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Hastinapur #1
The Winds of Hastinapur
‘My hair is white and thin, now. In a few moons, the Goddess will claim me, and I do not have a fresh young virgin by my side to absorb my knowledge and take my place once I am gone. The Mysteries of Ganga and her Sight will vanish with me, and the Great River will become nothing more than a body of lifeless water … It is my intention, therefore, to tell you the story as it happened, as I saw it happen.’
The Mahabharata is the story of women, even though men have focused far too much on the Great Battle. It is women who have set events in motion, guided the action and measured the men. The Winds of Hastinapur begins at the point that Ganga was cursed and sent to Earth. She lives among the mortals and bears Shantanu, the King of Hastinapur, seven children, all of whom she kills. With the eighth, she leaves. That boy, who returns to Earth, will prove to be the key to the future of Hastinapur.The story, as told through the lives of his mother Ganga and stepmother Satyavati, is violent, fraught with conflict and touched with magic.
A lady of the river who has no virgin daughter to carry on her legacy, Celestials who partake of a mysterious lake they guard with their very lives, sages overcome by lust, a randy fisher-princess – these and other characters lend a startling new dimension to a familiar tale. SharathKomarraju does not so much retell the epic as rewrite it
The Mahabharata is the story of women, even though men have focused far too much on the Great Battle. It is women who have set events in motion, guided the action and measured the men. The Winds of Hastinapur begins at the point that Ganga was cursed and sent to Earth. She lives among the mortals and bears Shantanu, the King of Hastinapur, seven children, all of whom she kills. With the eighth, she leaves. That boy, who returns to Earth, will prove to be the key to the future of Hastinapur.The story, as told through the lives of his mother Ganga and stepmother Satyavati, is violent, fraught with conflict and touched with magic.
A lady of the river who has no virgin daughter to carry on her legacy, Celestials who partake of a mysterious lake they guard with their very lives, sages overcome by lust, a randy fisher-princess – these and other characters lend a startling new dimension to a familiar tale. SharathKomarraju does not so much retell the epic as rewrite it
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2013
47 people are currently reading
943 people want to read
About the author
Sharath Komarraju
134 books213 followersSharath Komarraju is an author of fiction and nonfiction based in Bangalore, India. Once a software engineer, now he writes for a living, and on lazy days he watches cricket and talks to his wife (often at the same time).
His most popular work to date is the Hastinapur series, in which he speaks into the silences of the Mahabharata story through the epic's many women characters.
His most popular work to date is the Hastinapur series, in which he speaks into the silences of the Mahabharata story through the epic's many women characters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
November 13, 2014
“Myth is truth which is subjective, intuitive, cultural and grounded in faith.”
----Dr.Devdutt Pattanaik, an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author.
Hindu Mythology is so rich and divine and with so enlightening filled with millions of legends, that if you're an author, than you can't stop yourself from making the most incredible story of your life out of it. Similarly, Sharath Komarraju an Indian author has also spun his new book, The Winds of Hastinapur based on the Mahabharata and its legends.
Synopsis:
‘My hair is white and thin, now. In a few moons, the Goddess will claim me, and I do not have a fresh young virgin by my side to absorb my knowledge and take my place once I am gone. The Mysteries of Ganga and her Sight will vanish with me, and the Great River will become nothing more than a body of lifeless water … It is my intention, therefore, to tell you the story as it happened, as I saw it happen.’
The Mahabharata is the story of women, even though men have focused far too much on the Great Battle. It is women who have set events in motion, guided the action and measured the men. The Winds of Hastinapur begins at the point that Ganga was cursed and sent to Earth. She lives among the mortals and bears Shantanu, the King of Hastinapur, seven children, all of whom she kills. With the eighth, she leaves. That boy, who returns to Earth, will prove to be the key to the future of Hastinapur. The story, as told through the lives of his mother Ganga and stepmother Satyavati, is violent, fraught with conflict and touched with magic.
