On Its Own

'You aren't really going to destroy the 216 religious sites, are you?' Lacene asked in disbelief the instant they were out of others' earshot. 'Of course I am', was his terse reply. Her worst fears were confirmed. She voiced question after question as they popped into her head. 'Where are we? Who are you working with? Do you realize that the repercussions would be catastrophic? There will be a world war, a religious world war where mercy and compromise are sins. There must be other ways to get your point across.' He kept his cool as he answered. 'I wouldn't have to do this if all religions co-existed peacefully. They have only spread intolerance and hatred. If we don't hear from the Un by Monday, this is how we get the world to listen.' Lacene checked her watch. Five days to Monday.

The author, Rajeswaran Parameswaran, hails from Pondicherry, India, and has lived in several parts of the African continent for the last thirty-odd years. He has travelled extensively across the world while keenly observing cultures and religion. His primary focus of interest is the history of religions, and he likes to analyze if it has been more of a boon or a bane to humanity. He is also fascinated by Etymology, and particularly researches origin of words in Sanskrit, Tamil, and English. Under the pen-name Swa Raj that translates to “self-rule” his two-decade-long quest for writing has resulted in his debut novel, 'On its own'.