Dr. Jernail Singh Anand, the great Indian author who ranks among the top poets of the world, was catapulted to international fame in 2022 with the publication of Lustus: The Prince of Darkness, the most disturbing book of modern times. Anand creates Lustus, a monstrous figure who makes Satan look like a monk. It is interesting to see what is so disturbing about Lustus.
Satan was the creation of medieval times when society was largely good and people were God-fearing. In the Garden of Eden, Satan approaches Eve, not openly, but on the sly. He turns a serpent and whispers into Eve’s ears the idea of disobedience. It means that Satan was afraid of God, and knew about His Thunder. On the contrary, Lustus, a young cousin of Satan, believes in aggressive marketing. He represents the corporate evil of modern times. He addresses Press Conferences, and establishes a Lustus University in which courses like Masters in Uncivil Engineering are taught. Literature, Poetry and History – all such departments which refine human sensibilities have been shut out. The University resembles our Universities in modern times which believe in killing the creative potential of the youth, so that they are reduced to automatons, working day and night for a living.
Lustus’s most dangerous ploy is to disturb the emotional balance of mankind by disturbing their sexual balance. He believes that Adam and Eve could live in peace because they loved each other. Even the animal and the aviary world are at peace. The reason is there are no restrains on their carnal desires. The greatest question before Lustus was: how to disturb the harmony and peace of Eden? Knowledge had served him well. And now, he declares: Thou shalt not Love. Thou shalt marry. One wonders if marriage is such a disaster. The descendants of Adam and Eve are now forced into a union called ‘marriage’ in which ‘love’ is absent. Lustus brings about the ‘bastardization of the human race’ through loveless marriages. He wanted men to lose their mental and emotional balance, and he has achieved this feat. Human race has lost divine attributes like Peace, happiness, and love.
The second assault of Lustus is on the innocence of birds and animals. He has developed a ‘homovid vaccine’ called ‘Selfie’ which can infuse in them ‘human’ qualities of greed, hoarding, jealousy and constant fighting. The most interesting scene is a PPT Lustus plays, which shows how a buffalo, who has been given the vaccine, stores her feed, and refuses to part with all the milk. The animals form a union and protest against the substandard feed. Birds pass a resolution demanding plots on the earth, and ‘no longer shall they in trees stay’. Thus, Lustus tries to create havoc with the established order and peace of the world of God.
Satan was a suave villain, who knew his limits. But, Lustus, who represents the corporate world of today, believes in aggressive salesmanship, and tries to imperialize everything, including the kingdom of God. Gods discover to their shock that the secret of Lustus’s success with mankind was his Instant Service, whereas they [gods] never arrived to help the people in their times of need. Drunk with power, and blind passion, Lustus invites his own damnation, when he challenges gods and a war ensues turning the skies red, in which he nearly defeated the angels. The situation is saved by Goddess Durga who finally vanquishes Lustus.
Critics argue that a figure of such grand characterization is the stuff of the great films like ‘Star Wars’ where good is finally established and evil defeated. The creation of such a disturbing character as Lustus is Anand’s unique contribution to the epic literature. Anand has authored 150 plus books with 9 world class epics. Lustus:The Prince of Darkness is Book I of the Mahakaal Trilogy.
Dr. Shiv Sethi is a renowned author, thinker and reviewer.