A lady of the river who has no virgin daughter to carry on her legacy, Celestials who partake of a mysterious lake they guard with their very lives, sages overcome by lust, a randy fisher-princess – these and other characters lend a startling new dimension to a familiar tale.
I found the characterization to be very profound and vivid. And the fact being that all the characters that we read on Mahabharata are very surreal, still the author has made an effort to make these characters lively and quite edgy! The emotional scope that he explored with his main protagonists is brilliant and that motherly loss and grief and pain are very well depicted. The author has also explored so many untold legends in his own imagination and I can't agree more that he did it skillfully. The relationship between Ganga and Satyavati is something very precious to read in this and is definitely the prime attraction of the book. With carefully chosen simple words, the narration turned out to be nice and interesting. The only flaw that I could find was that there were certain mysteries in the plot; I wished the author could have unfolded them more realistically, and also at times, I wandered away from the story. The climax was okay, not that dramatic. In short, this legend is quite enlightening and the author has done full justice to one of the greatest mythological tales of our country.
Thanks to Good reads for choosing me as a First Read Winner and thanks to the author for sending me over a copy of his book in return for an honest review.
----Dr.Devdutt Pattanaik, an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author.
Hindu Mythology is so rich and divine and with so enlightening filled with millions of legends, that if you're an author, than you can't stop yourself from making the most incredible story of your life out of it. Similarly, Sharath Komarraju an Indian author has also spun his new book, The Winds of Hastinapur based on the Mahabharata and its legends.
Synopsis:
‘My hair is white and thin, now. In a few moons, the Goddess will claim me, and I do not have a fresh young virgin by my side to absorb my knowledge and take my place once I am gone. The Mysteries of Ganga and her Sight will vanish with me, and the Great River will become nothing more than a body of lifeless water … It is my intention, therefore, to tell you the story as it happened, as I saw it happen.’
The Mahabharata is the story of women, even though men have focused far too much on the Great Battle. It is women who have set events in motion, guided the action and measured the men. The Winds of Hastinapur begins at the point that Ganga was cursed and sent to Earth. She lives among the mortals and bears Shantanu, the King of Hastinapur, seven children, all of whom she kills. With the eighth, she leaves. That boy, who returns to Earth, will prove to be the key to the future of Hastinapur. The story, as told through the lives of his mother Ganga and stepmother Satyavati, is violent, fraught with conflict and touched with magic.
A lady of the river who has no virgin daughter to carry on her legacy, Celestials who partake of a mysterious lake they guard with their very lives, sages overcome by lust, a randy fisher-princess – these and other characters lend a startling new dimension to a familiar tale.
I found the characterization to be very profound and vivid. And the fact being that all the characters that we read on Mahabharata are very surreal, still the author has made an effort to make these characters lively and quite edgy! The emotional scope that he explored with his main protagonists is brilliant and that motherly loss and grief and pain are very well depicted. The author has also explored so many untold legends in his own imagination and I can't agree more that he did it skillfully. The relationship between Ganga and Satyavati is something very precious to read in this and is definitely the prime attraction of the book. With carefully chosen simple words, the narration turned out to be nice and interesting. The only flaw that I could find was that there were certain mysteries in the plot; I wished the author could have unfolded them more realistically, and also at times, I wandered away from the story. The climax was okay, not that dramatic. In short, this legend is quite enlightening and the author has done full justice to one of the greatest mythological tales of our country.
Thanks to Good reads for choosing me as a First Read Winner and thanks to the author for sending me over a copy of his book in return for an honest review.
