Book Review (Hindi)- October Junction by Divya Prakash Dubey

 

सब ठाठ पड़ा रह जावेगा जब लाद चलेगा बंजारा।

This book caught my attention because of its title, October Junction, and after finishing it, I felt the title truly justified its meaning.

The book beautifully echoes the idea that every person carries a story within them. But in today’s noisy world, many of those stories remain untold — not because people have nothing to say, but because so many only ask, a few hear, and even fewer truly listen.

The novel begins with the meeting of Chitra Pathak and Sudeep Yadav on October 10, 2010, in Banaras. Theirs is an unconventional love story that unfolds over the course of ten years. 

Chitra Pathak is a woman who dreams of becoming a renowned writer, while Sudeep Yadav is a wealthy entrepreneur who hopes to retire by the age of 35. On paper, their worlds could not be more different. Yet, when they sit across from each other, those differences begin to dissolve.

What fascinated me most while reading this novel was not merely the events themselves, but the spaces between them — the pauses, the silences, and the quiet understanding that often said more than words ever could.

With its unexpected ending, the book leaves behind a philosophical reflection on the nothingness of life.

Brutal, tender, familiar honesty.

There are sentences that made me pause, sit with them for a while, and then return to read them again. While reading, I found myself thinking about those rare people in my life with whom silence never feels awkward (grateful). Those friendships, those connections, where one doesn’t have to perform, impress, or explain again and again. One can simply exist.

Written in Hinglish, Dubey’s prose is crisp, emotionally intelligent, and unapologetically nostalgic. He doesn’t try to dazzle the reader with literary acrobatics. Instead, he does something far more difficult — he writes with honesty.

A must-read.

Quotes from the book-

"हम इतनी झूठी जिंदगी जी रहे हैं कि हम दूसरे को चुप करवाते हुए अपने- आपको भी चुप करवा रहे होते हैं। चुप कराने से जब सामने वाला चुप हो जाता है तो बेचैनी और बढ़ जाती है कि हम खुद कहाँ जाकर रोएँ और हमें चुप कौन कराएगा।"

"आस- पास देखकर पता ही नहीं चलता कौन कितने आँसू लेकर भटक रहा है।"

"सुन पाना इस दुनिया का सबसे मुश्किल काम है। लोग बीच में समझाने लगते हैं। उससे ही सब बात खराब हो जाती है।"

"खुद को सीरियसली लेने के चक्कर में आदमी भूल ही जाता है कि एक दिन सब ठाठ धरा रह जाएगा।"

"नजारे बदलने से नजरिया भी बदल जाता है।"

"हम शाम होने तक अपने पीछे एक पूरी दुनिया खोकर घर लौटते हैं। दिन ऐसे खाली होकर साल हो जाते हैं।"

"इस दुनिया की आधे से ज्यादा परेशानियों की वजह एक ही है, जल्दबाजी।"