Independents of AD 2101

Jose Puttanani

Description

Looking into the distant future is fun and sometimes baffling when we look back and think of the way things have changed. Independents of AD 2101 is an attempt to capture the life of a young man getting ready to embrace the independence he has been dreaming of since his childhood. In a society that has abandoned the institution of families, his curiosity to find his parents is taking him to unexpected terrains. Independents of AD 2101 gives a sneak peek into the technology and politics that would control and guide the lives of people, while giving insights into how the world got there over the centuries and why. The story is a collection of prophecies and predictions that deviate from forecasts of management gurus and corporations. It is a story meant to provoke the readers' imagination and encourage everyone to ask themselves: what is in stock for my children, grandchildren and future generations?

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 avril 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528957342
• Langue: English

Extrait

Independents of AD 2101
Jose Puttanani
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-04-30
Independents of AD 2101 About The Author About The Book Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgement Other Books by the Author Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33
About The Author
Jose Puttanani was born as the fifth child of Philip and Rosa in an inland village in South India in the ’60s. He grew up sharing everyday struggles of the family in the middle of famines and political uncertainty in post-independent India. Civil engineer by qualification and construction contract manager by profession, he travelled around India and the Middle East before settling in Australia. He has worked with Indian, European, American and Australian construction companies during the last twenty-five years. Married to Christina and a proud father of four children, Jose Puttanani currently lives in Brisbane. Jose was motivated to write from his experience in business writing and short stories. Independents of AD 2101 is his first attempt at fiction.
About The Book
Looking into the distant future is fun and sometimes baffling when we look back and think of the way things have changed. Independents of AD 2101 is an attempt to capture the life of a young man getting ready to embrace the independence he has been dreaming of since his childhood. In a society that has abandoned the institution of families, his curiosity to find his parents is taking him to unexpected terrains. Independents of AD 2101 gives a sneak peek into the technology and politics that would control and guide the lives of people, while giving insights into how the world got there over the centuries and why. The story is a collection of prophecies and predictions that deviate from forecasts of management gurus and corporations. It is a story meant to provoke the readers’ imagination and encourage everyone to ask themselves: what is in stock for my children, grandchildren and future generations?
Dedication
Dedicated to my wife, Christina; daughters, Rosemary, Marianne, Emina; and son, Philip.
Copyright Information ©
Jose Puttanani (2019)
The right of Jose Puttanani to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528957342 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
I acknowledge my friend and colleague Marc Obrowski for reading the first draft of the story and making suggestions for improvement.
Other Books by the Author
India@2070 Getting the Jugaads to Fly
Paramasoonyam Philosophy for 21st Century
Chapter 1
‘Happy New Year, Happy Birthday and Congratulations,’ Master Damien said in his loud and cheerful voice, as he got up from his seat and walked towards Ouse.
‘Thank you, thank you and thank you MD,’ Ouse responded with a smile as the old man shook hands with the young man. Ouse was always comfortable in the presence of the old man; popularly known as MD among the residents. For some MD was short for Master Damien; for most of the student residents, he was Mom and Dad, because that was their attachment with him. There were a few who called him Monster Damien because of his strict enforcement of community rules.
‘How are you this morning, young man?’ MD asked Ouse while offering him a spot on the couch. ‘Have you watched last night’s show?’
‘Yes, I did from the rooftop garden,’ Ouse said. ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes watching the dragons in the sky.’
‘The shows on the New Year’s Eve are getting better every year; thanks to technological advancements,’ MD shared Ouse’s excitement. ‘So, how you feeling?’
‘Awesome,’ Ouse answered without showing the excitement that was building in him. ‘For the first time in my life, I wished my birthday was not on the 1 st of January,’ Ouse said. He thought about the frustration of staying indoors when his over sixteen friends were allowed outdoor. Although he approached MD for permission to go out and party, MD was not willing to make a concession.