June 15, 2014
I have always been fascinated by mythology. Even though I had never read the books, I have seen the adaptations on television ever since I can remember. I know the tales of 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' pretty well, all thanks to my grandmother who used to explain the story to me while we were watching it. I have wanted to read the original stories though. After reading the 'Ramayana' I fell in love with the mythological genre. The only problem is that it takes a really long time to finish the books and it has so many characters that you need to read it with a keen eye. Thankfully Sharath Komarraju's adaptation of the 'Mahabharata' comes in a series of books, told in the point of view of the lesser known ladies of the epic. So when, the author himself asked me to review the first book of this series, I jumped at the opportunity. I had not read any of his books before. For the record, Sharath Komarraju is the author of 'Murder In Amaravati' and 'Banquet On The Dead'. So, I read this book like as if it was his first.
"My hair is white and thin, now. In a few moons, the Goddess will claim me, and I do not have a fresh young virgin by my side to absorb my knowledge and take my place once I am gone. The Mysteries of Ganga and her Sight will vanish with me, and the Great River will become nothing more than a body of lifeless water.. It is my intention, therefore, to tell you the story as it happened, as I saw it happen."
'The Winds Of Hastinapur' is the story of Mahabharata indeed, but it focuses on the women instead of the famous and infamous men of the epic. No one has tapped into the emotions of the women of Mahabharata until now, apart from the tale of Draupadi told in the 'Palace Of Illusions'. The very fact that the story is told from a woman's point of view makes it more interesting.
The book is split into two parts. The first part is the tale of Ganga and the second part is the tale of Satyavati. The first part starts in the past with the river maiden Jahnavi also known as Ganga, who lives among the celestials of Meru, who are immortal, thanks to water of the great lake. Prabhasa, the Vasu cursed by a sage’s wife, asks her to bear him and his brothers in her womb as the curse ordains them to be born as humans. Ganga is hence cursed and sent to earth to be the wife of Shantanu. Her sole purpose of coming to earth is to bear a son to the great King, the son who shall one day rule the land of Hastina. The son who shall rule Hastina would be the eighth son of Ganga and Shantanu. Hence, she kills seven of her own sons by drowning them in the river. The only son that survives is Devavrata. The first part ends with him leaving the place where he grows up, Meru.
The second part is the story of Kali, the daughter of a fisher man who is later known as Queen Satyavati when she marries Shantanu. This part is mainly about how she gets to be the second wife of Shantanu. She is the powerful one here with a keen eye on matters of politics and everything else. She symbolizes total power that takes down everyone around her, mainly the destiny of Ganga's son. The contrast between Ganga and Satyavati is enchanting and brought out beautifully by the author. But it is the story of Bhishma that stands out here. Marvellous and spellbound. Sharath uses simple words to convey the story and portrays the characters as normal beings and not like the ones who can fly or go invisible. Each character has a story to tell and it is refreshing to read it. I loved the character of Satyavati more than anyone else as she is more real than anyone around. Ganga comes with her share of fantasies, but is an underrated character here. The author does a wonderful job in bringing out the emotions of the women. Be it sexual or otherwise. These feelings were not shown in any of the adapted sagas on television.
The book is a delight to read and keeps the reader wanting for more. I cannot wait for the next book to be out now. However, I found two negatives in the book. One, the spellings. There are quite a lot of spelling mistakes in the book which I found troubling. Also there is an unwanted use to capitals every now and then. Not the author's fault, the editing team needs to proof-read it one again, before the next print. Second, the cover. The story inside is so captivating that the outer cover does not do justice to it. At all. It looks too plain and mediocre. The contrast between the two leading ladies of the book would have made for a better cover. Hopefully, these two points will be taken care of in the coming sequels.
Verdict: A delightful read and keeps the reader hooked. Not only for the fans of mythology. Fiction lovers can enjoy it too.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
"My hair is white and thin, now. In a few moons, the Goddess will claim me, and I do not have a fresh young virgin by my side to absorb my knowledge and take my place once I am gone. The Mysteries of Ganga and her Sight will vanish with me, and the Great River will become nothing more than a body of lifeless water.. It is my intention, therefore, to tell you the story as it happened, as I saw it happen."
