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An enthralling book talk on Dhiraj Singh's debut novel Mater O

On World Book Day 2026 at Kunzum Book Cafe, Bennett University students explored the futuristic novel Master O by Dhiraj Singh, Deputy Dean at Times School of Media. Hosted by media expert Mia Lakra, the book talk delved into the story's themes of godmen, politics, and superpowers, earning Singh the Salis Mania Best Author Award (2023). Singh passionately unpacked character symbolism drawn from real-life observations, his writing journey, and revisions to perfect the plot. Lakra's witty questions and a rapid-fire round added humor, leading to an engaging Q&A. The event ended with thanks and felicitation for Singh, Lakra, and cafe founder Ajay Jain, leaving a memorable impact.

Published:May 2, 2026 at 04:32 PM3 min read
An enthralling book talk on Dhiraj Singh's debut novel Mater O
Correspondent: Diva Hablani

Dr Suess once rightly said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” On World Book Day 2026 at the Kunzum book cafe, the students of Bennett University were transported into a futuristic world of Master O, which entails a story of godmen, politics and superpowers. The book talk featured the debut novel of Mr Dhiraj Singh, an artist, educator and the Deputy Dean of Times School of Media, Bennett University. This talk was hosted by Miss Mia Lakra, a prominent media personality with over 12 years of experience in the Media and Entertainment industry. This cerebral conversation featured the motives, underlying themes and the noteworthy metaphors of the book, which won Mr Singh the Salis Mania Best Author Award (2023).

The students interacted with Mr Dhiraj Singh on various topics as he explained the characters of his book with great passion and detail. He also spoke on the symbolism behind each character and how they were delicately written the way they were to reflect on common archetypes present in media, taking the audience deeper into the world of Master-O. In the conversation, he disclosed how he came up with each of them after years of observations and interaction with various people. "It's not an easy book to read, but once you immerse yourself in it, you'll find some wisdom, some joy, some passion in the book," he said. He also talked about his journey as a writer, which was built over years of experience and working in the industry. Just to get the plot right, he revealed how he had to discard several pages that did not feel right.

Miss Mia helped in keeping the discussion lighthearted while also diving deeper into the book with spontaneous questions and witty remarks. She kept the audience entertained while focusing on the writer’s point of view. The event became more interactive with an impromptu rapid-fire round in which she questioned Mr Singh with hypothetical scenarios, behind-the-scenes, and some interesting counterfactuals with Master O in the centre. This candid and humorous segment made the book and the author increasingly relatable to the audience. The most important segment of the evening was the Q&A with the audience, in which they freely interacted with Mr Singh, making the event a memorable one.

The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks and a small felicitation ceremony, wherein a token of gratitude was offered to Mr Singh, Miss. Lakra and Mr Ajay Jain, a famous author and the founder of Kunzum Book cafe. Overall, it was an eventful evening for the students of Bennett University and the other audience members as they delved into the book Master O beyond its plot.

(The writer is a first-year BA mass communication student, who likes writing and expressing herself and tries to intellectualise what she likes)
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#dhiraj singh#kunzum book#bennett university#mia lakra#master o

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