Mr. Mainak Dhar, who combines being the Managing Director of General Mills India with being a bestselling author, released his latest novel, 03:02 in Mumbai on Friday, 24th June 2016 at 5:30 pm. The book signing event was held at Crosswords, Kemps Corner. At this book signing event, Mr. Dhar spoke about his inspiration behind this topical and thrilling novel, interacted with the media and fans, and also handed over signed copies of the novel to the attendees.
03:02 builds off something that is very topical- the threat of terror. In this novel, terror is not something ordinary Indians watch the news or read about on the internet, but something they must confront firsthand. An attack wherein a deadly threat sweeps through our homeland, threatening our freedom and way of life. With no army or police to help them, ordinary Indians must band together to face this threat and wage a war for our freedom.
About 03:02
At 03:02 on a Sunday morning, the world as we knew it came to an end. Mumbai suddenly went black - no electricity, no phones, no internet and no working cars. It was as if someone had turned off the master switch of our civilization, turning us back hundreds of years overnight. We learned that it was not just Mumbai, but much of the world that had been impacted. We also learned that it was no accident. A deadly enemy was behind it. An enemy that was now in our midst, seeking to conquer us and destroy our way of life. This is how our war for freedom began. A war that was to be waged not on the borders or by the Army, but in our homes and streets, with us as the soldiers.
Preceding the book signing, Mr. Mainak Dhar – the author said, “The genesis of 03:02 comes from two sources. First, I grew up among people in uniform with my father and maternal grandfather having been Indian Police Service officers and saw both how they confronted challenges like terror and spoke about how India could be much more unified in how we confront these. The second is how I’ve often seen ordinary people deal with terror attacks. Most people express opinions on social media and then get on with their lives. What if they did not have that luxury? What if they were the ones- ordinary people, civilians like you and me- fighting for our homes and freedom? That led me to imagine such a scenario as presented in 03:02. I certainly hope it entertains but at the same time, I hope it offers some food for thought- of how each and every one of us has a role in safeguarding our freedom. 03:02 celebrates fictional heroes who fight for our freedom but to honour those who fight on our behalf every day, a portion of author royalties from every copy will be donated to the National Defence Fund, which supports armed forces service personnel and their families.”
Commenting on the book launch, Mr. Gautam Padmanabhan, CEO, Westland, which has published bestselling authors like Amish and Ashwin Sanghi said, “It is very exciting being part of a project like this. 03:02 brings to light the pressing issue of terrorism and presents in a thrilling way how ordinary Indians could confront it. We hope this novel draws attention towards this crucial topic and gets people to start conversing about it.”
Here’s a brief introduction to 03:02 - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMainakDhar/videos/519141621606361/
About Mainak Dhar
After graduating from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Mainak has spent two decades in the corporate sector, starting with Procter & Gamble in India. He spent eighteen years with P&G, fifteen of them outside India across the Asia Pacific region. In 2014, he moved back to India as the CEO of the India operations of a major consumer products multinational. A self-described cubicle dweller by day and writer by night, Mainak is also the author of over a dozen books, some of which have been bestsellers in India and abroad. These books have been translated into Turkish, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese.
Photo Caption: Mainak Dhar at the book signing of his latest novel 03:02 at Crossword, Kemps Corner, Mumbai
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