'The Winds Of Hastinapur' is the story of Mahabharata indeed, but it focuses on the women instead of the famous and infamous men of the epic. No one has tapped into the emotions of the women of Mahabharata until now, apart from the tale of Draupadi told in the 'Palace Of Illusions'. The very fact that the story is told from a woman's point of view makes it more interesting.
The book is split into two parts. The first part is the tale of Ganga and the second part is the tale of Satyavati. The first part starts in the past with the river maiden Jahnavi also known as Ganga, who lives among the celestials of Meru, who are immortal, thanks to water of the great lake. Prabhasa, the Vasu cursed by a sage’s wife, asks her to bear him and his brothers in her womb as the curse ordains them to be born as humans. Ganga is hence cursed and sent to earth to be the wife of Shantanu. Her sole purpose of coming to earth is to bear a son to the great King, the son who shall one day rule the land of Hastina. The son who shall rule Hastina would be the eighth son of Ganga and Shantanu. Hence, she kills seven of her own sons by drowning them in the river. The only son that survives is Devavrata. The first part ends with him leaving the place where he grows up, Meru.
The second part is the story of Kali, the daughter of a fisher man who is later known as Queen Satyavati when she marries Shantanu. This part is mainly about how she gets to be the second wife of Shantanu. She is the powerful one here with a keen eye on matters of politics and everything else. She symbolizes total power that takes down everyone around her, mainly the destiny of Ganga's son. The contrast between Ganga and Satyavati is enchanting and brought out beautifully by the author. But it is the story of Bhishma that stands out here. Marvellous and spellbound. Sharath uses simple words to convey the story and portrays the characters as normal beings and not like the ones who can fly or go invisible. Each character has a story to tell and it is refreshing to read it. I loved the character of Satyavati more than anyone else as she is more real than anyone around. Ganga comes with her share of fantasies, but is an underrated character here. The author does a wonderful job in bringing out the emotions of the women. Be it sexual or otherwise. These feelings were not shown in any of the adapted sagas on television.
The book is a delight to read and keeps the reader wanting for more. I cannot wait for the next book to be out now. However, I found two negatives in the book. One, the spellings. There are quite a lot of spelling mistakes in the book which I found troubling. Also there is an unwanted use to capitals every now and then. Not the author's fault, the editing team needs to proof-read it one again, before the next print. Second, the cover. The story inside is so captivating that the outer cover does not do justice to it. At all. It looks too plain and mediocre. The contrast between the two leading ladies of the book would have made for a better cover. Hopefully, these two points will be taken care of in the coming sequels.
Verdict: A delightful read and keeps the reader hooked. Not only for the fans of mythology. Fiction lovers can enjoy it too.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
January 1, 2016
Hindu mythology has always attracted my attention and of them, the retellings of Mahabharata and its characters are my favorite. So when I was given an opportunity to read and review a book based on Bhishma, I knew I couldn't miss it. The Winds of Hastinapur is a story told by Ganga, the first wife of Shantanu, one of the Kuru Kings, and Satyavati, his second wife who was a fisher-girl in the kingdom.
The first part, told by Ganga, tells us about the world beyond mountains, in Meru where Celestials live; how she was cursed to go to the Earth, to bear seven children and then eventually kill them all, and how she takes the eighth child, who is allowed to live, to Meru, to study the scriptures. This eighth son, is Devavrata, who is later known as Bhishma.
The second part, is told from the point of view of Satyavati, or Kali, who lives in the fishing communities of the Kingdom of Hastinapur. She convinced King Shantanu to marry her, and make her sons the kings after him. She also tells us about his relationship with Sage Parashara, and how she bore a son with him, who was sent to Brighu to study Vedas; he is later known as Veda Vyasa.
What I loved the most about the story is how the author successfully managed to turn the facts into an amazing story. Only an author with a strong command on words and an outstanding ability to turn those words into spell-binding situations can write with such splendid. I hadn't read any book by Sharath Komarraju before, but after this I'm sure I'm going to read more from him.
