Book Review: Have a Safe Journey by Various Authors

Name: Have a Safe Journey  
Author: Various Authors
Publisher: Amaryllis 
Pages: 232 

 The blurb: 
Have a Safe Journey is probably the first compilation of short stories on the topic of road safety to be published in India. 

 Guest Authors: 
Anand Neelakantan, Ashwin Sanghi, Kiran Manral, Pankaj Dubey, Priyanka Sinha Jha, Shinie Antony, and Vikram Kapur 

 Authors from the #HaveaSafeJourney contest
Ambalika, Anukriti Verma, Aritri Chatterjee, Arvind Passey, Barnali Ray Shukla, Dipali Taneja, Geetanjali Maria, Ketaki Patwardhan, Meera Rajagopalan, Ratnadip Acharya, Roshan Radhakrishnan, Roshni Chhabra, Sahar Fatima, Sanket Chaudhury, Taamra Segal, Thommen Jose, Veena Nagpal, and Vibha Lohani

 Review: 
The book, again like the previous book I received from Manjul Publishing, is neatly bound and has absolutely no typos and no errors. The pages are nicely printed and the font size comfortable. It sits well in your palm and the cover has a glorious image of the Himalayas and a rugged jeep. Interestingly, Mahindra Truck and Bus has two interesting images in the inside cover. I believe it is because they have collaborated with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to get this book out. Overall, it is a commendable effort, both from the look-and-feel perspective as well as from the conceptualization perspective. 
A book with stories of road accidents is a novel concept and I am sure will be well received. I personally. havent come across a book that stresses on the importance of being safe on the roads. Going a bit further, the Ministry has collaborated with Manjul Publishing to bring a short stories collection to drive home the importance of reaching home safe to your loved ones. 

 Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport has written a foreword where he describes a personal experience, which left him immobile for a year. 

 Anand Mahindra has a special message to share with the readers of the book as well. The overall idea behind this effort is to try and reduce the loss of lives on our roads. 

 Each story in the book is unique.   

 Anand Neelakantan, Ashwin Sanghi, and Kiran Manral, stalwarts in their fields, have written very engaging and relatable stories on this subject. While some stories are common, some are so heart wrenching, you would want to reach out and wipe the tears of the loved ones. 

 Vikram Kapur's very believable "The Level Crossing" could happen to any of us, while returning from work. An overworked, sleep-deprived driver killing his ferries is an occurrence not far from truth. 

 Then there is "Rush Hour" by Priyanka Sinha Jha about a woman hurrying to reach office who gets hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. 

 "Why we dont talk" by Shinie Antony is a bit different from the rest. It is drawn out and doesn't make much impact. 

 Arvind Passey's "The Street Photographer" makes you cringe, not because of the gore, but because it is so true. A man's death, which could shake some soil off some powerful people makes a few khakhi clad men jump to steady the boat. A quick transfer and the deed is done. 

 "Misplaced Dreams" by Barnali Ray Shukla is very visual and you can actually feel the bones breaking in the impact of the accident. The author has nailed the description. 

 Out of these stories, Veena Nagpal's "Girl on the Road" shook me up. It was something that could happen to any girl driving on our roads. Be it Delhi or Chennai or Bangalore, all it takes is a misplaced hurt ego and poof a life is lost, wiped out from the face of earth. 

 Are there any favorites? No, I liked mostly all of them. They are all stories of apathy, ego, and poor decisions. When we start from our homes, we tend to become complacent and say, "We will be fine, this is not going to happen to us." We never know what can happen once we are on the road and at the mercy of a drunk teenager, high on dope and daddy's cash. Do we wish to take such chances? This book is a must read for anyone who is particular about reducing road accidents. 

 Apart from posters and messages on social media, a book with stories might drive home the point of road safety in a better way is what I feel. Kudos to the team!

 Rating: 4.9/5
Time to Read: 2-3 hours    

 Buy here: 
Amazon 

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