Vikram Paralkar's writing is deeply informed by his background as a physician, blending intricate medical knowledge with profound humanistic insights. His work delves into the complex interplay of the body, mind, and spirit, exploring themes of suffering, resilience, and the search for meaning in the face of adversity. Paralkar crafts narratives that are both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant, offering readers a unique perspective on the human condition.
Exploring a captivating array of unique ailments, this collection presents imaginative diseases that challenge the boundaries of reality. Each condition reflects profound emotional and moral dilemmas, such as a form of amnesia that leaves one painfully aware of their existence while others forget them, and a wound that expands with negativity yet heals with kindness. The narrative poses intriguing questions about life, death, and the human experience, making for a thought-provoking and surreal journey through the complexities of the mind and spirit.
As dusk approaches, a former surgeon goes about closing up his dilapidated clinic in rural India. His day, like all his days, has been long and hard. His medical supplies arrive late if at all, the electrics in the clinic threaten to burn out at any minute, and his overseer, a corrupt government official, blackmails and extorts him. It is thankless work, but the surgeon has long given up any hope of reward in this life.That night, as the surgeon completes his paperwork, he is visited by a family - a teacher, his heavily pregnant wife and their young son. Victims of a senseless attack, they reveal to the surgeon wounds that they could not possibly have survived. And so the surgeon finds himself faced with a preposterous task: to mend the wounds of the dead family before sunrise so that they may return to life. But this is not the only challenge laid before the surgeon, and as the night unfolds he realises his future is tied more closely to that of the dead family than he could have imagined. At once dustily realist and magically unreal, Night Theatre is a powerful fable about the miracles we ask of doctors, and the fine line they negotiate between life and death.
