Reviewed by Joseph Ogbonna for Readers' Favorite

Manav, The Human by Ravi Ranjan Goswami is a great read that reshapes our mindset concerning politics and people. When the righteous are in power, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, the reverse is the case. In this amazing book, Chagan was a man of politics, a “Bahubali” (strongman), who used brute force to gain more power and influence. The people of his constituency were afraid of him. However, one man named Manav could confront him. Manav was the second youngest Bahubali in the area. In fact, Chagan had a hand in making him a Bahubali, but Manav used his power to fight bad people. He was a voice to the voiceless and strength to the weak. Manav stood for justice. This begs the question: can Manav and Chagan settle in the same area? Will evil prevail over good?

To educate youths on the need to be upright and lenient to all—even in power—Ravi Ranjan Goswami dedicated Manav, the Human to the public. In a world where morality is being underplayed daily, I was affected by Mr. Goswami’s admonition to use our power right. He uses his characters to convey simple but powerful messages like: “Besides being good, if you are resourceful and powerful, then you can be very useful to society.” Although simple, these words reached into the depths of my heart. Also, by using the story of Manav and Chagan, Mr. Goswami masterfully tells us why it is always better to win people’s hearts and be loved rather than be feared.