Book Review: The Krishna Key - Ashwin Sanghi

What is our past? Can modern scientific techniques be a tool to uncover our past? Is Mahabharatha and Lord Krishna just a myth? Did our ancestors have a way-ahead knowledge on science than our modern day scientists? The questions are unlimited. If you are on the look for answers to such and such questions, 'The Krishna Key' by Ashwin Sanghi could give you a clue. Though classified under the genre 'Thriller', I find the book an inimitable source of information on modern and ancient science and mythology. Of course, the thrilling plot of the story keeps you so engaged while you grasp the expertise on science and biology, the ancient men possessed.

It is common knowledge that Lord Vishnu had incarnated in nine different forms with the impending Kalki avatar, also collectively known as the Dasavathara. Incredible similarities between Kalki and little Sampat Sharma and a turn of childhood events convinces Sampat that he is the tenth avatar, born to demolish the evils in modern India. The story commences with an ancient seal engraved with three ancient animal motifs of a bull, unicorn and a goat on its face. Four such identical seals will constitute 'The Krishna Key', reveals Anil Varshey to Historian Ram Mohan Saini. An excerpt from the book describing it - 

"What you are holding in your hand is a relic of Krishna's ancient passport system for Dwarka that is described in the Harivamsa..."

"Together they constitute what can be called The Krishna Key - They can unlock the truth to the historical Krishna for future generations..."

 Therefore, as Varshney briefly puts forth what will constitute the key, he handovers one of the four seals to Saini and shares him that three of the remaining seals would go to Dr.Nikhil Bhojaraj, Professor Rajaram Khurkude and the genetics expert Dr.Devendra Chedi. There is also Sampat Sharma, rechristened as 'TAARAK VAKIL', a jumbled form of 'KALKI AVATAR', much to one's surprise. What is the motive behind Taarak murdering these intellectuals one by one, whether he caught hold of all the four seals and what happens to The Krishna Key forms the story.

I would like to quote a few from the book which impressed me and made me wonder if ancient India is an ocean and the knowledge we have on it is very very limited. The ancient scientists knew it all in the absence of scientific instruments. Here is how the historian Saini is all set to render us precious knowledge about ourselves and our country:

"..... the Indian classical music as described in the Upanishads has seven notes of melody - Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. These seven notes roughly correspond to the western Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Ti. It is my hypothesis that the seven notes correspond to each of the seven chakras within us. The chakra is activated when the frequency of the note matches the frequency of the chakra..."

"..... A hymn in the Rig Veda says, "with deep respect, I bow to the sun who travels 2202 yojanas in half a nimesha". For your information, a yojana is about nine American miles and a nimesha is 16/75th of a second. Sayana is simply stating the obvious-that sunlight travels at a 186 thousand miles per second!....."

Professor Kurkude is no way less in rendering us knowledge, too. Here are some of the valuable information from him to be treasured:

".... All construction needed geometry and it was the Vedas that gave the world geometry... The present English word, Geometry, is derived from a Greek root which itself was derived from a Sanskrit word Jyamiti. In Sanskrit, jya means an arc or a curve and miti means the correct perception or measurement. ..."

"... The world deludes itself into believing that it was Pythagoras who gave us the famous theorem regarding the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle but the Baudhayana Sulbasutra which was written 500 years before Pythagoras, states that a rope stretched along the length of a diagonal line produces an area which the vertical and horizontal sides make together. So who invented the Pythagoras theorem - Pythagoras or Baudhayana?..."

Mataji, the guru of Taarak has much more to add while describing the significance of the number 108:

"... What's truly amazing is the fact that the distance between the earth and the sun is exactly 108 times the sun's diameter. More incredible is the fact that the distance between the earth and the moon is 108 times the moon's diameter. Finally, do you know that the diameter of the sun is 108 times the earth's diameter? The ancient yogis knew that!..."

"... The word 'Om' is not only used by us, Taarak. It is to be found everywhere. Even in the English language..." And  then she goes on giving detailed descriptions on the words omniscience, omnipotent and what not!

Devendra Chhedi, the genetics expert enlightens us on the knowledge our ancestors had on cloning and biology:

"... Ancient civilisations knew much more about stem cells than modern humans...", affirms he as he elaborates the concept of Taviju Raksha, an ancient ritual that has been passed down the generations.  "... The ancients knew far more about medicine than we are willing to believe..." adds he, while he explains Shastrakarma.

Not to be forgotten, these are just samples of quotes that dumbfolded me while I was reading. There are lot more to add to it  and I bet, the plot as such keeps you so engrossed that you will not let the book down until you finish reading it. On a negative front, I just see that the thrilling plots in the story appears so common at some moments, and at times predictable. However, the knowledge that you gain from the book as such is commendable. I am taken aback on observing the last few pages that contains the reference books and websites. My God.. How much of effort has the author put to come up with a book that is spiritually and intellectually engaging!! Hats off to him! I seriously admire the hardwork the author has putforth to understand ancient India and its history to deliver a treasurable book. Astounding! In a line, the book is a 'must-read' - to discover India, to discover ourselves!!

