Goa is one of the most colorful and lively places in India and perhaps the world, but lazy filmmakers have turned it into a cliché, making Goa another word for debauchery.

In fact, looking at the way Goans and Goa are depicted in most movies, one wonders if anyone does anything in the island state other than drink and suffer from hangovers. Fortunately, Rohan Govekar’s 1000 kilograms shows Goa in the right light. The book revolves around a couple of friends in this Goa-based adventure story.

Ashwin Shirodkar’s life has reached a new low. He just broke up with his girlfriend Firang, he’s broke and on the verge of being accused of being a drug mule.

But the real estate consultant’s life takes a positive turn when his friends return to Goa and make him an offer that he cannot refuse. The one of untold riches and permanent fortune if you would kindly break into an old man’s house and be delirious with them to discover gold. And of course there is that little thing about finding new love.

1000 Kilograms of Gold is a fast-paced, realistic book that might be one of the few adventure books that gives readers a realistic picture of Goa. How many authors do we know who would place a woman praying to God in a book set in Goa?

How many books have thought long enough to tell readers that foreigners should have their name on a ration card to make sure they are not legitimately harassed by the authorities? Such nitty-gritty is forgotten on the ‘chaar botal vodka’ stage that is screened every time a book or movie is made in Goa, so for that alone, Rohan deserves brownie points.

The writing has a good pace and is equal parts intrigue, adventure and creativity to keep the reader interested in what happens next. Rohan has gone to great lengths to weave a story not only with a future and a present, but also with a past, which if true, really does show Goa in a new light: that of a land of adventure, mystique and intrigue.

The book is not without its flaws. Say the word treasure and people will prepare for a raucous journey involving the death of at least one dragon, both literally and figuratively. Today’s readers are used to joining the protagonists of a novel through hell and high waters to experience the journey and also the end.

But the author covers it all with some intriguing twists on the story that takes the characters, and thus the reader, through Goa’s past, the drug trade, and of course the main leader of the drug cartel. , whose role in the story is a cracker. in itself.

Read this book to learn about a hitherto less discovered part of Goa and a great story to be re-told.