Pawan: The Flying Accountant

by Sorabh Pant

Arjun Singh is an accountant by day and a demigod by night. But he’d rather care about GST than his superpowers—even less so about life himself.

Arjun is about to be murdered by goons and he couldn’t be happier. He’s spent his life waiting for death. Unfortunately, things do not go as per plan. Much to Arjun’s chagrin, he manages to live. But things get a lot worse than a failed death.

Arjun is an accountant but behind this façade he’s protecting his identity as an almost indestructible species of humanoids, a power that Arjun would gladly exchange for a bushel of bananas and a vat of rum. And now some people know exactly what Arjun is capable of.

He’s forced to work for an alcohol baron’s unofficial army, assassinate terrorists and fall into life-or-death battles with a Chinese dragon. What is even worse is that they’ve not cleared his taxes yet.

Combining dark humour with a whirlwind plot—Pawan is a story of a reluctant superhero, the futility of war, and a whole lot of rum.

Sorabh Pant is a popular stand-up comedian from India. He has hosted about 1500 stand-up comedy shows across eighteen countries (but he claims to have done them only for Frequent Flyer Miles). He’s the ex-founder of East India Comedy, some of his most popular comedy videos are ‘Rant of the Pant’, ‘EIC: Outrage’, etc.

Pawan is Sorabh’s third novel. He is based in Mumbai, India.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2017

About the author

Sorabh Pant is, "One of India's top comedians", (Times of India, Deccan Chronicle, Hindustan Times). He's also an author and 'Under Delhi', his second novel is about a girl in Delhi fighting rapists. It's angry, funny and is a testament to his love for Indian women.

It opened to many happy reviews. "Rapping the rapists. Angry, dark and funny." - The Bangalore Mirror, "Inherently funny... (without) disengaging from the issues." - The Deccan Chronicle, and, "The morbid humour is a given." - The Hindu.

His first novel, 'The Wednesday Soul', was called, 'An experiment in hilarity', by Deccan Chronicle, 'Delectably madcap', by Mayank Shekhar and, 'Funny, imaginative and gutsy', by Vir Das. Your cheques are in the mail, reviewers.

To prove his undying love for women, he even married one! He lives in Mumbai with his wife and their two egos.

You can abuse him on Twitter @hankypanty.

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I instantly liked the cover picture of Pawan. But the thing that made me take this book was it's subtitle "The Flying Accountant" I think without that I might have taken this book as mere mythological fiction. Well, the book was a part sci-fi part comical (satirical) & part action.

The main protagonist of our story is Arjun Singh, CA - Accountant by profession. His favorite food is rum & banana. He had tried to kill himself the ample number of times but he is our hero of the story and had immortality. His identity was exposed to a special group led by ex-army general. He joined them as a paid professional. A psychopath genius from China is our antagonist. he is working on an unofficial mission so secret even government didn't know. This scientist along with Chinese defense ministry is planning to capture Twang region from India. Their only opposition is Arjun and his gang.

Talking about writing style, Sorabh is a standup comedian, so sarcasm and comedy would be inherited properties of his stories. Apart from that author has used pretty simple language to keep readers stick to the book. He has taken time to develop the character of Arjun Singh. Though comical, heart touching background was portrayed for Arjun. The author has driven his imagination to the extreme at least in the political scenario of India and presented multiple PM system which in turns became chaos & beneficial for China.

I liked following parts of book
1) Political description of India
2) China's policy for land acquisition (well from other countries)
3) Dialogues of secular gang
4) Discussion of Lin & Jin
5) Kelly's briefing to Arjun about biological background behind his superpower

Though it took me more than 10 days to finish the book I was able to come back to story without recaps. A powerpack action for 16+ age.

Detailed Review link - http://chevusread.blogspot.in/2017/12...

[Surabhi Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pawan is a story of a strange and unpredictable man Arjun. He is indestructible. He has certain powers which no ordinary human was blessed. His appearance scares and made him a joke for few. He is no ordinary human. He is a Chartered Accountant and a demigod. He is a monkey-man. No one knows his secret except his legal guardian protecting him from the eyes of the world fearing they might use him for their destructive motives.

