Like most people would probably have assumed, I thought that the Kali in the book’s title meant the name of the goddess, as in Kaali, the female goddess of destruction until realisation struck in that it was Kali, the last yuga as per hindu mythology. A funny misconception that, given I have always been told the Mahabaratha signified the end of
Read moreThe second book of the Hastinapur duology, The Rise of Hastinapur, concentrates on the second and the third generation of the Kuru clan, mainly the Queens. This book revolves around Amba who was wronged by Bhishma’s actions and whose daughter eventually led to Bhishma’s death; Gandhari, the queen of Gandhar, who was later married to Dritarashtra, the grandson of King
Read moreTo me, ‘God of Small Things‘ has always been the gold standard for the kind of book that should win a Booker. Booker winning book after book since has disappointed me sorely. The Booker Prize it seems, is more about the one eyed amongst the blind and not really the best book of the year. That said, ‘The White Tiger‘
Read moreHindu mythology has always attracted my attention and of them, the retellings of Mahabharata and its characters are my favorite. So when I was given an opportunity to read and review a book based on Bhishma, I knew I couldn’t miss it. The Winds of Hastinapur is a story told by Ganga, the first wife of Shantanu, one of the
Read moreThe Thirteenth Day is the tale of the Great War between the cousins – Pandavas and Kauravas. The title announces what can be expected out of the book. The blurb is crisp and describes the story, arousing the reader’s interest. The cover page gives a sneak peek into the battle field and how it would have been. Mahabharatha is one
Read moreA latest trend in the Indian book industry is the publication of books based on Indian mythologies. This clearly reflects the contemporary popularisation of such books. This also shows that these ancient stories are still compelling. However, most of the times, readers do not find anything new or different. What they generally find is the same old tale with slight
Read moreAn accidental discovery of the insignia of an ancient empire on a wooden prayer wheel at a Ladakhi monastery, soon turns into a dangerous chase between two nations trying to discover and establish ownership of a remote location in India, the existence of which was a secret until then. The only man with any knowledge of this location is Xhan
Read moreThere are stories, good stories and great stories. Stories are nondescript tales you read and don’t leave you thinking about it after it is over. Good stories leave you pondering on the tale it tells even after it gets over. And great stories are the ones that keep coming back to your mind at different points of your life, making
Read moreHalahala – Hindu mythology. Vikramaditya – Indian history. Did I tell you I am a mythological & historical fiction fan. Shatrujeet Nath just went ahead and blurred the lines between the two, and the result is a book that gave me a reason to return to reviewing books 🙂 Coming to the book, The Guardians of the Halahala takes us
Read moreWarning: Mild Spoiler Alert Let us assume that you have no idea who Amrapali was and what the various re-tellings of her story have been. Let us assume that you have not seen the movie starring Vyjayanthimala, read Acharya Chatursen’s Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu, seen Hema Malini’s TV series. Lets just take this book as a piece of fiction loosely based
Read moreIt’s the age of retelling in the Indian book publishing industry. So many new re-tellings of Ramayana and Mahabharata in the Bookstore, that you are confused on which to choose. They all tell the same story but with different insights and angles which make it impossible to not like it. But what about mythological fiction? This genre is still in
Read moreI am personally not an ardent fan of Short story genre as I haven’t read much of this genre. It’s not that I don’t like short stories as such but it never occurred to me to try this type of literature as I found myself more inclined and glued to the longer version of the game. So when I got
Read moreIn Skyserpents, Jash Sen has proved once again that a background of Hindu mythology and ancient lore, gods, demi-gods and asuras can form an arresting and deadly cast of characters when thrown together with her creative ingenuity. The second book in the trilogy, Skyserpents starts out with one of the most well known and pivotal moments in Hindu mythology –
Read moreThe art of yoga, is the way to good living, as we all know. Combining yoga with the principles of management, is quite novel and unique to say the least. The book draws inspiration from the epic, The Mahabharata, especially the gem within that epic, The Bhagavad Gita, which is the series of conversational pieces between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna/ Dhananjaya. In the Foreword of The Yogic Manager:
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 As soon as I started reading the first page of Jash Sen’s debut novel, The Wordkeepers, I was instantly hooked by the scene, which drew me right onto the battleground in Kurukshetra, set at a pivotal moment, with Arjun–Ashwatthama about to annihilate the planet, and Lord Krishna trying to prevent it. Thus began a
Read morePart of Debut Indian Writers Challenge 2013 Tell us who is your favourite character from The Mahabharata and why? Answer in the form below. The best answer makes you the Reader-Winner of September 2013 and gets fun-express The Average Indian Male by Cyrus Broacha home delivered at your place. Sandipan Deb’s debut novel, The Last War surely is a page-turner. Having a corporate and
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