Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta

The rise of the powerful Raavan is sketched in this book as he transforms himself into the enemy of his motherland. This book actually converges where the other two had converged which completes the introduction for the mighty battle to follow. The inherent sadism that defined the character, the intense hatred borne of a childhood devoid of love, the frustration for a society where people were caste away owing to abnormal physical features, the justified rage with unjustified tendency to massacre for the sake of a handful, the undue obsession to achieve the best at the cost of ethics, the lust to dominate supreme, blended with the passion for fine arts made the trader of Lanka a force to reckon it. Not only he became the ruler of the island kingdom but also forced the the rulers of the Sapt Sindhu to bow before his diktat in one swift yet shrewd attack. But his continuing rage against his very own motherland made him the delicate pawn by an obsessive yet brilliant strategist. Treading along a fine line between control and the loss of it, the insecurity of the obsessive mind keeps the future of the innocents at stake. Getting hint of this fact and trying to save Raavan from drowning his soul further in crime, Kumbhakarna tries to force his sibling to the righteous course, time and again, but to no avail. So it remains to be seen, what final challenge Raavan throws to the motherland.
Though, it is a part of the series, but practically it is the remaining perspective that converges at more or less the same scene that the other two culminated. But, the surprise flashback at the finale, hinted several times in the other two books, will actually alter the thinking when yet another perspective will loom large.
The author uses sensuality for the first time and justifies, at places, the rage of the ruthless. These are the only embellishes in the otherwise thrilling jigsaw piece, which, notwithstanding the obvious predictability of the climax due to its convergence criteria, remains well knit with suspense throughout.

Sita: Warrior of Mithila

The second in the series, this novel explores the life of Sita considered to be the Vishnu by Viswamitra led Malayaputras. As remarkable as the revelation is to Sita, her rise as Vishnu seems not free of secrecy and challenges. While the Vayuputras seem to give a nod to Vashistha on his selection of the Vishnu, the adamant and formidable Viswamitra thinks otherwise. In the midst of it all is the threat of Ravaan and his cruel tactics to win over every kingdom that tries to rise respectably. The Nagas play a critical role in all the events and several confusions are cleared. The novel also gives some hint about the cause of the rising enmity between the once bosom friends Vashistha and Viswamitra but keeps space for more to unfold. There remains places where repetitions are there as evident from the nature of the series but it is welcome no doubt. The author actually, in the introduction, acknowledges that the third in the series will explore the life of Ravaan after which will converge to the point where the clash between the titans will start. But here there is also much to unfold. Surprising twists abound the chapters where battles are waiged amid tensions. But inspite of the thrill there is some glaring mistakes in the storytelling. Based on mythological characters, the names of places could have been made a bit  more ancient and realistic as do some of the events which seems more modern than real. But having said these it must be said that it is quite unique yet enjoyable.

Scion of Ikshvaku

Scion of Ikshvaku is different from the Shiva trilogy in several respects. At least to me, whereas the Shiva trilogy had been a new revelation, a completely novel interpretation of mythological characters, but maybe the fact that the epic Ramayana is so much familiar that the surprise is suppressed but the interpretation becomes supreme. But there is one similarity rather a repetition of the central theme. Here too a much deeper plot involves two wise sages who orients the events in the way they want. There is conflict between the two whose origin keeps the suspense heightened.

As Ayodhya is opressed by the trade rules imposed by the demon king Ravaan, people look for a saviour. Ram himself also looks to vanquish the Lankan king. As he gets an opportunity to do only that, it must be the daivi astras that he should use. The law maker in Ram thus uses the weapon for protecting the innocents but forces the punishment of being banned from the Sapt Sindhu for fourteen years as per the Vayuputra's laws.
The Malayaputras follow him in their search for the Vishnu but they too seem divided in their ways. It seems that the Vayuputras have also interest in Ram and they send troupes to his side.
Ram and Sita hold their dream of carving an ideal way of life for the Sapt Sindhu.  But as they prepare themselves for the great battle there comes a cruel blow as they are faced with Ravaan's interference.
The text is superb but for the conversations that doesn't do justice to the serious research carried out by the author. But having said that it must also be acknowledged that the concept is fantastic as always. The rationale behind the epics have been so clearly explained, though it sometimes seem too simple, that it becomes a valued read. The composition is compact yet complete that makes the episodes gripping. The evenly paced book is thus an apt prelude to the series.

The Oath of the Vayuputras

If The Immortals of Meluha had been the introduction then The Secret of the Nagas was a revelation but The Oath of the Vayuputras is nothing short of an intense game of chess with attacks and counterattacks of the masters of strategies. As Shiva tries to oust Evil from the soils of India helps come from unexpected quarters. While the call of duty makes enemies out of friends staunch support comes from distant quarters. Tragedies result as selfish souls betrays to the principles of humanity but Shiva ensures that truth triumphs above all. Traps are set, wars are fought, warriors and heroes are born but peace seems more and more distant as what seemed good shows its evil face, while the apparently evil selves show their heroic hearts. Blending myths with convincing rationale the epic is a glorious tribute to the Indian heritage. Barring some literary confusions while using expressions that may be more subtly handled the literature is unputdownable.