The blurb of the book looks interesting but the story didn’t appeal to me. I am failed to understand this kind of sarcasm and humor attached to famous people. The plot of the story is unique and had a lot of space to explore it. The author tries to instill humor in every sentence which is a complete nay for me. Every character is trying to be funny and looks almost similar.

I agree, not every book could match my taste and this book is definitely not for me. But, there is a section of readers to whom this book might appeal or they like to read and enjoy reading Pawan, The Flying Accountant. Take your pick and decide.

https://thereviewauthor.com/

[Anusha Jayaram · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover of this book has an endorsement from comedian / actor Vir Das, which says, "The funniest, darkest, smartest novel I've read in recent times".
The only thing this tells you is that Vir Das' reading list is not worth discussing. (Either that, or he values backing a fellow stand up comedian over telling telling the truth.)

I went into this book with no expectations or preconceived notions. I enjoy Sorabh Pant's comedy, and thought it might be fun to read his book. To put it succinctly, Pant is a far better comedian than he is a writer. There is not much of a story, and the editing is poor (the grammatical errors are an eyesore).
The story rambles in a lot of places, and it is chock full of pop-culture references, a lot of them thrust into their respective paragraphs without really being relevant to the plot.

Most of all, the ending was a big disappointment in how flat it fell (even for a reader without any expectations). It felt very sketchy, and none of the threads were really woven together well.
There was a lot of attempted comedy, which didn't work for me, because it felt so forced. It was as if Pant was trying to tell a story, then remembered every once in a while that he was supposed to be witty / sarcastic / humourous, and included a quip here and there.

Additionally, I failed to spot anything particularly bold or novel in the topics touched upon in this book.
China's land grabbing tendencies, Indian politicians' corruption (and their obsession with erecting statues of themselves) are already well known. So there was nothing fresh there.
Perhaps the format of stand up comedy allows for easier handling of potentially controversial topics - there is an inherent feedback loop through which the performer can gauge an audience's reaction, and calibrate his delivery accordingly, even defuse the tension if he thinks something he said has ruffled feathers. Writing a novel offers no such room for improvisation or adjustment.
Maybe this is one of the reasons why Sorabh Pant is a good comedian and a not-so-good author - it takes different skill sets to do both well. Whatever the reason, I will probably choose to continue watching Pant's comedy, but I will not read another book by him.

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Um this is a dark satire by one of the famous comedians in India mashed up with mythology...Ofc I'll read it. And it is on Kindle Unlimited.

[Madhvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I hear or read the word ‘accountant’ in work of fiction, I immediately grab that book even without bother to know the storyline.So when I read synopsis of this book, I quickly get it and finished it! I would like to thank Rizwan from Rupa Publications for sending me the copy promptly!

Plot:

Arjun Singh is ‘young’ and dynamic Chartered Accountant. He is not a human but demigod. He is last descendent of vanara dynasty. Only two things make him happy: rum and banana. He had been living secluded life until one day Rakesh Baxi-a billionaire entered his life and changed it forever.

Rakesh Baxi has poked his nose in almost every business under the sun but he has only one mission -To save and protect India from intruders on borders especially from Republic of China. He joins hands with other like-minded and they form their own little unofficial army. The army consists of retired war veteran General Taunque, Kelly,Arjun Singh and Secular Gang.

The story revolves around their mission of saving the town of Tawang situated in Arunachal Pradesh. China is planning to conquer the town.One crazy chinese scientist Dr.Ling has designed a Dragon-the most lethal weapon in the history of war of mankind to use against India.He has his scores to settle with India.

So will this little unofficial army succeed in mission? Will Arjun realize his full potential of being Pawan? Who will survive in the end?

My Musings:

The premise of the novel is quite unique. Today, where we are obsessed with DC Comics superheroes, Author has tried to create our own desi superhero .If we consider mythology, then Lord Hanuman was the original superhero before anyone in the world. So the idea of Pawan impressed me as Indian contemporary fiction lack such adventurous stories for kids and teenagers.

Author has not spared anyone in the system from net of his satire. There is satire on politicians, army, celebs, rich and even on commoners. There is dark humour on human ambitions to conquer everything. I enjoyed it very much. Arjun Singh asks the most fundamental question: “Why do we need countries?” Countries reflect human stupidity in this infinite cosmos.

