Janardhan Talbot Vol 1 – Mohan Timmaraju

Janardhan Talbot is a literary fiction written by Mohan Timmaraju, an author from South India who has explored different parts of the world during his career and before retiring to write his book. This novel is a fine work that was conceived during the youth of Mohan and has been completed recently after long records of writing, editing and finalising. Janardhan Talbot takes the readers back into the India that was being ruled by the British – the 1850s and up to the first freedom movement.

The novel begins with an Indian youth with rage against the British soldiers who have misbehaved with his father. This continues until the things get horrible and he has to flee from his hometown to another place and begin his studies. Decorated with features of a bright student and also with the abilities to learn things quickly, Janardhan transforms himself a lot and he doesn’t seem any different from the British. With an ambition to explore England and also earn handsomely, he wishes to reach the British land, somehow.

He becomes a very good friend of Jonathan Talbot, a British. They both almost look alike and it’s hard to differentiate between them. Things turn differently and Janardhan, disguised as Jonathan, sneaks on a boat of the British that roams different parts of the world before finally reaching to England. On the way, he finds many people and learns many new things but constantly keeps in mind his family, his motherland and his love, Manga.

Written properly as historical and literary fiction, Janardhan Talbot comes up as a standard fiction that suits the theme – pre-independence India and the plight of Indians. Mohan Timmaraju has written with his readers in mind and that’s why there are many emotional, intimate and logical instances in the novel that compel a reader to praise the craft of the novelist. Many readers have praised the novel and so has been done by the famous book reviewers in India. They all have praised one common thing and that is the construct of this novel – the idea and imagination meet Mohan’s own experiences of growing up in a family that was filled with patriots and even the freedom fighters.

You can get a copy of the novel from Amazon India and read it for yourself and then decide where do you stand… here is the link:

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review by Rupesh Madhukar for Book Reviews Lab