The Secret of the Nagas

The thrill starts right from where it culminated in the first part. Shiva's quest for the dark forces seem to stumble over unprecedented revelations. Frightening wars are fought. Strange alliances are forged. But a mastermind puppeteer seems to play a cruel game. As the pieces of puzzle are gradually ordered near ones seem to drift apart. Revenge is sought but results seem baffling. Amish has blended history with mythology presenting an interpretation of the Gods that is so relevant even today. Hope for the saviour when all seems to lost is instilled. Based on his belief that greatness resides on any ordinary soul Amish etches out a canvas where the unificatin of the great land of India had been so earnestly sought for maybe the very first time. Though stretching the limit to its extreme a significant aspect of the anecdotes is the use of scientific concepts in explaining some bizarre happenings. Finally the epic stops with even more suspense than it seemed to promise at first thus continuing with its trail of surprises. But the only disappointment is the lack of regionality in the choice of referring to designations of the characters.

The Immortals of Meluha

Can be considered as an alternative mythology, the novel tries to define the mythological and divine characters in the light of logic and philosophy with slight defects being in choice of curses like ‘Goddammit’ etc. and adjectives like ‘electrifying’ and the likes which is not proper when the backdrop is a civilization, maybe the most ancient in Indian history. Referring to dates in BC and using the names like India (?) seems also poor choice in the novel.

But besides these I will say that Indian readers will find an appealing anecdote of the philosophy of evil and the good in the beginner of the Shiva trilogy. On the verge when evil seems to engulf the souls of the tribes a saviour is hoped to rise to deliver the people to the righteous path. As the Suryavanshis try to protect their river Saraswati from being encroached by Chandravanshis, it seems all depends on Shiva, leader of the Guna tribe, hailing from the northern mountains of Tibet. The Nagas too seems to be involved in the plot. The deformed but skilled warriors in the Nagas are more worrisome due to their shadowy tactics. But curiously the apparently cursed Vikarmas of Meluha proves to be another strong force for whom Shiva restore reverence and from these people he curbs out a robust force for the Suryavanshis on their battle against their enemies. But tragedy strikes more than once as the secret of the Nagas are never revealed. A raging war cannot be prevented but the aftermath does not seem what It was hoped to be. The author has excelled not only in the description of the battles or the elaboration of the perspectives of the Good and Evil, but in explaining the Indus Valley civilization whose architectural rationale seemed only to be contained in books of history and archaeology so far. The narrative ends with the Pandits of the Vasudeva tribe whispering wisdom to Shiva and telling him of Lord Rudra, the first Mahadev while evil lurks just a short distance ahead thus continuing with the excitement till the next part.

Chanakya's Chant

Interspersing past with the present, Ashwin Sanghi takes the reader in his quest to understand the intricacies of Arthasastra as composed by Chanakya, the shrewd Brahmin who emerged as the most famous kingmaker in the history of India. Driven by vengeance, Chanakya’s tactics to overthrow Dhanananda, unite Bharat under a single ruler and shield the country against foreign dominance will no doubt amaze the ordinary. Drawing parallel to the historic character, Sanghi develops an equally shrewd yet unassuming Gangasagar Misra as he evolves on his way to place his protégé Chandini Gupta as the PM of India. To this effect he stops at nothing and emerges as ruthless opportunist with a political cunning surpassing all the peers of the country. Though fast paced in the first quarter, the storyline clearly becomes over dramatic in the rest where Chanakya’s part remains gripping but Gangasagar becomes ordinary characterwise. At the start I thought we now have a Mario Puzo in Sanghi but my premonition was obliterated as the story progressed. One of the most important fallacies of the fiction part was that Gangasagar’s character evolution was rapid that seemed to catapult his maturity in the most convenient time rather than what would have been correct. His mentor in diplomacy, Agrawalji seemed unjustifiably to lose his cunning as the same matured in Gangasagar. Also the dramatic dialogues, more interesting for a Bollywood endeavour, became a mere repetition of style that compromised the seriousness that the plot demanded. But the most glaring problem, which I don’t know how the writer missed, was that Gangasagar did not have a clearly justified goal in his otherwise clearly defined mission. Chanakya was motivated by revenge and then came his dream of unification of the country. Puzo’s dons aspired to rule the criminal syndicates for business and security for their family. But Gangasagar seemed all of a sudden bent to make a female PM deriving inspiration from an age old rock craving allegedly attributed to Vishnugupta. For this he never wavered to kill the innocent who seemed inconvenient obstacle and placed all the evil men in his side to rule the country (of innocent?). So though a smooth reading material but the story as a whole remains a bit ordinary.