‘Awesome is probably is an understatement of what is going on in your mind. I know exactly what is cooking in your mind,’ MD looked at Ouse through the corner of his eyes and smiled.
MD was right. There was no way words can explain what was going on in Ouse’s mind. The day that opens him to all the freedom of the world; it is certainly a big milestone that deserved a whole day celebration. MD has been part of this day in the lives of many student residents of the house for the past two decades. He has seen the excitement building over many years and the spurt of energy bursting when the countdown clock strikes zero on the 16 th birthday.
In Ouse’s case, the fact that his birthday was on New Year’s Day was one more reason to feel excited. He always joked to his friends that he is so popular that the whole world celebrates his birthday.
Master Damien took a seat on the single couch close to the window, and Ouse sat on the double couch on the wall side.
‘One more year passed; time flies quick, and my children leave me one by one,’ MD looked at Ouse affectionately. He thought how fast the kids are growing from the time they are brought to the community as babies and to the day when they leave the community as free birds.
He has seen hundreds of boys growing under his care; their transformation from struggling toddlers to twisters of energy and to mature young men. He watched their ambitions, adventures and misdemeanours. He was proud about most of the youngsters that left his community. He too had had his own regrets about a few that had lost direction.
Ouse watched MD slipping into his thoughts. He had seen it before and knew what to do. He waved at MD for his attention.
‘Well, young man, let’s get to business,’ MD said recovering from his thoughts while drawing his control stick from the socket on the wall. They all called it comstick in short for convenience.
‘First thing first, as you are very well aware, we are going to have a party in the evening,’ MD continued. ‘The party will be attended by students over sixteen in your year, seniors and staff. A perfect time to celebrate. Are you ready?’
‘Oh yes! I was preparing for sixteen years, as you very well know,’ Ouse was candid, and MD laughed. ‘The disappointing part is that I am getting only one party when I could have had two parties,’ Ouse added.
‘Quite right,’ MD said smiling. ‘You could have had a New Year party and a separate birthday party.’
‘This is not going to take too long,’ MD said as he turned the screen on from his comstick and waited while the security controls verified his fingerprints.
‘What we are doing today is school level introductions; this will release you to explore the world out there and start practicing free life. The only string attached is that we will be monitoring all of your behaviour,’ MD introduced as the large screen on the other end of his office displayed ‘Welcome.’
‘School level introductions for sixteen-year-olds,’ he spoke to the comstick in his hand and the display on the screen changed to School Level Introductions for sixteen-year-olds.
‘Well, there it is,’ MD said pointing towards the screen. ‘The agenda for this introduction session is prescribed by the authority that manages the first six months of your life after you turn sixteen.’
Ouse had hearsay knowledge of this session from his seniors; he came prepared to sit in and listen to everything MD was going to say. Most of the students were happy to sit with MD for the session because they all loved him. There were a few that believed the session was unnecessary and the students should just read the documents.
‘Would you like to have a drink or a puree before we start?’ MD asked while bringing up the next page on the screen. It was Master Damien’s genuine care for the students that made him their Mom and Dad. No matter how gruelling were the sessions he drove for the students, he always paid attention to the wellbeing of the students first.
‘Just a glass of water would do,’ Ouse said while walking to the drinks machine. ‘I had a heavy breakfast in preparation for this session,’ Ouse giggled.
‘Very good, I have no doubts that your senior friends must have been preparing you for this session for some time now,’ MD said with stress on YOU.
‘Have you given a thought to what you like to do in the future?’ MD looked at Ouse who was settling back into the couch.
‘I have been thinking about a career in the world of communications, security and artificial intelligence,’ Ouse said while taking a gulp from the water in his hand.
‘May I ask you why you are interested in that field?’ MD asked.
‘As a child, I always fancied becoming destroyer of bad robots; shooting them down or deactivating them before they take over the world,’ Ouse smiled. ‘What I learned in the recent years is that the story book scenarios are happening for real, and the world needs a lot of people to battle rogue robots.’
‘True,’ MD said. ‘I too have read about robots going out of control due to software issues or industrial or other espionage. Scary, isn’t it?’