Brand Factory

Manohar Sonawane’s stories are set against the backdrop of globalization. Globalization has eroded India’s cultural and emotional fabric, leaving centuries of accumulated wisdom alienated and forgotten. The country’s condition has become like that of a hut caught in the devastating force of a flood.

At the heart of Sonawane’s stories is the human being. As the country undergoes tremendous upheaval, he explores the changes taking place in people—both consciously and unconsciously. His stories portray the hope of a new era on one hand and widespread disillusionment on the other; the meanings people attach to the joys and sorrows that life brings their way; the endless journey of life through a tunnel of meaninglessness; and social, economic, and cultural practices constantly under strain.

Sonawane presents a vast canvas of human experience: the determination to confront life alongside helplessness; people wandering endlessly with bundles of dreams slung over their shoulders; and the struggle between what is morally and spiritually desirable (Shreyas) and what is immediately pleasurable (Preyas).

There is no shallow propagandism in Sonawane’s writing. He is both objective and sensitive. It is therefore beyond doubt that Brand Factory has attained genuine artistic value.

— Ambarish Mishra (From the Foreword)