The Treasure of Kafur -book review

The Treasure of Kafur
by Aroon Raman
Genre: Historical Fantasy

This is another one of those books that I finally decided to read during the lock down.

      

Malik Kafur is a legendary figure. He was the one responsible for the success of Aladdin Khilji and the destruction of  many kingdoms. He made the Delhi Sultanate famous in South India, not Khilji. Kafur is well known in the South for his victories..He was turned back at my hometown way down South. But little is known about the man or how he died.

His life itself was mysterious and the stuff of legends. He was a slave who became a general and a general who killed with a ruthlessness that most of India was conquered. He must have commanded extreme loyalty, something even his king in Delhi didn't. Strangely enough, historians are not able to agree on what exactly happened to him or to his plunder. All that is known is that we do not know what happened to him or his treasure.

Raman spins an extraordinary story about the hidden treasure of Kafur and how 250 years later during the Mughal era, a part of it was revealed to Akbar.

Ambu, one of the guardians who can telepathically communicate with animals lives with her grandson Datta in a small hut when she has a vision of the local king Baig plotting with others (from Afghanistan to the Deccan) to encircle the Mughal empire of Akbar. She is abducted when Baig realises she knows the location of the treasure. Afterall, how can a war between differing kingdoms  despite a common enemy be fought without money? However, she ensures Datta is set off towards what proves to be an adventure to warn Akbar of the impending doom and also the location of the treasure before she is abducted. Datta accompanied by a tortoise, a bunch of ravens and a cow makes his way past the Tapti river. Does Datta manage to reach Akbar on time to save Ambu and the Mughal Empire?  Who are the legendary figures he meets during this adventure? Is the truth of the treasure of Kafur completely revealed or does it still lie somewhere in some godforsaken place in India? Raman asks and answers these questions in his book, "A Treasure of Kafur"

From the banks of the Tapti to the Agra Fort, from the ravines of  Aravalli to the Deccan plateau, Raman weaves a story of intrigue, scheming and grandiose that keeps you engaged. This book is t action packed and it will keep you in suspense till the very end when you will finally know if Datta succeeded in saving the empire and his grandmother. Emperor Akbar's mightiness as well as his humane nature is  well conveyed in The Treasure of Kafur.

A must read  for all Indians who are not taught much about Kafur or the society of guardians.

To buy the book

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வீரயுக நாயகன் வேள்பாரி - book review

Veerayuga Nayagan Velpaari  ( வீரயுக நாயகன் வேள்பாரி)
by
Su.Venkatesan
Genre: Historical fiction
Language : தமிழ் (Tamizh/Tamil)

                                               

       

Did the Tamil civilization become great because of three river valley civilizations and the three great kingdoms - Chera, Chola and Pandiyan or because of the hill-forest kingdoms who took in the clans or communities that were violently displaced in the name of building great kingdoms? Who was Paari and why is he so famous in Sangam literature which was written in the plains even though he never belonged to any of the three kingdoms? Why was he praised even in these kingdoms by ordinary people even though they had never seen him? Why was he known even to the Greeks who traded with the three kingdoms? What was about Paari that drew poets and nomadic singers to him?  Su.Venkatesan asks and answers these questions in his fantastic novel,"Veerayuga Nayagan Velpaari "

Being a huge Kalki fan, I started reading this novel after the rave reviews that it is equivalent to or better than Kalki's historical epic Ponniyin Selvan. The other factor is that Pachamalai aka Green Hills where the action takes place is very close to where I grew up. So I was curious and had my reservations at the same time much like the poet Kapilar who sets out on a journey to find the truth about the famed Vallal Paari.

The book takes you on a journey through the history of the three great kingdoms - Chera, Chola and Pandya, their politics and  their trade with the Greeks. But it doesn't stop there. It introduces you to the hill people of Tamilnadu, the people of Parambu Nadu, the kingdom of Paari, their science of counting time, medicine, healing, especially their botany and zoology. It also includes their history.The hill kingdoms were the ones who took in people who were displaced by conquests of the three kings and made them their own. It was amazing to read about the number of displaced and hunted communities, each of whom carried with them their knowledge of discoveries, medicine, unique strength and strategy, botany and zoology apart from metal and alloy making, weaponry, etc. But they were all taken in but not used to fight wars. All were able to live peaceful lives in the forests in the hills and pass on the knowledge to the next generation apart from gaining new knowledge.The people of the hills were happy to live amidst nature but at the same time knew how to protect themselves from nature's fury.  More importantly, they never traded and stuck to the barter system to acquire salt which they couldn't acquire as they weren't near the sea. They were peace loving people in a society where both women and men practiced equality and not patriarchy. Even their king was not above the collective wisdom of the elders.

