
Mukul Kumar, a senior bureaucrat, presently working in the Ministry of Railways in New Delhi; a 1997 batch officer of the IRTS (Indian Railway Traffic Service) , and is the author of the fictions titled “As Boys Become Men” published by RUPA Publications in March 2016, which marked his debut as a novelist, and ‘Seduction By Truth’, published by Bloomsbury, India in October, 2018 ; a published poet he already is.
“Irrepresible Echoes”, an anthology of his English poems was published in 2012. Prior to this, his poem ‘The Beggar’ was included in International library of poetry in United States. He has also been awarded the Life Membership of the Poetry Society (India).

AS BOYS BECOME men, “…easily readable and succinctly crafted..” as the prestigious Sahitya Akademi , New Delhi mentions in their ‘Indian Literature’ journal, was initially published in all major e-portals in February’16, and gained pan India presence within a span of just a few months, having going into the second print within three months of the launch in March. Besides formally launching his novel in Mumbai, Calcutta, Jaipur, Kota , Chandigarh , Lucknow Literature Festival 2016 & Chennai, he was a guest speaker in Kolkata Literary Meet -Kalam in January 2017 and All India Writer’s Meets, Sahitya Akademi in Imphal, December 2016, and Poprtblair, 2018. The author was also invited in the Literary Forum in Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi to recite poem from his poetry book along with reading session of his fiction.
The author connected himself directly with his followers in Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore ,Lucknow, Benaras and Guwahati through exclusive book-signing sessions, and of the whole country through All India Radio Live broadcasts.
Aptly titled, this coming of age novel, explores college life, friendship, romance, leaving home, adjusting to a new environment, and the pursuit of ambition and passion. Finally it emerges as a fascinating weave of sparkling fun, history, and some mind stirring philosophy. The message of believing in one’s innate qualities and having a single minded approach to ambition- which in the novel is to become a civil servant- has a huge relevance for the youth.
‘ABBM’ scored high on the literary ethos; and the author coined a few innovaive usages of words to leave a lasting influence on the minds of his readers. Fascinating are the three symbols used in the novel-Mona Lisa, Soma, and Shiva.
A few reviews:
“Even works about the bureaucracy, like civil servant Upamanyu Chatterjee’s acclaimed “English, August: An Indian Story” (1988) deals with the protagonist’s in-service training, not preparations. But finally one bureaucrat has finally taken the plunge,” says The Times of India.
“The Writer weaves in elements of philosophy, history & religion through the conversations between the friends which lends the narrative a multi-layered dimension.-The Hindu
‘As boys become men a gripping novel’ –The Statesman
The Millennium Post – “Mukul Kumar is a fresh breeze in fiction writing”.
SEDUCTION BY TRUTH

The second novel ‘Seduction By Truth’ has been published by Bloomsbury in October, 2018. This fiction is about marriage in urbane India, the storyline being based upon adultery. It is the story of an urbane married couple, caught up in the lull in their passsion for each other after almost a decade of living together, and finally they find their own ways to fulfil their desires; the wife’s adultery launches the husband on the path of adultery, where he vengefully seduces series of married women with the twin objective of fulfilling his physical desire and explore other ‘marriages’-it’s an absorbing struggle of a man to resolve the conflict between Dharma and Kama, and finally to find his own truths to achieve redemption. In the course the novel reveals the clash between individuality and tradition. The weave of mythology and philosophy into the plot through Shiva’s encounters with the three women of different religions, makes it excitingly multilayered. Quite remarkable are the two symbols in the novel-black hole and time dilation. The novel has the overtones of feminism also. The story is set in modern India, Azerbaijan and Italy, which lends it a global appeal.
‘Seduction By Truth’ has been introduced by the author in the various literature festivals including, Timeslitfest Delhi, GLFGoa, LLF Lucknow, and PILFPune. Besides the biook has so far been launched in Mumbai by the acclaimed film actor, Manoj Bajpai, in Koklata by Shri Sanjeev Chopra, IAS, Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, and in Delhi by Honorable Minister of Culture, Shri Mahesh Sharma.
A Few Reviews:
“Seduction by Truth aims to look at the crests and troughs of marriage in modern times.” –Frontline
“Seduction by Truth is an essential reading for those thirsting for an understanding of the complex life and midlife crisis”. – Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi)
“A new novel explores the institution of marriage in context of changing times and also touches upon issues like adultery, love and trust.” – The Week
“Seducing tradition, rethinking intimacy”. – Millennium Post
Mukul has studied Humanities from Delhi University, graduating from Kirori Mal College. Besides, he has studied Public Administration at the prestigious Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. He is an avid reader, with special interest in classical literature, modern and ancient world history and philosophy, and a fine speaker. Recently he presented his dissertation on ‘Exploring the roots of Indian Feminism in ancient Indian Times’ for which he shall be awarded M-Phil degree from IIPA, New Delhi.
He can be reached at : @writermukul(Twitter); mukulkumar1703@gmail.com (email) and https://www.facebook.com/authormukulkumar/
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