Title: Sutra Symbiotix
Description: A Buddhist monk in a renowned monastery in Leh, is handed a sacred manuscript, and asked to begin a journey. The journey is not for spiritual enlightenment, but to achieve a unique physical perfection. The monk receives the blessings of His Holiness, travels through the rugged mountainous terrain of the Himalayas, and finally arrives on the shore of an exquisite lake, in the remote wilderness of Indo-Chinese border. An embittered microbiologist resigns from a research facility in Lake District, England, and decides to use his warped brilliance for amassing material wealth. His liaison with an Indian Pharmaceutical giant almost exposes him, and he descends on a spectacular lagoon in India with his final ambition to mutate H5N1, the avian flu virus. A Frankenstein is let loose, leading to an epidemic, to which the modern science has no answer. Will the Buddhist monk, coming down from the roof the world, be able to save the world? A well-known English Immunologist becomes stunned after discovering an astonishing finding in the monk's body. It is a tale of confluence of biological science with an ancient philosophy, and a clash between the positive and negative human achievements at their best. The story also narrates about the amazing world of migratory birds, and travels through exotic locales in Europe and India. It finally witnesses the victory of innate human potential over destructive technological prowess. The novel is based on hard scientific facts and basic tenets of Buddhism. The millennium of biotechnology has begun. This work of fiction helps the readers to have a glimpse of what future may have in store for us. Today's violent world desperately needs some words of peace, tranquility, and human compassion. Through my tale of an exciting journey, I hope to provide some. The inspiration behind writing Sutra Symbiotix- As I have trekked through the magnificient Himalayas, I came to know about the lives of Buddhist monks and became fascinated. I read extensively about life of Buddha and his philosophy, and was inspired to write something related to it. But it had to be something new, which would originate from my scientific knowledge of Medicine. And hence this novel was born.
Subjects: Buddhism, pharmaceutical world, bird flu, microbiology, crime, Buddhist monks, Fiction, Travel, Monastic and religious life (Buddhism), Perfection
Places: India, England, Ladakh, Chilika
People: Chamba, Promod Agarwal, Richard Blake, William Callahan, Paula, Dr Raina
Time periods: An inspirational tale of a fascinating journey of a Buddhist monk