When the three kings of ancient Tamil land became jealous of the fame of Paari, they all attacked his kingdom separately and  they couldn't win. Despite their suspicion and hatred for each other, they combined forces and attacked the small kingdom again, just out of spite for the famous Paari who they had only heard of but never seen. He defeated the combined forces too. No other king had to face the combined forces of all three powerful Tamil kingdoms together and this bit of history makes the book even more interesting.

It isn't often one comes across a truly marvelous novel . The word to be used for this one is epic as it changes you. This is more of a page turner than Ponniyin Selvan because that was mainly about the Cholas and particularly about Rajaraja Cholan. But this one covers all four kingdoms but mostly the hill kingdom of Paari and life there in greater detail where loyalty and love was commanded and never demanded. From”முல்லைக்கு தேர் கொடுத்தான் பாரி”(The man who gave his chariot to a vine ) or ” (கடையெழு வள்ளல்கள் பாரி)” (One of seven philanthropists)  he becomes அறம் காத்த பாரி(the king who protected morality), no wonder people of ancient land praised him in their records of literature and history.

The writing is crisp and the pace is like being on a racing horse. There are so many characters but they are very memorable and the reader's knowledge of plants and animals grow. The characterization is slightly different that one never hates the antagonists but actually feels sorry for them. There is a lot of sadness when the book ends as the reader is entwined with the protagonists, especially Paari with whom one falls in love with that you never want the book to end.

If you wish to buy the book, click on one of the links below.

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The Vault of Vishnu - book review

The Vault of Vishnu
by Ashwin Sanghi
Genre : Fiction

"One cannot avoid death unless one is already dead.Even then one cannot avoid the endless cycles that follows." 

The above quote from the novel is so apt and comforting in these Covid-19 time.

The novel starts brilliantly in Doklam and with a lot of promise. But Sanghi doesn't meet the reader's expectation as the pace just doesn't slowdown but almost stops before it picks up for a while before it is again brought down to a painful trot. The author kills you slowly as he strays away from the main story to narrate  Xuanzang's travels to India which lasted for over 19 years. This completely breaks the pace of narration as it keeps to start,long stop, start, long stop formula.  Sanghi could have easily used a single sentence or at the maximum a paragraph or even a page to reveal why Xuanzang's  travel was important just as he did it for Faxian's travel to India or Bodhidharma's travels to China.

I had hoped this novel would beat his Chanakya's Chant but it is worse than his Krishna Key where at least the pace was good with extremely well formed characters. Also, the author doesn't understand the difference between AI and genetic mutation which he seems to confuse while writing the book. I laughed out loud when I came across his explanation of the name Ikoalikum, the head of the mysterious tribe. Sanghi must have used Google translate to translate I Akankaramazhikum would have made more sense but I had to remind myself Sanghi probably doesn't know Tamizh or have Tamizh friends. Also he has hurriedly tried to cover everything just because of Doklam conflict and Xi's visit to Mahabalipuram.

The only good thing about the book is Hanuman. Strange I should be writing this on Hanuman Jayanti. The ending is almost satisfactory but getting through the book was a challenge. If you like challenges and since we are in a lock down, you might try reading the book.

Don't Tell The Governor - book review

Don't Tell The Governor                                                                                                                     by                                                                                                                                                                          Ravi Subramanian

Genre: Fiction

If you are wondering why the Indian economy is tottering, this would be the book to read. It explains how the autonomous Reserve Bank of India (RBI) came under the thumb of the current Indian Govt. by establishing the Monetary Policy Committee that removed the RBI Governor’s veto power, the printing of currency notes by a British company, the IPL fixing scandal, terrorism funding and how all these are connected.

The author tries to explain a whole lot of current events in simple English instead of banking language and this includes demonetization. This makes the thriller interesting but the protagonist is caught in a honey trap while the crooks get away making the ending bland. The pace is fast and if you like puzzles, you can try decoding the names of the people who the author is referring to in his book. I love puzzles, so I was stunned by what I found. For India watchers, the events described would be familiar but for others who are not familiar with political and economic events, this might be just a thriller.

The writing is simple and clear. The author explains how banks work, what are NPAs, etc. in a way that even ordinary people can understand. While Indian media did not give the kind of attention they should have to Panama Paper leaks, the author does and explains money laundering, why diamond jewellers seem to be fleeing the country including a jeweller who was a former IPL team owner and also a gold Ponzi scheme runner, etc.

Is the system being cleaned? The answer appears to be no as India appears to have replaced the system with an even worse system.

If you wish to buy the book click  HERE

Raavan : Enemy of Aryavarta

I just finished the much awaited book by Amish Tripathi. Halfway through the book, I knew who Sita was going to be and why Raavan would kidnap her. However, Amish Tripathi never fails to surprise you. 

