/ -- With an introduction by Arun Govil of Ramayana fame, and foreword by acclaimed investigator Kunwar Vikram Singh, who is also a former Chairman of the World Association of Detectives, the storyline of 'The Gateway' by Hariharan Balagopal is gripping and thought provoking. The book saw its release recently by Justice K.G.Balakrishnan, former CJI, with a few advance copies presented to distinguished guests. There are indications that the book will soon be made into a film for greater reach and impact on the subject, and is being taken up by Arun Govil for production. In its present form, the paperback version of the book is available at Amazon and all other leading book stores.
The book, opening with three brutal murders, steers away from the usual route of thriller and mystery. Employing an unconventional take on the same genres, it combines a good cause of safety and rehabilitation of senior citizens with a gripping and nail-biting storyline, and outlines the need for a concerted effort to fight crime against the old and the aged.
While much needed focus and attention is being extended to the security and safety of women and children in the country, one of the most vulnerable sections of the society, that of senior citizens, continues to be neglected. The headlines of murders of senior citizens in their own homes are often disturbing and shocking at the first instance, but are soon relegated to the background amidst the noise of more sensational news and stories. Sadly, crimes against senior citizens are not discussed with the same levels of alacrity and enthusiasm as crime against women in public places and molestation of children in their schools. When did one hear of candle light marches or social-media campaigns seeking justice for an old couple murdered in cold blood? Or is the rape of a sixty-five-year-old woman so gory and revolting that it can only grab headlines for one day for the sake of sensational news, but never to be followed up thereafter?
The National Crime Records Bureau throws up data on crimes against senior citizens and to say the least, it is disturbing. According to the NCRB report of 2016, Maharashtra tops the crime chart against senior citizens, followed by Madhya Pradesh and other metropolitan cities. The NCRB Report also forms a reference point in Hariharan Balagopal's book titled 'The Gateway', which draws attention to the plight of senior citizens, particularly the elderly and the aged, and presents their day-to-day struggle for existence, compulsions of medical needs, and their vulnerability against lurking dangers from hardened criminals.
'The Gateway' acts as the perfect squeaky wheel that divulges the adverse situations that senior citizens often find themselves in, and the issues they grapple with on a day to day basis without much help from their own kith and kin. Problems that one does not anticipate but are ever waiting to happen are enumerated in the book. The work advocates how certain basic precautionary measures can avert major problems for the senior citizens fending for themselves, and seeks to bring them out of self-imposed isolation.
About Hariharan Balagopal
A specialist in Media Management and Education, Hariharan has been a consultant with many educational initiatives and is associated with various established brands. With over 25 years of hands-on experience in both areas of work, Hariharan Balagopal has helped establish several renowned brands with strategic and media solutions, and has also been showing the way on launching, establishing and managing educational initiatives.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1060072/The_Gateway.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
