The Savant State

Book excerpt: Several generations have faced this problem—a mediocre progeny born to a brilliant, outstanding parent. Dr. Achrekar, a software genius, faces the same problem with his biological son, Chetan. He decides to do something about it and invents a technological, identical, working alternative of his son. To test the performance of his invention, he appoints the brilliant, precocious teenager, Varsha Deshmukh. Varsha yearns to pursue her doctoral thesis on the subject of History of Technology and learn about sociology, under Dr. Achrekar’s guidance. But when twelve months have gone by, Varsha guesses that the “Chetan” she has been interacting with and observing, is not the real one. But she cannot let Dr. Achrekar know she is aware of it, as she has to achieve her academic objectives. Does Dr. Achrekar succeed in technologically supplanting his biological son, Chetan, who he feels is mediocre?