Raavan or Ravanan to me is the most interesting of the three books of the Ramayana series. Tripathi justifies the kidnapping of Sita which took me by surprise. Raavan is the protective brother who becomes a thief. The thief who becomes a pirate. The pirate who becomes a warrior. The warrior who becomes king. The king who is shaped by enmity between two men to become the ultimate villain which he is definitely not. One tends to be able to read this book and sympathize with the ultimate villain. Maybe because heartache and heartbreak is something universal that all people can relate to?

It is a book that doesn't follow the epic and the villain bashing that is practiced during Dusshera. Zipping through his childhood, the boy spurned by his father, his chance encounter with a little girl who he is unable to forget and whose memory always makes want to be a better person, the young man who loves books, music, painting and becomes an accomplished artist, the scholar who becomes a trader, the trader who becomes a warrior, the warrior who finally becomes Lanka's emperor but would do anything for his younger brother and son. The story zips through 60 years of Raavan's life before he kidnaps Sita whom he has never seen!

It is an amazing story along with the birth of his brother Kumbhakarna from whose birth on, their mother and the sons are on the run for their lives. Kumbhakarna is equally interesting as this book as much as about Raavan as it is about Kumbhakarna, the brother Raavan saves from being murdered on the instructions of his father.The rest come much later. It is interesting balance to the usual Ram-Laxman duo who are praised while the other brother duo is usually forgotten Raavan-Kumbhakarna which Tripathi highlights.

The twist in Vaali's tale was so surprising that I couldn't help but wonder. Same for Vishwamitra and Vashishta.

I can't wait for the next book even though we all know how it will end. 

If you are interested in reading the book, you can buy it here

Can Unconditional Love Go Wrong?

Truly till the end of Time
By Abhishek Sanwal
BlueRose Publishers, 2019
Genre: Fiction

                               

Luv (named after the eldest son of Sita) gets a mysterious text from his college buddy Adi years after they graduated and settled down. It reads, “The biggest achievement in life –tears in someone’s eye for you. The biggest failure in life – tears in someone’s eyes because of you.” Worried, he rushes over to meet Adi. Adi’s wife and parents are completely unaware of the state Adi is in. He finds Adi in a darkened room alive and just when he is relieved Adi is okay, Adi gives him something to read – his diary from four years ago when they were still students. 

Set in Chennai, this is not just the story of four college buddies Adi, Jhilmil, Luv and Chabbi but also of Neel and Ria. It uncovers the life of north Indians in South India and the author shuts out the southern atmosphere, people, language, culture,  using blah, blah which is amusing and irritating  at the same time. The characters speak English, Hindi or Hinglish. Just when you think it might get boring or you know what is going to happen next, there are surprise twists and turns that keeps you reading taking you along paths which shock you. The ending is a big surprise.

While reading the book I realized how men are allowed to retain their friendships by Indian society while women slowly drop out of contact because they are forced to move after marriage – an unfair deal or the ending might have been different.  The story carries with it some insights into how Indian society works, especially for a north Indian person in South India and their terms of acceptance of South Indian culture.

The writing is slow in the beginning and picks up pace as the story moves forward. The prose style leaves a lot to be desired but the author will go places if he gets a good editor. Otherwise a nice summer read.

If  you wish to buy the book,click  here

A Matter of Latitude

A Matter of Latitude
by Isobel Blackthorn
Genre : Mystery/Suspense Thriller


What would you do if your artist-activist husband disappears on your daughter's birthday - a birthday your husband would never miss? Would you turn into a sleuth or would you just register a police complaint and hope for the best? Do we really care about the exotic places we travel to ? While complaining about environment degradation, don't we also seek out the tourist comforts and are willing to pay heavily in these exotic holiday destinations ? Is development and corruption intertwined ? Are we as tourists actually encouraging corruption and destruction of the environment? What exactly is development ? These are questions that Isobel Blackthorn asks and answers in her wonderful book, "A Matter of Latitude".

Set in Lanzarote,one of the Canary Islands administered by Spain, Blackthorn hooks you from the first page. The author has an unusual style of narration, using two POVs, that of the artist-activist Celestino Diaz and the other one of the British Paula Diaz who is Celestino's wife searching for him. The story keeps gathering pace with mysteries galore and the reader hoping Celestino doesn't die. Blackthorn not only reveals just enough to wet one's appetite for more about Celestino Diaz but also throws enough puzzles the reader's way via her other lead character Paula to keep you trying to solve just when there are more twists and turns thrown in.

The writing style is unusually crisp and effective despite the two POVs which are made clear to the reader in her first two chapters. The pace is steady as you try to figure out if Celestino Diaz will live or die.

This is a definitive must read as it not only tantalizes but also makes you ponder about the larger issues at hand - corruption, environment and development. I will say this much, your vacations and your view of developing and under developing countries  and corruption will never be the same again.

If you are looking for a good mystery book, this is the one to get. You can buy it here.