Another thing which probably stood apart is the vivid imagery throughout the book. The reader will often find himself immersed in the story so much so that he will actually experience the story. Again, the author worked his magic with the words and took us away to a great adventure.
But the major disappointment might be how the women are presented in this story. Even though, this story is supposed to be highlighting the importance of women in Mahabharata, it ended up objectifying women and showing them as pawns of desire and lust. It always has been like this throughout the history, but women still could have been shown in a positive light; there is much more about women than just being the objects of beauty and lust. I found it lacking throughout the book. While women of the story could have been shown with much more potential, it never happened in the story. I feel that the entire essence of the book was extinguished.
The first part of the story told by Ganga, had a really good story building up. Without giving much away, there were questions raised, answers given, major character developments could be seen as well as great plot twists. But the second part revolving around Satyavati, initially started out very good, but eventually turned flat in comparison with that of Ganga's. The story felt rushed and not much really happened in that story.
Nevertheless, I have to say that the book presented a good insight into Bhishma's side of story in Mahabharata, and how the Great War was actually due to the various decisions made by women such as Satyavati and Ganga.
Originally on http://thetalespensieve.com/2015/12/b...
The first part, told by Ganga, tells us about the world beyond mountains, in Meru where Celestials live; how she was cursed to go to the Earth, to bear seven children and then eventually kill them all, and how she takes the eighth child, who is allowed to live, to Meru, to study the scriptures. This eighth son, is Devavrata, who is later known as Bhishma.
The second part, is told from the point of view of Satyavati, or Kali, who lives in the fishing communities of the Kingdom of Hastinapur. She convinced King Shantanu to marry her, and make her sons the kings after him. She also tells us about his relationship with Sage Parashara, and how she bore a son with him, who was sent to Brighu to study Vedas; he is later known as Veda Vyasa.
What I loved the most about the story is how the author successfully managed to turn the facts into an amazing story. Only an author with a strong command on words and an outstanding ability to turn those words into spell-binding situations can write with such splendid. I hadn't read any book by Sharath Komarraju before, but after this I'm sure I'm going to read more from him.
Another thing which probably stood apart is the vivid imagery throughout the book. The reader will often find himself immersed in the story so much so that he will actually experience the story. Again, the author worked his magic with the words and took us away to a great adventure.
But the major disappointment might be how the women are presented in this story. Even though, this story is supposed to be highlighting the importance of women in Mahabharata, it ended up objectifying women and showing them as pawns of desire and lust. It always has been like this throughout the history, but women still could have been shown in a positive light; there is much more about women than just being the objects of beauty and lust. I found it lacking throughout the book. While women of the story could have been shown with much more potential, it never happened in the story. I feel that the entire essence of the book was extinguished.
The first part of the story told by Ganga, had a really good story building up. Without giving much away, there were questions raised, answers given, major character developments could be seen as well as great plot twists. But the second part revolving around Satyavati, initially started out very good, but eventually turned flat in comparison with that of Ganga's. The story felt rushed and not much really happened in that story.
Nevertheless, I have to say that the book presented a good insight into Bhishma's side of story in Mahabharata, and how the Great War was actually due to the various decisions made by women such as Satyavati and Ganga.
Originally on http://thetalespensieve.com/2015/12/b...
May 4, 2014
4.5 Stars
Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Cx
Read this book for mythology delivered from a different point of view, but with magic and flair that is necessary with the genre. To hear the Mahabharata, or rather a part of it, from the viewpoint of two of the women in the epic was a refreshing change, and it brought with it those unexpected twists that I quite enjoyed reading. If there is anything that holds the book back, I feel it is the cover design which wasn’t up to scratch. One that Indian mythology lovers will love to read, I feel.
Review at A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Cx
Read this book for mythology delivered from a different point of view, but with magic and flair that is necessary with the genre. To hear the Mahabharata, or rather a part of it, from the viewpoint of two of the women in the epic was a refreshing change, and it brought with it those unexpected twists that I quite enjoyed reading. If there is anything that holds the book back, I feel it is the cover design which wasn’t up to scratch. One that Indian mythology lovers will love to read, I feel.
