Book Review: Your Dreams Are Mine Now by Ravinder Singh

Title:Your Dreams Are Mine Now

Author:Ravinder Singh

Publisher:Penguin Metro Reads

Price:175 INR

Source: review copy via Think Why Not

         Ravinder Singh’s latest novel ‘Your dreams are mine now’ is a teenage love story set in the backdrop of DU politics. The author is known for romantic tales with a tragic end.This one too,doesn’t defy the formula.While his first two novels were either auto-biographical or partly inspired by his personal experiences,’YDMN’ is a fictional tale which draws inspiration from a real life incident that shook the nation by storm a couple of years back.

Arjun is the typical rough guy who is the leader of a student’s union in DU.Rupali is the epitomical small town girl who comes to Delhi in search of a bright future.(thankfully,both of them are quite comfortable with the Queen’s language and Rupali doesn’t agree to be his half-girl friend or anything of that sort!)Saloni is Rupali’s roomie and best friend who is the rich girl with a heart of Gold.Now don’t get me wrong,this is not a triangular love story.Rupali falls in love with Arjun and they soon become the face of the DU politics not before making their own share of enemies in the process.What happens to their love and their political future is the crux of the story.

Ravinder Singh has never been known for his literary skills.More than anything else,it was smart marketing and his ability to narrate love stories catering to the taste of the ‘whatsapp’ generation in a simple and effective manner that made him an instant success.Here too,Singh hasn’t tried anything drastic and  pretty much follows his time tested, successful formula.The English is pretty simple and the book is quite undoubtedly an easy read.If you are a teenager and plain, candy floss teenage love stories are your forte,there are chances of you actually liking this campus story. But if you are expecting something new or innovative in this tale,I’m sure you will be disappointed.The characters(except that of the protagonist Rupali,to an extend) are poorly developed which is a pity because it could have been done in a much better way.The supposedly  menacing Villain(who happens to be a professor in DU)is nowhere to be seen for a large portion of the narrative and makes an appearance again only towards the end of the story (the ending,I felt was more like a writing of convenience than anything else!)

As expected ,Ravinder Singh touches upon topical issues which have the potential to strike a chord with it’s target reader group(the Young Urban Indian Reader).So there are references to the skewed reservation policy,corruption,the racial discrimination against  north east population in the Capital and above all the rise in sexual crimes against women. I recently read in some interview that ‘social change’ is something which  Ravinder Singh wishes to achieve through his latest work.Well,there lies the exact problem with this book.In his half hearted attempt to sound ‘socially aware’ or politically conscious,’Dreams are mine now’ ends up being a rather half baked affair.It’s neither a heart warming love story nor a socio-political commentary on the present day life in DU.There is a lot of ‘fake activism’ and pseudo anger thrown in which seems forced and pointless,after a point.

In short,though the dreams are mine now doesn’t have anything new or earth shattering to tell,might be lapped up by the romantic fiction loving teenagers.My Rating-2.5/5

-nikhimenon