Author has also mocked as well as praised China amazingly. Dragon is rightly used metaphor of Chinese ambition to become superpower at any cost. Against which India has nothing but to offer her citizens freedom which is the most fundamental human right above anything.

But the plot has many loose ends. So many events happen simultaneously and so suddenly that one is unable to focus and there are no references for them in previous chapters. Further, India has second biggest army in the world so idea of parallel unofficial army cannot be conceived.

There are so many characters but no one is remarkable.Arjun and Kelly both has dark past and secrets.But I could not connect with anyone.Perhaps, novel is too fast paced for character building.

Language is very simple and easy to follow. The author is renowned stand up-comedian so there are one liner jokes on each and every page. I enjoyed them for few chapters but after that they are unbearable. The overall narration would be more enjoyable without unnecessary jokes and punches.

Overall, it’s a fresh, funny and witty read among those mediocre romantic novels. It will be more enjoyed by teenagers and beginners!

[RITU MAHESHWARI · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author Sourab Pant is among the top comedians of India and is known for his satire. Certainly, he doesn't disappoint here. The book has top notch satire. I specially loved the satire on China.

In the story, Indian Superhero Arjun is original while Chinese superhero or rather villain has been made from the blood, DNA and bones of Arjun. So Chinese superhero is duplicate. Something which China does. All their products are duplicate of the original. Wow what an volley on China.

But good satire doesn’t go well with a weak plotting and so many loopholes in the storytelling. Characters were flat. The author didn't care about sub stories or even giving a decent introduction to the characters. I actually know nothing about Kelly, leading lady of the book.

Well, I really won’t recommend this book. As there are many better options available. But if you are a fan, then can certainly go for it. Just for the satire.

[Anuj Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly such a wonderfully written book. I started reading it with absolutely zero expectations as I was a bit cynical about the writing skills of a stand-up comedian, but boy! Was I proved wrong or what?!

I loved Sorabh Pant's writing style but more than that I loved his world view and his perspective of seeing everything around us.

He is also a very intelligent guy and that comes across his writing. He has so much knowledge about such a wide variety of subjects! And his command over language and expression is just mindblowing!

The humour is top class and the whole story is just so over the top but still makes so much sense!

This book is simply Pant-astic!!!

[Puja Chakravarty · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I'm a fan of Sorabh Pant as a comedian, I have reservations about him as an author. Strictly mediocre writing that came off as trying too hard but falling flat.

[Uttam Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not able to cross past first 50 pages! The language and content both failed to keep me motivated. Coming from a good stand up comedian and an attractive title and a good review prompted me to give it a shot. But, a disappointment. After reading 10 pages, you get one or two good lines and you feel now something good would come up and read next 10 but buttt... Gave up after 45 pages
In short: Not recommended.

[Anwesh Ganguli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok... This is a special kinda book. First of I bought this book on an impulse. Took me a year to pick it up. But boy, it is and again I say, a special kinda book. The pages oozes of dark comedy, funny pop culture references, sarcasm and hard hitting political facts of current affair. Next, the author is a well acclaimed Stand Up Comedian and the way he has written the entire novel, you can pretty well relate to it and understand the mood of the situation. Another thing I felt funny was the kind of and type cussing words or phrases that was used even in the gravest of situations... No one talks like that, but come on... It was too damn funny.

Alright now about the story, it's a very interesting one, where the protagonist is a DemiGod and is a Chartered Accountant by professional who is suicidal and loves to have Bananas and Rum. But due to circumstances he has to grudgingly agree to use his special abilities and save the country he currently is living in. Why so? Our protagonist doesn't believe in countries (read the book to know about the funny logic). He then fights the baddies with the group of other normal humans and thwart the nincompoops to the place from where they came. The other major characters are also very strongly portrayed, their ideology their quirks and their strong suits or maybe their negativity. All in all this is a fantastic read, maybe a re read for a future date too.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

On one level, the more superficial level, this is a superhero fantasy featuring a vanara (a supernatural monkey-man creature from Indian mythology,) on another level it's a political satire that riffs on the geopolitics and the military-industrial complex of India. It's cleverer as the latter than the former.