August 30, 2014
The Winds of Hastinapur is the tale of "the Beginning of the End"!!
Hold on. . . .. . . . put a "BEFORE", before the quotes!!
It is perhaps, the most beautiful re-telling of the epic, I have ever come across. Beautiful in the sense that it reads much like a poetry! The story is full of colours, vividness and the emotions and depths, expressed by the two leads and paints a really intoxicating and remarkable imprint into one's mind. The characters seem full-fledged, layered upon respective perfections and faults, and woven into a literal state of art!
The author brings in the idea of Shakta Devotion from the medieval times. One can clearly see, the incorporation of the divine being as a female, in the MOTHER GODDESS - the Nature itself, is clearly from the Devi Bhagavatam! And this construct, opens up a new window to the old and familiar world of the Mahabharata.The traditional concept of the THREE TRINITIES and patriarch Aryans, and many of that has been re-constructed to suit the author's perception, where MALE of the species are the most selfish and are not generally wary to hold on to their words and are keen to act on the urges of their basic instincts!
Though to be precise, this centuries-old-loved epic is known to have only one heroine - The fiery fire-born princess Draupadi, but this tale is not of her! It starts ages before her! The story is from the viewpoint of two females; GANGA(Book 1) and SATYAVATI(Book 2) . . . Both the ladies have strong personalities yet they have their own moments of weakness which carve the readers way to what they really feel inside.! It begins with Ganga's voice : "Through the ages, this story will be retold by many!". And really, it is one of the re-telling that I believe, is going to echo in my mind for quite sometime!
It starts at the end; or may I say it opens at the close (as many of the Mahabharata inspired fictions do . . . . in flashbacks!) – the death of Pandavas while ascending the Meru parvat. . . . . . . . . .and from here, Ganga starts her tale - the story of the River Maiden, and the scenic transition from Jahnavi to Ganga and everything in between. The tale of her mother, the curse of the Vasus, her marriage to Shantanu, her fondness of her son Devavrata, and the terrible duty of a curse she has to be a part off. Her complex and confused relationship with Shantanu and the dilemma she had to face is quite well drawn. Ganga is torn between her duty as a mother and her duty as a river maiden. Her utter desperation when she comprehends that she had to let her son go, is heartrendingly brought out and makes you feel for her.
This half of the book infuses new terms and techniques to the science of mythology, defining new origins about the humans, and immortals. Concepts of immortality, the equilibrium within nature and the universe, ‘greater benefit of the greater good’, and quite a few other extremely powerful concepts have been woven into the story of Ganga. However, I hoped, the author would somehow explain the SCIENCE of "curse", which he didn't. But, that doesn't mean that I can't catch the thing in the next novels to come out!
But, it was the second part, the story of the fisher-girl that I enjoyed most! the tale of Kali, becoming the sensuous Satyavati! A hopeless solitary reaper who is marginalized and to whom nobody cares to give a second look due to her physical irregularities, transforms herself to a divine nymph of her own accordance. (Who doesn't love an underdog??). The author sews her story with sparkling colors. She doesn't shy away to see what she sees, or speak what she meant to convey! Her emotional upheaval, her desires and guilts, her attempt at endurance and fallback and achievement and the final feeling of helplessness is well brought out in a griping narration.!
(I found a small contradiction here, where weights were being measured in KG's :D :v , given it is unheard in scriptures and history till the modern age and the protocol itslelf was imported by Britishers.)
and yet, after these two views are shared, we get another character . . . . . . in the shadows. . . . . . .who glues them together! Devavrata/Bhisma binding her two mothers!
Apart from these three main characters, the roles of Jahnavi's mother, Shantanu, Kali's father, Krishna Dwaipayana, and the three Kashi Princess and may I say every each other characters here are given appropriate layer of shades to their characteristics.
