Born and brought up in a family of high civil values, and raised amidst the multidimensional poverty of Uttar Pradesh, a state rich in human and natural resources, author Ashok Hindustani has a penchant for writing that reflects in his awe-inspiring books.
In the post-independence era when India was thriving with inspirational national values imbibed with an emotional atmosphere, Ashok was geared for educational qualification and he went on to study law after completing his B.Sc. in Agra. However, the pressing financial situation in the house compelled him to quit his studies and join Central Government Services at a ministerial level. He learned to thrive in the government services atmosphere which he found was against everything he had studied in his life so far.
After a long service of several years, he retired as a Government Official in Audit and Accounts services and was inspired to pen down his contemplations in the form of books. He has since then been a Fiction Writer and Author of several books. His life experiences and observations are reflected in his purposeful writings and are precisely conveyed through the characters with life-like essence.
Through his book ‘Khufiafarrosh’, he highlights the endurance of love set against the backdrop of the cruel and insensitive apparatus of society. Against the odds of the societal backwardness, drawbacks like illiteracy, poverty, and the shackles of traditions imposed by a highly conservative family, Ratna and Kamini’s lives intersect and they embark on a journey in the most troubled waters.
A strict familial structure and prevailing social conditions like cast-based employment created survival difficulties for the two but love endured above all. Despised by the Hindu society and taken away by the cast magnates, the cast-based employment left them the only choice to sell wine without a license and against the law. Ratna had a destiny where everything rightful was denied to her by family, society, and life. Having lost her mother in her early childhood, she was denied education due to family superstitions. Swimming aimlessly in the turbulent conditions of life, Ratna found solace and stability through Kamini’s association. Fighting through the odds of rampant health alarms and poor living conditions, they tried to survive the displeasure of family and society. Kamini’s husband still alive and hanging through the last threads of suffering tuberculosis, only made the situation even worse for the duo’s union. How the two make it through the roughness of life, has been sensibly portrayed by the author of this book, Khufiafarrosh.
Ashok Hindustani’s prowess as a versatile writer is evident in his next book, ‘Deval- Devgiri’. A peep into medieval history, the book narrates the story of a young girl caught in the whirlwind of medieval times. Amidst flashing swords, conquests, abduction of women, and plundering of wealth, a beautiful Hindu princess of Anhilwara kingdom, modern Gujarat was caught near Devgiri. This was also the time when religion was of utmost importance and as far as Hindus were concerned, invading forces of Allaudin were rampantly conquering the regions in India like all the Citadels, Chittor, Ranthambore, Devgiri, Warangal, Dwarsamudra, and Madura. Forcing the places to cooperate with the Delhi sultanate, the compelling circumstances gave rise to a parallel synthesis of two different religions, Hindus and Muslims.
At this juncture, a medieval autocrat and the cruelest ruler who equated the likes of great Asoka and Emperor Akbar had risen and the ancient kingdom of Anhilwara was touched by his invading army. The king of Anhilwara had to flee to a friendly kingdom, Devgiri, with his daughter Deval. The queen had fallen in the hands of Allaudin’s forces and was brought to Delhi.
The story is a true calling for history lovers who are interested in walking by the ruins of the times 700 years back and diving deep into the historical events. Ashok Hindustani has brought alive those events from the pages of history through the vivid manifestation in this book. The events and narratives are expertly woven around the life of the princess Deval who was brought up in Turkish palaces and grew up in the company of prince Khizrkhan. Their love saga resulting in the marital alliance and the intrigues of a royal heir to the throne form the highlights of the story. The tale is also interlinked with the kingdom of Devgiri whose king Ramchandra was forced by Allaudin’s forces to align with the Delhi sultanate. The cruel elements of lust, power, and conquer are depicted through contemporary ordinary characters in the form of travelers and their notes, making the reading experience more relatable in our lives. 
Ashok’s seamless disposition of thoughts and expression is also seen in his third book, ‘Sangharshwat’. In a society enmeshed in caste and religion, and stricken with poverty, where feudal polished in a ‘routine’ and ‘rule slavery’ mentality by the colonial rule prevailed, two young people join hands in the struggle to challenge this. Coming from two different streams of life, these brave souls stand against the organizational corruption in a hydroelectric project in the hilly regions covered in chilling cold weather. Rubbing the wrong way, a certain few who were involved in the corruption and eating away huge funds from the project outlay, the duo goes on to expose the handful of people who were involved in employing project funds to advance their businesses and lavish living at the cost of lowly lives of workers dwelling in miserable conditions.
A man who has risen from the difficulties of life to achieve success through his accomplishments in his service, life, and writing venture, Ashok set aside his destiny, has marked eminence, and has become an exemplary inspiration for budding writers.
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