The Bong Blunder

di Chinmoy Mukherjee (Autore)

Chinmoy Mukherjee, 2025

"The Bong Blunder" is a satirical novella parodying the life of Emperor Ashoka, reimagined through the fictional King BoseAka of ancient Bengal, who suffers from a severe allergy to open defecation. Born in the misty deltas amid fish markets and mangrove rot, BoseAka grows up tormented by hives and revulsion at the sight and smell of public ablutions, fueling his ambition to conquer lands for hygienic reform. After ascending the throne by dubious means—eliminating 99 rivals through "indigestion episodes"—he leads a massive army to invade the republic of Bolinga, infamous for its open-air habits. The brutal Battle of the Bowels results in victory, with 100,000 slain and 150,000 taken as hygiene hostages, but the persistent defiance exacerbates his affliction, leading to remorse amid the carnage's stench. Haunted by nightmares and hives, BoseAka undergoes a conversion inspired by a monk's salve and Buddhist dhamma, renouncing violence for compassion and sanitation edicts. He proclaims himself Piyadasi the Pious, promoting privies, wells, and animal welfare, while sending missions abroad. However, his top-down reforms breed resentment in Bolinga, culminating in a "Revolt of the Relievers"—a mass defecation protest that overwhelms his forces with an unbearable miasma, causing widespread dysentery and mutiny. Attempts to counter with perfume catapults backfire horrendously, forcing a humiliating retreat to Bengal. In exile, BoseAka reflects on his folly, penning memoirs as his legacy fades into myth, echoing modern sanitation campaigns like Swachh Bharat, underscoring that true change requires cultural shift, not conquest.

• Autore: Chinmoy Mukherjee
• Anno edizione: 2025
• Editore: Chinmoy Mukherjee
• Formato: EPUB2 con DRMFREE
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9798232764722