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Book Review: One & A Half Wife - Meghna Pant

Perhaps one of the most pervasive dreams in India surreptitiously slithering into the Indian souls across the subcontinent is to land once for all in the country of opportunities, where life is presumed to be picture-perfect. The inimitable American Dream, undoubtedly.  While many such families are sheltered under the chilly breezes of Shimla, let’s take a quick peek into the Malhotra’s - A simple house, turned to a home with the blossoming of family bonding with Biji, Baba and Amara, all of them very ‘Indian’ by nature and upbringing and with whom the traditions and life-style of Shimla have inseparably blended, over years. A conservative society it is, where even uttering the word ‘divorce’ is equaled to committing a sin. Anyone who walked out of marriage was treated a bane to the society and the nation and was tarnished of his/her societal image.

Baba, a lawyer is a great father concerned much about his only daughter in her early teens than anything else in the world. Biji is the doting mother whose highest ambition is to get Amara a wealthy and privileged life that she deserved. Amara is a well-behaved, obedient daughter that any parents would pray for. All that she gets in life as she grows up is decided out of three desires – ‘It is Biji’s desire’, ‘It is God’s desire’ or ‘It is His desire’, ‘His’  inexplicitly referring to her future husband who will supposedly shape her future by his will. In short, her desires are fulfilled only if they are Biji’s/God’s/His desires.

The story instigates as Biji and Amara seek a parrot astrologer to get an insight onto the latter’s future. The astrologer, after a long contemplation over the card picked foresees that Amara would be a one and a half wife, much to their shock.  The disbelieved Biji heads home, as her daughter follows but not before Amara, unbeknownst to her mother, getting a pendant from the astrologersubmitting to his statement that the stone would turn a wish to true. The incident fades from the bewildered mother after coming to know of a much desired and impressivefuture awaiting her daughter from her only brother well-settled in the US of A having him consulting a soothsayer. Not an uncaring one he is, that he makes all arrangements, soon resulting in the Malhotras' foot embracing the terrains of the USA. A dream realized!

The high-school going Amara struggles between Indian and American cultural variations while the chasm seems to widen as ever, even as she attempts foster a friendship with her cousins Riya and Tina. Having had no squabbles with her cousin sisters, she questions herself why they dislike her. It doesn’t strike her until much later that it is her attire and the Indianess. Life starts swaying her like a pendulum, unable to find a balance to rest on the edge of either the Indian or the American life-style. Her efforts to please Riya turn futile. The distressed Amara who is now into college doesn’t realize much until later that her unimpressive looks drives away every girl she meets, let alone boys. She learns over time that she has to be herself for her own good and not imitate others. She befriends Stacy and shares a good rapport with her as she continues being herself.

Much later, a millionaire Prashant Roy's mom is moved by the homeliness of Amara when she spots her at family occasion. It dawns on her that she is destined to be her to-be daughter-in-law. Biji's happiness knows no bounds because her daughter is soon to receive a marital bliss with all riches and she, with her new family-ties, a new societal bliss. She felt awesome. Amara agrees to the wedding knowing that Prashant is Riya's boy friend. Riya's grudge over Amara  shoots up than ever for stealing her lad. Having brought up right from childhood with 'It is His desire' instilled impeccably into her soul, the shock of her life hits her heart hard when Prashant declares that he agreed to marry her only to not upset his beloved mother. Amara's life is trashed. She slowly turns into a one and a half wife.

After six years of unsuccessful marriage, abused and harassed by her husband although he rarely spoke, the couple end up in a divorce, much to the anxiety of her parents. Amara's parents lambast her for the allegedly irresponsible behaviour, throw her out of their house and grow distant. The chaotic situations ease up a little when she reaches her homeland with her disgruntled parents despite the fact they stopped talking to her and behaved as though she never existed. Returning back home after sixteen years and especially after a failed marriage, how the community treats her, what problems and challenges await Amara and her family, whether she faces them boldly or succumbs to them while being caught in a tug-of-war between old customs and new beliefs, whether she found the love of her life or not forms the rest of the story :).

