Book excerpt: The news of his mentor, Jennifer, entering a dirty trade was demeaning. Brahmasut was distressed. He was trying to be calm, but to him, the world appeared as nothing but mean and paranoiac. Here, everyone was hungry, rushing on an uncompromising material highway and pushing stakes to newer highs. The sky-scraping landmarks and expensive price-tags raised larger-than-life question marks. Was it really a cold-blooded concrete landscape or a brilliantly laid out trading arcade? Answering, to Brahmasut’s satisfaction, was nobody’s business. He desperately sought solace, but at what cost?