our long chats, he used to narrate his experience on the backdrop of prevailing communism and as how he befriended German girls, who were impressed by the stories about India. Later, despite being a son of a communist leader, he had to leave East Germany for different reasons. Then, there was the fall of Berlin Wall and unification of Germany resulting scattering of the republics of USSR into independent nations.

Being born in Varanasi, Chandan was influenced by typical rituals of Hinduism. When he went to East Germany, communism overlapped his Hindu spirit and he was merged into it for some time, till he saw the real face behind it. He felt that India is a free country which may be very poor, but the people here can express their anger against authorities unlike East Germany. For Indians, the family bonding is very strong unlike West Germany where materialism rules over any moral values or spiritual values.

His views about spirit of communism, Western materialism and Hindu spirituality impressed me and culminated me to convert his emotions into a novel.

I wish that Chandan, Ashok and my father-in-law would have been happy to read this novel as I felt that I should have completed this project before their sad demises. May God rest their souls in peace!

**Contents and Sample Pages**