Beyond the Dream is a poignant novel set in Kota that explores student pressure, mental health, and the emotional cost of India’s exam driven education system through the journey of a small town boy.
Book Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Beyond the Dream |
| Author | Bibhash Chandra Mishra |
| Publisher | Adhyyan Books |
| Print Length | 304 pages |
| Language | English |
| Reading Age | 13 years and up |
| Publication Date | 11 March 2025 |
| Buy Link | https://amzn.in/d/b4GQOyP |
Introduction
In India, education is often seen as the only bridge between hardship and dignity. Beyond the Dream captures this belief with unflinching honesty, tracing the emotional cost of academic pressure through the eyes of a young boy chasing a future shaped by expectations rather than choice.
Set against the intense coaching culture of Kota, the novel explores what happens when dreams are built on rankings, results, and relentless comparison and what it feels like when those dreams begin to crack.
From a Small Village to a High Pressure World
Amar grows up in Dharahra, Bihar, where education is not optional but essential for survival and social mobility. Sent to Kota with hopes of becoming an engineer, he carries not only his own ambition but the unspoken sacrifices of his family.
Kota, however, is nothing like the dream he imagined. Endless study hours, competitive classrooms, and a system obsessed with ranks slowly erode his sense of self. What was meant to be a stepping stone toward success begins to feel like confinement.
Friendship, Comparison, and Silent Fear
Through Amar’s relationships with Nikhil, Pooja, and Tarun, the novel paints a realistic picture of student life under pressure. Friendships become mirrors of fear and inadequacy. Watching others excel while he struggles intensifies his isolation.
As his grades decline, Amar’s mental health follows. Insomnia, anxiety, and despair creep in quietly, reflecting the emotional reality faced by countless students who feel they have no space to fail and no one to confide in.
Mental Health and the Cost of Expectations
Beyond the Dream does not sensationalize distress. Instead, it carefully shows how pressure accumulates day after day until the weight becomes unbearable. Amar’s breaking point is not dramatic but painfully familiar.
A desperate phone call to his mother becomes the emotional center of the story. In that moment, the novel delivers its most important truth that a child’s worth cannot be reduced to exam scores or rankings.
A Mirror to India’s Education System
The novel stands as a critique of India’s exam driven education culture, particularly the coaching factory model that prioritizes performance over well being. It raises difficult questions about parental expectations, institutional responsibility, and the silence surrounding student mental health.
Rather than offering easy solutions, the story asks readers to pause and reflect on what success truly means and who pays the price for it.
About the Author
Bibhash Chandra Mishra is an Indian author and educator with over 32 years of experience teaching English. Born in Munger, Bihar, he has spent decades witnessing the struggles of small town students navigating systemic inequalities within the education system.
With an M.A. in English from BHU and degrees in Education, he blends academic depth with lived experience. His novels Beyond the Dream and Shattered Aspirations, both nominated for the International Author Excellency Award, confront issues such as reservation policies, academic pressure, and educational disparity while retaining empathy and hope.
Deeply connected to the Hindi heartland, Mishra takes pride in writing English literature rooted in regional realities. Through his work and participation in literary forums like the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, he continues to spark conversations about reform, compassion, and equity in education.
Why Beyond the Dream Matters
This novel is especially relevant in a time when student burnout, anxiety, and self harm are increasingly visible yet rarely addressed with honesty. Beyond the Dream gives voice to students who feel trapped between ambition and fear, success and self worth.
It speaks not only to students, but also to parents, educators, and policymakers who shape academic environments, reminding them that empathy is as important as excellence.
Conclusion
Beyond the Dream is a powerful, emotionally grounded novel that exposes the hidden cost of academic ambition. It does not reject dreams but challenges the systems that turn them into burdens.
By centering mental health, family connection, and human dignity, the book leaves readers with a simple yet profound reminder success means little if it costs a young person their peace.
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