Seminar in Heaven

The Reality of the Corona Era

Among the few prominent Hindi writers who documented the pandemic that shook the entire world and used it as a defining element of their time-recording it as the "Corona Era"-Dr. R. Achal Pulastey stands out. Dr. Achal's book, in the contemporary literary landscape, is not only filled with potential like a guiding light or a creative phenomenon, but it has also actively participated in life and played a significant role. Whenever history demands a socio-political analysis of this era of the pandemic, it will inevitably turn to this book. This book is the narrative embodiment of the reality of the Corona era. The Corona period has been a negative, difficult, and complex time. We are not yet fully free from its shadow. To speak honestly, we are living through a phase where our air has become so polluted that we can hardly breathe; our water is no longer potable, laced with arsenic that turns us into cancer patients; our soil is no longer fit for cultivation. Countless diseases have attacked public life. Amidst this difficult time, the attack of a virus like Corona was akin to adding salt to the wound.
Fear of death spread among people. No one knew what to do. At such a time, when Dr. Pulastey began publishing this work as a serialized post on Facebook, it had a powerful impact-readers across the country adjusted their daily routines in the light of these writings and found calm. This proved that literature serves as a torchlight guiding society through darkness. Society and individuals learned what should be done in such times. This narrative emerged as a source of self-enlightenment and awakening for people. The book is a remarkable example of how literature participates in life and brings about transformation.
To depict the essence of the era, Dr. Achal has profoundly employed folk colour and raw regional sentiment to bring out life's pathos. At the same time, he has woven in references to masters of Ayurvedic medicine-Charaka, Sushruta, Nagarjuna-alongside global thinkers like Gautam, Plato, Durkheim, Marx, Gandhi, and Churchill, creating a credible philosophical foundation. Furthermore, to identify this complex era, he has portrayed human nature, social tendencies, and the character of power with such narrative skill that it becomes a rare phenomenon. Being a renowned physician himself, his language reflects deep experiential sensitivity that resonates emotionally and becomes a lived experience for readers.
Reading this book reveals the tragedies, migration, stress, neglect, and various forms of injustice of our difficult times-bringing them into public view with class consciousness, and leading them into practical and intellectual debate. Thus, it fulfils the moral responsibility of creative expression. These thoughts, once scattered across fragments, now come together in the form of a book for Hindi readers. I am pleased that, after thoughtful curation, this book will sprout like a seed on this very soil, becoming a strong sign of ongoing creativity in this challenging time.
Endless best wishes to the author

- Nilay Upadhyay
Senior Storyteller, Poet, Script writer (Mumbai)