The writing is musical and evocative, and what is truly commendable is how the author has taken a story driven by physical conflicts and womanized it by giving it a rich, tender layer of emotionalism. The view from the eyes of the two women is unique, as it brings out softer and finer emotions in the story and makes it more human and believable. Also the use of scientific logic to explain the mystical happenings in the story makes the story real and believable.
This being the first book in the series, all I can say that the bar is set very high for the next books to follow! I was really into the amazing narration and the exquisitely detailed poise with which the author has woven his tale, from the perspective of the women. The story is really like the startling new-dimension to a familiar tale, it boasts off. It's starkly refreshing and I was hating the idea of being it at end!.There are going to be TWO more books in this series (atleast!), that I want to get released soon. As I am eagerly waiting for knowing the author's take on other women viewpoints. As it's the great epic ever, there is no shortage of such - ranging from Gandhari, Kunti, Madri, Draupadi, Duhshala, Hidimba, Subhadra, Ulupi, Chitrangada, Uttara etc. Even bring on Bhanumati and wives or female characters those were sidelined! I wonder which of these will take precedence over the others and make their voices heard through subsequent installments of the series. All I can say is that I AM WAITING! :v
A must-recommended book for MAHABHRATA and alternate-history/mythology-fiction lovers!
Hold on. . . .. . . . put a "BEFORE", before the quotes!!
It is perhaps, the most beautiful re-telling of the epic, I have ever come across. Beautiful in the sense that it reads much like a poetry! The story is full of colours, vividness and the emotions and depths, expressed by the two leads and paints a really intoxicating and remarkable imprint into one's mind. The characters seem full-fledged, layered upon respective perfections and faults, and woven into a literal state of art!
The author brings in the idea of Shakta Devotion from the medieval times. One can clearly see, the incorporation of the divine being as a female, in the MOTHER GODDESS - the Nature itself, is clearly from the Devi Bhagavatam! And this construct, opens up a new window to the old and familiar world of the Mahabharata.The traditional concept of the THREE TRINITIES and patriarch Aryans, and many of that has been re-constructed to suit the author's perception, where MALE of the species are the most selfish and are not generally wary to hold on to their words and are keen to act on the urges of their basic instincts!
Though to be precise, this centuries-old-loved epic is known to have only one heroine - The fiery fire-born princess Draupadi, but this tale is not of her! It starts ages before her! The story is from the viewpoint of two females; GANGA(Book 1) and SATYAVATI(Book 2) . . . Both the ladies have strong personalities yet they have their own moments of weakness which carve the readers way to what they really feel inside.! It begins with Ganga's voice : "Through the ages, this story will be retold by many!". And really, it is one of the re-telling that I believe, is going to echo in my mind for quite sometime!
It starts at the end; or may I say it opens at the close (as many of the Mahabharata inspired fictions do . . . . in flashbacks!) – the death of Pandavas while ascending the Meru parvat. . . . . . . . . .and from here, Ganga starts her tale - the story of the River Maiden, and the scenic transition from Jahnavi to Ganga and everything in between. The tale of her mother, the curse of the Vasus, her marriage to Shantanu, her fondness of her son Devavrata, and the terrible duty of a curse she has to be a part off. Her complex and confused relationship with Shantanu and the dilemma she had to face is quite well drawn. Ganga is torn between her duty as a mother and her duty as a river maiden. Her utter desperation when she comprehends that she had to let her son go, is heartrendingly brought out and makes you feel for her.
This half of the book infuses new terms and techniques to the science of mythology, defining new origins about the humans, and immortals. Concepts of immortality, the equilibrium within nature and the universe, ‘greater benefit of the greater good’, and quite a few other extremely powerful concepts have been woven into the story of Ganga. However, I hoped, the author would somehow explain the SCIENCE of "curse", which he didn't. But, that doesn't mean that I can't catch the thing in the next novels to come out!
