BOOK REVIEW: RAAVAN: ENEMY OF ARYAVARTA (Ram Chandra Series - Book 3) by AMISH

Raavan: The epitome of evil as per our Hindu mythology. We know him as a man who was egotistical, evil incarnated, kidnapped the wife of a pious and honorable king, and considered himself to be way above than the heavenly Gods above!

While growing up in a simple Indian Marwari household, granny would always warn us against growing up to be someone like Raavan as he was a "bad man". Moreover thanks to Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana, we took this to our heart and believed it with all our faith!

However, as with all childhood 'truths', this one too took a bad fall! We all realized that in reality, Raavan was a highly educated man, a Shiva worshipper, a great warrior, a loving brother, and above all a just king!

There have been many stories written, plays written, and even movies being made to showcase the story of Raavan from a different perspective, to highlight his positivities, and to bring to life his story

from his point of view!

Amish as an author needs no introduction. He is a master storyteller who seamlessly weaves mythology with fiction. The Shiva trilogy was an absolute delight to be read. Till date, no author had been able to write Lord Shiva's story with such a unique and out-of-the-box storyline!

The Ram Chandra Series is another brilliant gem by this genius man. To come up with a storyline that is completely tangent to what has been passed on since ages as our great Hindu truth is not a simple task!

This is the third book in the series after Ram: Scion of Ishkvaku and Sita: Warrior of Mithila. 

At the onset, I have to give in to my fangirl emotions and have an "OH! MY GOD!" moment.

A very well-crafted story that begins with the early childhood of Raavan in the ashram of his father, sage Vishrava. Raavan did not have a happy childhood and was never loved by his father. This had a deep-rooted effect on his mindset and decisions later in life. He is shown to be an exceptionally talented man who was not only a brave warrior but was also a highly accomplished musician and an artist. He was very loyal towards his family and in fact, took up the job of looking after his mother and younger brother, Kumbhakarna from a very young age.

Raavan had a lot of hatred and negativity inside him and the responsibility of earning for his family since a young age made him a bitter and hard man. He rarely gave in to his softer side and preferred to be feared by others. Regular people crave to portray themselves as good and pious for the world, but Raavan was just the opposite. He enjoyed the stories circulated about him being cruel and barbarian. He reveled in his negative image and took immense pride in being considered as the larger-than-life barbarian of all times!

However, there was another side of Raavan that was privy to Kumbhakarna alone. The two brothers had a very strong and close relationship. Kumbhakarna was the only one who knew about Raavan's inner turmoil and did his earnest best to be there for his brother, both physically and emotionally. When Kumbhakarna realizes that Raavan has lost his moral compass, he does his utmost, through cash and kind, to cut down on Raavan's adharma and make additions to his dharma quota!

The story comes to an end when Raavan kidnaps Sita and is en route to Lanka in his pushpak vimaan along with Kumbhakarna. 

The fourth story in the series will be the grand finale bringing the stories of all the three principal characters together!

I have purposely not written much about the story as I did not want to reveal the suspense here and spoil it for all you wonderful readers out there.

If you have enjoyed the Shiva series and have in fact read the previous two books of the Ram Chandra series, there is absolutely no way that you can stop yourself from reading this book. This is a fantastic story, although slightly boring in some parts, but one that you will want to finish in a single sitting!

Amish has written in the Introduction of the book that he had changed the title of the book from Raavan: Orphan of Aryavarta to Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta as he felt that Raavan alienated himself from his motherland through his own actions. I am not in full agreement here. Yes, Raavan did distance himself from his motherland owing to his wrongdoings, but one should also consider the reason behind his hatred and anger. I am not justifying Raavan or his behavior but I do feel that he does deserve a benefit of the doubt!

Till next time happy reading and please do leave your comments to connect with me on this book!

BOOK REVIEW : A GOD IN EVERY STONE by KAMILA SHAMSIE

City of Men
City of Flowers
Land Beyond the Mountains
Caspatyrus, Paruparaesanna, Paropamisadae, Gandhara, Parasapur, Purashapura, Poshapura, Po-lu-sha-pu-lo, Fo-lu-sha, Farshabur, Peshawar
" They all had a name for it, century after century- the Persians, the Greeks, the Mauryans, the Indo- Greeks, the Sassanids, the Kushans; kings and generals and Buddhist monks and travelers, everyone felt the tug of Peshawar."
Truly and aptly said by the famed author Kamila Shamsie in her latest book, A God In Every Stone.
History, archaeology, India's fight for Independence, World War 1, Ottoman regime, Indian sepoys fighting for the Queen in the World War 1, Peshawar in the early 20th century- such contrasting topics but under Shamsie's excellent writing, it turns into a beautiful story, set in the early 20th century. It starts somewhere in 1914 and ends in the middle of the 1930s. Vivian Rose Spencer, Nazeeb, and his elder brother Qayyum Gul are the three main protagonists here, sharing a unique connection amongst themselves, which though seems insignificant in the beginning reveals its true meaning and importance at the climax of the story on the Street of Storytellers, Peshawar.
The story begins in the ancient town of Labraunda, where Vivian is a part of an excavation dig led by her father's old friend, Tahsin Bey, a Turk. Shamsie's style of writing about the ruins of Labraunda, the broken columns, half-buried rocks and the wild foliage growing there is so vivid that I could picturise it all so well and almost feel myself being present there. Beautiful!!!
From Labraunda, the story jumps to France in the time of World War One, where the Indian sepoys are being deputed to fight for the Queen of England- the readers have to understand that the JUMP in the story is not haphazard rather a very smoothly done one!!!
After the excavation dig and the battle of Ypres, Shamsie takes the readers to the mesmerizing, alluring, addictive, mysterious city of Peshawar where the story reaches its climax and the destiny of our three main characters come together to create an ending that is brave, humane, sad, poignant, and at the same time is cruel and harsh. It makes you weep and smile and even get angry, simultaneously!!
I am very impulsive and mostly all the books which I end up buying/reading are a result of this impulsive streak. This book was another such buy. I was very cautious when I started this book, fearing the worst ( that I might get bored and lose interest), but to my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed this story. I was never a history buff but I was hooked to this one from page 1. Moreover, the one aspect that thoroughly had me in its grip was the detailed archaeological parts. Shamsie has done a brilliant job here and the descriptions were so apt that I just had to close my eyes to visualize it all. Just one word... Wow!!

Peshawar - I have no words to do justice to the charm, the magic, the chaos, the culture, the people, the society of a city which is the heart of this story. The myriad lanes of Peshawar and their intriguing names - The Street of Partridge Lovers, The Street of Englishwomen, The Street of Felt Caps, The Street of Silver, The Street of Potters - made the story all the more interesting and enthralling for me.
I am right now in my happy place, feeling content and satisfied, having completed a good book and enjoying visualizing certain scenes and characters in my mind, again and again!!
This is one author whom I would love to read again to enjoy the beautiful synchronized blend of history, facts, and fiction with characters who stay with you long after the story is over!! 

Aaahhhh... A big sigh of bliss n contentment!!!

BOOK REVIEW: CRAZY RICH ASIANS by KEVIN KWAN

I grew up in Guwahati, a small city in the north-eastern part of India in the 1980s. During those days it was considered cheap and lacking in social manners if one was heard of flaunting his or her money. This attitude has stayed with me and hence, I purposely keep a low profile and generally stay away from people who love to show off their wealth. 

This book, therefore, has been quite an out-of-the-box experience for me.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan talks about a society that is so far away from the realm of my modest reality that I would not mind it calling it mythical. A society that consists of a handful of the uber-rich pedigreed Chinese families who live in these monstrous houses designed by the who's who of the architecture world, traveling all over the world in private jets, shopping unpronounceable brands, holidaying in places that are as exotic as they come, buying jewellery as if it doesn't cost money, and investing in properties as if these are simply peanuts!!

WOW...talk about being so sinfully rich that you even put the Arabs and the Sheikhs to shame!

Remember the simple saying that we have grown up listening, "Money never buys you happiness." This is an absolute truth and it applies to this stinkingly-rich society too. Although these families believe that their money, bloodline, and lineage shields them from the troubles of the mere mortals such as jealousy, hatred, indifference, infidelity, insecurity, and many more; however these vices plague them too because it's a known fact that man is never satisfied. The more he has, the more he craves. This uncontrolled greed is the crux of all problems!

This story is about two individuals living in New York working as professors, Nicholas Young, and Rachel Chu. When Rachel agrees to spend the entire summer with Nicholas and his family in Singapore, she envisions meeting a simple family with modest roots, spending time exploring Singapore, and hoping to take their relationship to the next level. She is in for a rude awakening when she realizes that her boyfriend is the most eligible bachelor with a family that is as good as Chinese royalty and that snootiness and bitchiness runs in the veins of 95% of Nick's family who is hell-bent to break nick and her relationship. The entire story is how this young couple maneuvers the Young family full of landmines! 

There are some very interesting subplots in the story too that add to the zing!

This is a light breezy read that is all fluff. It is a total no-brainer, a pure chick-lit, with vivid, hilarious, and outrageously over the top characters who are so full of DRAMA and SECRETS. It's opulent, it's melodramatic, and it's completely nuts.

This is perfect for your light Sunday reading making you forget your measly real-life issues and plunges you straight into the superficial problems of the CRAZY RICH ASIANS! Enjoy!

BOOK REVIEW: THE FOREST OF ENCHANTMENTS by CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

Ramayana: A fantastic Hindu mythological tale about the journey of the righteous king Rama from being the crown prince of Ayodhya to being banished into the forest for 14years, and then waging a war against the demon king Ravan ensuring that justice prevails and spread the message of the victory of goodness over evil.

There have been innumerable stories written on the virtuous life of Shri Ram extolling his achievements and the pious way he lived his life setting an example for leaders and kings for centuries to follow.

The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is yet one more retelling of this great tale. However, this time the story is written from the perspective of none other than Lady Sita, daughter of King Janaka and wife of Ram.

Although Sita has always occupied the space of great importance in the Ramayana, this book is unique in the sense that here, Sita is the main protagonist and we get to understand the Ramayana from her outlook. The most distinctive feature of this book is the manner that Divakaruni uses Sita's story to explain the startling and diverse forms of LOVE and our actions-reactions to this most-desired yet the most-complicated emotion!

We all believe love to be an all-encompassing feeling that alone can make our lives picture-perfect. How wrong are we in this thought process and even Sita realized it through her trials. One gem on this emotion that caught my eye in the story is, "Love, no matter how deep wasn't enough to transform another person: how they thought, what they believed. at best, we could only change ourselves."

Divakaruni has a divine gift wherein she has the ability to beautifully portray the varied gamut of emotions faced by Sita in her tumultuous journey of life bringing alive her decisions, her judgments, her feeling of despair, her joys, her loneliness, her fear, and the deep and true love for her husband.
Being a woman, a wife, and a mother, I could relate to Sita's feeling of helplessness and her righteous anger or should I say hurt on some of her husband's decisions that may be correct from the point of view of an honest and fair leader but are biased and unfair for the wife.

Why is it that the family of a conscientious man should always be the one to pay the heaviest price? Why can a just ruler not be able to balance duty and love?
Why should be always the female who has to be the one standing beside her husband in all his decisions irrespective of whether she approves it or not?
Why is the woman who has to make sacrifices in the name of duty towards her husband?
Why is it always the woman who has to prove her innocence time and again, just for the satisfaction of the male ego?

As Sita rightly said before she leaves her life on Earth to join the otherworld that when life tests us, we women should be able to stand steadfast and think carefully with our hearts and head when to compromise and when to say NO MORE.

Through this hauntingly soulful story, Divakaruni has given a place of prominence and a voice to the otherwise silent female characters who have been unceremoniously pushed to the edges of the Ramayana: Queen Kaikeyi, Queen Kaushalya, Ahilya, Surpanakha, Queen Mandodari, and last but not the least Urmila.

This book is a true feast for all book lovers and a must-read. Pick your own copy by clicking on the link below:
https://amzn.to/2EotgMp

I want to end this post using another of Divakaruni's definition of Love that says that love is like an ocean: unfathomable, astonishing, measureless, and of course, forgiving!

BOOK REVIEW: HERAI by AARON D.KEY

The future holds a unique fascination in our minds. This is because it holds an unparalleled allure regarding the unseen yet highly awaited eventualities! Numerous books, movies, plays, and theories have been made about the imminent as well as unpredictable future. This is a very popular genre and although not a fan of such books, I wanted to try one. I picked up HERAI by author AARON D. KEY.

This story is based on a dystopian society living in an underground city, deep under the Earth. Their leader Glant believes that they need to be safe and away from the savages living high up the ground, and as such, the city has a very strict and tight patrolling 24*7. This story has a distinctive feature in that there is an all-powerful, all-knowing being who is watching the story develop in two diverse realities- in one reality a known associate of the supreme being is present who has the ability to mold situations and change the direction of the story with a clear conscience whereas in the alternate reality the absence of this enigmatic person takes the story in a totally different dimension. In both the scenarios the main protagonist is Herai, Glant's daughter who has just attained adulthood. In the first plot, Herai is brutally attacked by some unknown dissidents whose motive is not known. On the other hand, in the other plot, Herai is being given the responsibility to go Outside to seek the savages and convince them to reach a truce that will be beneficial to everyone. How the mastermind behind Herai's brutal attack is caught and to know whether she had been successful in meeting the savages is to be seen as the story progresses.

Hats off to Key for writing this story in such a different style with two simultaneous moving plots with the same characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions penned by Key. One situation that stands out in my mind is where Herai has stepped out in the Outside for the first time in her life post the attack and she is simply mesmerized on seeing trees. Moreover, Key has done a brilliant job in bringing alive the underground city with its heavy stone walls, dark damp alleyways, and musty stale air! He has even splendid in keeping the suspense of Herai's attack till the end of the story, but has not been able to keep the reader glued to Herai's journey to meet the so-called savages!

To be honest, I was confused with these two side-by-side running plots. the first 100 pages were a real task. It was only after the 100th page that my interest peaked and I could enjoy the storyline. I, for one, found the story to be a tad slow at times and wished that it could have been made sleeker! I have another complaint about this book and that is the abrupt ending. It just happened suddenly leaving an incomplete feeling in my mind. I wish the author had probably given it a more thorough finale! Hence, I would recommend this book especially to those who are fans of the sci-fi genre.

If you liked the review and want to grab a copy, just click on the given link and voila! The book is yours to enjoy:
https://amzn.to/2DM88zg

That's all for today. Happy reading till next time!