The story has some clunkiness, including the occasional hard to follow description and sloppy story elements (e.g. the deus ex machina.) That said, it's pop genre fiction and with regards sloppy story elements they're par for the course in superhero fiction. My point being that the fact that it's amusing and mostly readable means it hits its target, strained credulity and logical inconsistencies aside.

The humor is of the broadest range with occasional laugh-out-loud hilarity, lots of mildly amusing jokes, and a few groan-worthy lines that go down like a lead-balloon. That's not a terrible ratio for a novel.

If you want to check out a book featuring an Indian mythology-based superhero, and you don't mind a lot of jokes directed at political and national security apparatus leadership, this book is worth looking into.

[Nandagopal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding a signed copy of the book in a bookstore is a dream come true for any book-lover, and it was that which led me to buying this (thank you Crossword). But as I finished the book, what I was left with was a mixed bag of feelings.
The story had a lot of potential to be a good reading experience, but the greatest weakness of Sorabh Pant the writer is Sorabh Pant the stand-up comedian. Even for a satirical take on modern India, there were too many jokes to digest, especially at the wrong places. Had it been a material for an open mic, it would have been hilarious. But sadly, this is a book, and they work differently.
The supporting characters lack depth (again, I know this is a work of satire, but who wouldn't want some flesh and boned characters in a book?)
There was some saving grace in the climax (no spoilers) thereby making the book an enjoyable read, but with the way the first couple of chapters piqued my interest, this was a letdown.

[Jhuma Khan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the second book I've read which was written by an Indian writer. I had no intention of buying a book by an Indian writer because the last time I did.....I met disappointment. However, I reshelved the hardcover of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green which I had in my hand for two reasons :- (a) Sorabh Pant is one of my favourite comedians, and (b) Pawan was cheaper.

My review: I liked it better than that garbage I read by Chetan Bhagat. However, it wasn't as good as I hoped. I surely would've liked more of Druk Lepcha being a badass because when Taunque said "Consider yourself out of retirement" I went "Ohhhh Shit. It's about to go down".

Also can't help but feel that Sorabh pictured himself when he created Rakesh Bakshi.

[Druva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book doesn't engage the reader well as the contents are very stupidsumaximus in the name of comedy. Book is a bad concoction of everything without a well thought stitching of story telling.
There are comedically written situations in the book but imperfections outweighs them. comedy without being witty is what the book contains.

I am surprised to see such soft reviews on the book. In my opinion author has all the attributes to be a good writer himself but this one attempt is not. I hope he would come up with some good books in future.

[Nitya Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did because of how much I enjoy Sorabh Pant's comedy. I wonder if some of the satire in the book fell flat for me because I didn't grow up in India, so I didn't live through the years of border skirmishes and kerfuffles.

On the whole though, I have to say that it was a pleasant read. There's nothing I enjoy more than a a cranky pants superhero who tries to find a way to make monetize his gifts. And the supporting characters are at best entertaining, and at the very worst, not annoying.

So chalk that up as a win!

[Siddhesh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just Terrible Writing

This book is the perfect example of why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, As the one line reviews on the cover by Ayushman Khurana and Vir Das, whom I adore, elevated my interest to give this book a shot, but boy was I wrong

Except for the prologue which is also not written by the author, but is an excerpt from the journal of Lord Mountbatten, nothing in the story lives up to the promise this book claims to be, the idea of the plot has so much potential, but the bad writing just doesn't do justice to it all.

[Aishwarya Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ol Thanks 2 Sourav Pant 4 writing #PAWAN! unique concept of a desi superhero..funny and witty read among those mediocre romantic novels...A Page turner with a laugh on every page! Also Thanks to Nakuul Mehta 4 suggesting it to his followers on twitter! Hope it will be enjoyed by all d readers #booklover

[Navaneethcrshna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun single time read, with a nice plot, passable writing and a modern day superhero lifted right from Indian fables.

Sorabh Pant tries out his dark humor in this half thriller half comedy novel and it works...

[Vignesh Shig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story.

[Srikesh Laguvaram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Is a book that would make a very good Indian version Modern Mythological movie if improvised and filmed accordingly. It is a great book if you like humor and fiction with mythological characters in it :)

[Shwetabh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick fun read. If you have watched Sorabh perform, you can really hear Sorabh Pant or "The Rant" in every written word.