Welcome to One & A Half Wife - Meghna's debut novel that cradles a story we can relate to ourselves, our surroundings and of course, India. A simple 'next-door' story, beautifully written, I would say. The book impressed me as the words moved me so much that I almost sensed in me what Amara was feeling. The feel of submissiveness ever since childhood, negligence by cousins at adoloscence, unstoppable hassles in marriage life, a silent onlooker of her own life rather than living it to the fullest, loneliness, a feeling of being let down by own parents, tears gushing like a flood confonted by a sudden courage, an unbelievable transformation in Riya's character, the pleasures of setting up and running a successful business, emanation of love when least desired and expected and the most exhilirating touch of life - that of a child's. The story rolls like a movie in your brain's eye! Awesome read! There are also funny moments when you hear Biji's broken English and how she calls Amara not by name but "my husband's daughter"

The only limitations were the typographical mistakes here and there which could have been avoided. When you suspect that Riya was the reason behind Amara's divorce, the story takes a twist but that the baby she saves coming into Amara's hands was very filmy and predictable. Some pharases here and there appears overly desciptive though the readers will comprehend that they are to pay attention to detail.

And wait, there are also few funny moments to relish when you hear Biji's broken English and how she calls Amara not by name but "my husband's daughter" to portray her outrage. :D. A typical depiction of an Indian household wrangle :P. On the whole, it is a nice read that brings to you the pain of dejection and hopelessness and the pleasure of living life on one's own terms, banishing 'It is Biji's desire' or 'It is His desire' and letting 'It is my desire' bloom. So what are you waiting for.. Read the book, feel the words! 

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Book Review: Murder in Amaravati

Murder in Amaravati - Penned by Sharath Komarraju. When I held the book in my hands and observed the impressive title and reddish cover page, a thought crossed simultaeneously as to how different and engaging is this book going to be? Would it be just another novel that I read in spite of its genre as a mysterious fiction? Any such fiction or the characters in it, as we know, would land in some sort of trouble and a hero identifying himself as a detective would emerge from nowhere, leading the case and solving it in a matter of time. I wondered to myself and questioned, "How would it distinguish itself from a flood of fictions available today? And how peculiar is its story going to be". While too many thoughts continued running in my mind, I noticed a moderen painting in front of my eyes. Yes, no surprise, it is the cover page. With Goddess Kali occupying the lower portion of the page, as you may see and an old iron lock with its key inserted showing up at the upper end while there are shots of blood everywhere around symbolizing the plot of the story, it was indeed a modern painting. Now I knew intutively, this is definitely going to amaze me!!

Here goes the theme and the important characters - Padmavati makes her living out of a profession that is the most looked down upon.. A village hostess. Amaravati, the village flourishes itself with the ever flowing, tranquille and refreshing river Krishna. Sitaraamaiah forms the headman of the village and is naturally an authoritative, demanding kind. There lies a huge tree protected respectfully by the inhabitants, underwhich the temple of Kali is constructed before ages. Krishna Sastri, the priest of this temple, is deeply religious, humbly unquestioning, trying incessantly to safeguard the principles of Hinduism. Any so-called sudra found in the temple premises is strictly unacceptable according to Hinduism and thus according to him, too. When his daugher elopes with a Harijan, he utters reasoning, "Permitting my daughter to marry a man of lower caste is never admittable, though I agree with loving everyone equally, which is a different case". And thus he chases his daugher out of his home, declaring her to be considered equivalent to dead, from then on. A rigourously religious person, he is. Also living in the village are Satyam and his wife Lakshmi, Shekar and Vaishnavi, his wife who play a vital role in the story. Kishore is the son of Sitaraamaiah who has a sister, once very lively, bound to a wheelchair ever since a tragic accident.

Once, the whole village gathers for a ceremony in the temple followed by a speech by the headman. The next morning, Padmavati is found dead at the pedastal, close to the feet of the Goddess. The crime is set. The suspense begins. Venkat Reddy, the village constable investigates such a case for the first time in his profession which makes him doubtful, confused and increasingly suspecting. He thinks wistfully if he would ever be considered a worthy detective. He opines, "Any crime results out of three - motive, means and opportunity". And here he sees seven suspects, seven motives and one murder. So how is the noose going to be released? The question persists perpetually, until the end of the book. Absolutely engaging one, in my opinion.

Every chapter impeccably holds your interest to identify the murderer as it beautifully navigates through the nature of the characters involved, the situations bringing about other situations as a chain and so on. To say it all in short, I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. And I loved it so much that I wished it would never end! You become so immersed that you feel to be supposedly dwelling with these village-men in their village, admiring the Krishna as though you belong to this village! Taken to a new world, rather a village! Enigmatic story and its personalities to tie you up where you love getting fastened as you flip each page.

I loved it so much that I sat one whole day and finished reading it. And wait, I just couldn't help myself that I am going to read it again to have a second journey. The author, I should mention, has an excellent command over the language and how he describes the village, its inhabitants, the Krishna and the various twists in the story is praise-worthy. My best wishes to the author and expecting more from him ;) As such, I recommend that you make this book a part of your book-shelf and enjoy reading and re-reading it! Find yourself with the book and thus in a new isle for a cherishable reading experience.
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