Love @ Internet by Rajeev Ranjan!!!

            I have just completed reading Rajeev Ranjan's 2nd novel- "Love @ Internet". In May 2012, I read his first work- "A Splash of love". The book is one of my favorites. And after seeing the cover page of Love @ Internet, I was excited about it. I had lots of expectations from Rajeev Ranjan. But unfortunately, he has been unsuccessful in creating the same magic that he did with his first book. Though that book had several grammar and spelling errors but still it won my heart while this one is error-free but still I didn't connect with it. It's the second work by Rajeev Ranjan who is a Graduate in Physics from University of Delhi in 1996, then he pursued Post Graduation again in Physics and turned into an Indian Coast Guard. No, he is not a young author like others who are on the board these days. :-) So girls, chill.

             The synopsis of the book says- How much has internet changed our lives How much has chatting changed the way we interact with others Have you ever tried finding your soul-mate through this medium Is it normal to do that? This novel tries answering all that through a beautiful story. Besides, it also touches some of the emotions that cross our lives. Set up in late nineties it talks about the time when the internet had just arrived on the scene; when people had just seen mobiles; when STD booths had long queues. The novel is also a transition of life with changing ways of communication and attempts to find whether it affects the notions of love anyway. 

            L@I is the story of protagonist- Rohit who misses his first opportunity at love with Tina. She leaves his colony where he used to interact with her through eyes and smile through their respective balconies. But later on, he gets to know about the medium of Internet through which people can get in touch with opposite gender easily. Where everyone is available for a relationship. And he tries his hand on it. He fails initially but later it gives transition to his life. Though he keeps failing again and again but as its said "All well that ends well", Rohit finally achieves the unexpected. To know what unexpected does he get in the end, go get the book. :-) 

           Initially, the book starts with a kind of biography-feel. But later on it loses the touch of the initial pages. I would have been more happier if the author would have kept the whole story written in the same manner as the initial pages are. Secondly, in his first book, author has narrated the story without much conversations while in this book he has inserted lots of conversation. Though they are realistic but it becomes boring after a while. And the conversations are written in paragraph format instead of keeping the dialogues under inverted commas. But again Rajeev Ranjan manages to showcase his talent of connecting the last few pages of the book with its initial pages. Some sentences are beautifully formed. It makes you read them twice. For other that irritates you, author should go for an editing in the second print. The e-mails that are written by Rohit to respective girls are another best parts of the book.  The chapters where his mother and brother speaks about Rohit is also another feature of the novel. The target audience of this book is young boys/girls belonging in the age group of 13 to 20. Anyone between this age might enjoy the book. But my message to Rajeev Ranjan is- I wanted it to be more special than your first book. I hope your 3rd will make me forget your first one. ;-) I would rate this book 2/5. 

  Thanks.

  ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU