Book review – Indra: the rise and fall of a Hero

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book review, indian author, indra, mythology

I always nurtured a soft spot for Indra, him being Arjun’s Dad. I was left puzzled by how casually Indra is laughed off, – and yet multiple passages in Mahabharat cite him as a benchmark of excellence, by describing a great warrior as ‘ fierce as Indra himself.’

This glaring contradiction indicated a vast abyss where his aura got diluted/distorted- whether due to time or by design. This book finally vindicates the real Indra in all his gut and glory.

Mr Utkarsh delves deep and wide, deftly interweaving folk tales with fiction into a coherent sequence of Indra’s life. He highlights the merits of Indra – his power games, his war strategies, his ambition, his friendships. As also his weakness for soma and stree. His constant tussles with the brahmin cadre, some whom he comes to admire (Dadhichi) while some others who use, abuse & dispose him at will.

His love-hate relation with the wily Vishnu (ahem!). A sequel in the making?

A neat read. A much-needed analysis of Indra.

Author: Utkarsh Patel (A lecturer of comparative mythology at the University of Mumbai and is a guest faculty in many other academic institutions across the country. He is an author of mythological fiction. He is also a founder member of ‘The Mythology Project’ (www.themythologyproject.com), which explores our rich cultural heritage through archival collections and by researching living myths and traditions.

Utkarsh regularly conducts workshops on various world mythologies—Greek, Mesopotamian and Norse—in addition to the epics of India, particularly the Ramayana and its myriad versions. Utkarsh is a TEDx speaker. He is also regularly invited to speak on various mythological subjects, with an emphasis on the interpretation of mythological characters and incidents, feminism, management and other topics, at various literary forums and festivals, organizations, etc.

For more on his work, visit http://www.utkarshmp.com)

Publication: Rupa

Genre: Indian Mythology

Pages: 312

Amazon.in link for the book

Book review: Shakuntala the woman wronged by Utkarsh Patel

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book review, dushyant, independent, legitimacy, Mahabharata, mythology, shakuntala, strong women, utkarsh patel, vyas and kalidasa

A confession – I’d totally forgotten that Ved Vyas is the original writer (inspite of being an ardent adorer of his work). It’s Kalidasa’s romanticized version that was ingrained into my mind since childhood.

Yes, Shakuntala used to be my most-wanted bedtime story. Of course, it’s not the Vyas version that Mom narrated to me – and finally I know why. Vyas was a hardcore realist. No illusions, no lovey-dovey hackneyed sentiments. No blurred vision. Just cold, brutal realism. A huge hug of gratitude to Utkarsh Patel for re-introducing us to Ved Vyas’s Shakuntala. A woman, in so many ways, a worthy predecessor for Vyas’s Draupadi.

Kalidas’s Dushyant had the convenient excuse of Durvasa’s curse to forget Shakuntala after the secretive Gandharva marriage. Vyas’s Dushyant seduces, uses and discards Shakuntala.

Twitter review – A tale from abandonment to abandonment, culminating in liberation. An emphatic and empathetic female pov.

Shakuntala is the love child of Kshatriya-turned–sage Vishwamitra and the heavenly nymph Menaka. Rejected by an furious father & forced into abandonment by a reluctant Menaka, Shakuntala is adopted by sage Kanva. Shakuntala nurtures an independent mind, curious queries and clarity of thoughts as she questions men, power,dharma, laws and politics around her.

She gets an opportunity to practice what she preaches, when King Dushyant weds, beds and then dumps her. Shakuntala cuts through the riff-raff to reveal his ugly self to Dushyant. She ensures her son Bharat’s royal heirloom before she walks off into a lonely horizon with her pride, values & dignity intact.

Pros:

• An opportunity to revel in Ved Vyas’s original genius and his consistent homage to fiercely independent women.
• Kudos to Utkarsh for writing so tenderly & heartfelt from a woman’s pov, whether it’s about  Ahalya, Menaka, Shakuntala or Madhavi.

His reply: I think all of us have a woman in us and all women have a man within them. Its the theory of anima and animus which works. In my case, the understanding of the women’s psyche is probably more defined and I have never shied away from accepting this factor.

My Q: Did Dushyant have other marriages in the 6 years between his 1st and last meeting with Shakuntala? If so, what would be status of Bharat vis-a-vis other royal heirs and the heirarchy?

His reply: Majority of the versions are silent about Dushyant’s other wives. It could just be a guilt factor which did not allow him to remarry. I have brought his angle about his guilt, when the minister suggests that he get married but Dushyant demurs.

• Utkarsh also neatly juxtaposes Dushyant’s hunter views ‘ He did not like to hunt if there was no chase.’ It fits in perfectly with Dushyant’s views on feminine conquests.

Cons:

• First few pages have dialogues of 2 characters crowded into one paragraph. It’s wholly unexpected from a Rupa publication.
• I found it self-defeating when Shakuntala extracts a pre-nuptial promise of legitimacy for her son. She however extracts none for a daughter, thus making a daughter as vulnerable to subsequent slurs as herself. Given her feminist tirade, it seems out of character. But that probably, is a query targeted at Vyas rather than at Utkarsh.
• The title should have read ‘A woman to be proud of’ instead of ‘A woman wronged’. The latter gives Shakuntala a victim tag, which she vehemently refused to become.

Verdict: Timely & time tested, well researched (Utkarsh does hold a degree in Comparative Mythology from Mumbai university) and well presented woman’s perspective by a male author. Recommended for admirers of mythology, Ved Vyas and fiery women.

Genre: Mythology/ Fiction

Publication: Rupa

Author contact: www.utkarshspeak.blogspot.in

Price: Rs 295/-

Pages: 269

#Read about Guest #Author Dr. Sweety Shinde

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arjun, arjuna, author interview, Bhagavad Gita, blurb ideas, book spine, books, cover design, fiction novel, Goodreads Giveaway, Guest blogpost, Indian epic, kurukshetra, Mahabharata, mythology, writing tips, youtube trailer

I got an opportunity to grace Chris Graham’s platform for authors. Here it is…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Perfect quote – It aptly sums up the motive to pen my novel.

Why write at all? You cannot inhale and not exhale.
You cannot eat and not poop.
You cannot read and not write. (Did I just equate writing with pooping?) Yin & Yang. Reading is a passive, pleasant passion. Writing is challenging, invigorating, and pathologically addictive!

Profession vs Passion: I’m a Pathologist by profession. I dissect dead bodies and diagnose live diseases under the microscope. But human beings hold deeper mysteries beneath the visible surface. Mind, emotions, and idiosyncrasies – those are beyond the scalpel, but not beyond the pen’s might!

I decided to use my profession 2 ways. One, to fund my passion. Two, to stimulate both halves of my brain – the rational and the creative. Yin & Yang again. 

Flexing the muscles of Time: ‘Work expands to fill the time required to complete it.’ As a…

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Book review: Shattered Dreams

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bharat, book review, game of life, Rama, Ramayana, shattered dreams, shubh vilas, sita

Premise: Part II of VI Ramayana series.

Story : Post Ram-Sita’s marriage upto Ram’s departure on 14 year Exile.

Tweet version: Mythology buffs know this span includes Keikeyi’s royal tantrum, Manthara’s manipulative move, Dasaratha’s cave-in and Rama’s ‘slip-between-cup & lip’ brush with Ayodhya’s crown.

So how does this 23 word Tweet translate into 386 pages?  Pretty smooth, in the able hands of Shubh Vilas.

                            I liked :

1] Sparks of human emotions within exalted characters- For example Dasaratha (who feels envious & nervous when his courtiers cheer Rama’s coronation – and Dasaratha wonders if they are cheering the end of his reign!), in Rama (after he finds out Kaikeyi’s wish – ‘Here, before Sita, at last Rama dropped his guard. Every leader needs room to express his feelings. Sita was not just that space, she was a deep lake.’)

2] Rama’s angst : ‘Outside were people who expected him to lead. Inside were people who expected him to follow.’ – as he struggles to bridge the gap between being the perfect crown Prince and the perfect son.

3] Sita : Shubh Vilas justifies why he thinks original name of epic was Ramaa-ayana, story of Sita. His Sita is glorious & feisty – using logic, reason, love, pleas and even unexpected insulting taunts

Krishn, the Rorschach test.

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atom bomb, bhagvada Gita, Bhagwad Gita, choice, festivals, gandhiji, interpretation, kansa, Krishn, Krishna, kurukshetra, non-violence, oppenheimer, perspective, war & philosophy

Bhagwad Gita inspired Robert Oppenheimer for Hiroshima-Nagasaki’s ‘Liitle Boy & Fat Man’  atom bombs.

Bhagwad Gita inspired M.K. Gandhi’s Ahimsa (Non-violence movement) as a strategy for India’s freedom struggle.

One source. Polar interpretations. 

Bhagwad Gita is a Rorschach test. So is its orator, Krishn.

On the eve of Janmashthami (Krishn’s birthday), let us try to explore the Krishn Rorschach. 

He plunged through the entire gamut