The Dream Chasers: Lechery amid the notion of love

Sean Sequeira reviews IAS officer Vipual Mittra’s second novel, ‘The Dream Chasers’, and talks to the man himself about his book.

The Dream Chasers is a novel about love, lust and ambition. It is the second published novel to be authored by Vipul Mittra. The story is narrated in first-person by the protagonist with a plotline that roughly covers a two year time span in his life.
The protagonist and narrator of the story is Viraat Nijhawan, an MBA student living in Chandigarh. His inseparable group of friends in the university include fellow classmates Sandy, Karan, Mallika, Vandana and Preeto. The group is in the last year of their programme and are becoming increasingly aware that they will no longer be a part of each other’s lives once the course is complete. In addition, a four-way love saga is carried out by each of the boys – Viraat, Karan and Sandy – who are vying for the attention of Mallika. In the presence of their love interest, they are suave and competitive while being best buddies when she isn’t around. They struggle through their last year to woo her while having to deal with the hands of other suitable guys. The novel delves into conditions of the human heart with a first-hand perspective with realistic factors constantly acting upon throughout the plotline.

QUICK FIRE INTERVIEW WITH VIPUL MITTRA

Is The Dream Chasers about love or the foolishness of the human heart?
It’s about both. Love drives us but lust blinds us too.

Are any of the characters based on yourself or people you are acquainted with?
Creativity cannot exist in a vacuum. It has to draw inspiration from reality, in bits and pieces. Some shades of the real world, people and experiences have been borrowed, but basically thereafter its imagination.

Were the portrayals of lust and sexual expletives in the novel meant to be taken as exaggerations or true representatives?
Closer to true representation. Lust is in hormones at that age. And expletives are common. They endear friends and add humour. They are real.

Why did you decide to use first person narrative for the novel?
It connects better with the reader when one writes in first person. ‘I” is more intimate than ‘he’.

Why did you decide to have your protagonist become a real estate money launderer?
He thought that’s the easiest way to make money quickly, and get even with fate, within one year, till the re union happened.

How important were locations as a part of the novel’s plotline?
Very important. Location descriptions make the story more believable. It must be a real city. Chandigarh was where I grew up. So it was easier for me to base my book there.

What projects do you have in the pipeline?
Still thinking. The storyline has to flow into my imagination at least half way through. Maybe a book on godmen! Or incest! Even I don’t know as yet.