Synopsis The Mahanadi Dream is not just the story of a young man's travails and tribulations in his search for a new meaning in his life in a modernizing and industrializing but conservative society. It is also a definitive account of the political-administrative culture, social orthodoxy and economic deprivation of our times. While charting Arun's journey in finding a new meaning in his life through self-reliance, the novel brings out the hurdles that stand in his way.