But, it was the second part, the story of the fisher-girl that I enjoyed most! the tale of Kali, becoming the sensuous Satyavati! A hopeless solitary reaper who is marginalized and to whom nobody cares to give a second look due to her physical irregularities, transforms herself to a divine nymph of her own accordance. (Who doesn't love an underdog??). The author sews her story with sparkling colors. She doesn't shy away to see what she sees, or speak what she meant to convey! Her emotional upheaval, her desires and guilts, her attempt at endurance and fallback and achievement and the final feeling of helplessness is well brought out in a griping narration.!
(I found a small contradiction here, where weights were being measured in KG's :D :v , given it is unheard in scriptures and history till the modern age and the protocol itslelf was imported by Britishers.)
and yet, after these two views are shared, we get another character . . . . . . in the shadows. . . . . . .who glues them together! Devavrata/Bhisma binding her two mothers!
Apart from these three main characters, the roles of Jahnavi's mother, Shantanu, Kali's father, Krishna Dwaipayana, and the three Kashi Princess and may I say every each other characters here are given appropriate layer of shades to their characteristics.
The writing is musical and evocative, and what is truly commendable is how the author has taken a story driven by physical conflicts and womanized it by giving it a rich, tender layer of emotionalism. The view from the eyes of the two women is unique, as it brings out softer and finer emotions in the story and makes it more human and believable. Also the use of scientific logic to explain the mystical happenings in the story makes the story real and believable.
This being the first book in the series, all I can say that the bar is set very high for the next books to follow! I was really into the amazing narration and the exquisitely detailed poise with which the author has woven his tale, from the perspective of the women. The story is really like the startling new-dimension to a familiar tale, it boasts off. It's starkly refreshing and I was hating the idea of being it at end!.There are going to be TWO more books in this series (atleast!), that I want to get released soon. As I am eagerly waiting for knowing the author's take on other women viewpoints. As it's the great epic ever, there is no shortage of such - ranging from Gandhari, Kunti, Madri, Draupadi, Duhshala, Hidimba, Subhadra, Ulupi, Chitrangada, Uttara etc. Even bring on Bhanumati and wives or female characters those were sidelined! I wonder which of these will take precedence over the others and make their voices heard through subsequent installments of the series. All I can say is that I AM WAITING! :v
A must-recommended book for MAHABHRATA and alternate-history/mythology-fiction lovers!
April 12, 2014
Mahabharata , the great epic , is impregnated with so many sub-stories that it would not be an exaggeration to say that it might take a lifelong read to absorb all the intriguing incidents and their inter-connections. And it is a story of women , women with sharp minds , great political vision and bodacious beauty to allure men of high stature making them mere marionettes . Sharath Komarraju , in his book The Winds of Hastinapur , has woven a story picking two not-so-focused female characters from Mahabharata , Ganga , the mother of Bhishma and Satyabati , Bhishma's step-mother.
It was this unique characterization that first attracted me to read this book. For we all know , that the most powerful female character ancient Indian literary works has ever witnessed is, Draupadi , who was indirectly or directly responsible for the Great Battle of Kurukshetra and thousands of books ,dramas, verses have been written taking her as the protagonist. But Sharath's delineation started from the very beginning of the story , at that point of time when the seed of the Great Battle was just sown . When the mighty AshtaVasus robbed Nandini , the heavenly cow of Sage Vasishta and his wife Arundhati and were eventually cursed to take birth on earth . It was then that Ganga , was chosen to be the mother of all eight of them and was sent to earth to marry Shantanu , the king of Hastinapur . Among the eight , all seven were supposed to return to Heaven soon after their birth as Ganga dropped them in the river but the eighth , who was cursed to live a long mundane , monotonous life as an earthling , survived and known as Debabrata or Pitamah Bhishma .
Sharath Komarraju has made this familiar story-line a smooth concoction of mythology and fiction. The so-called Gods and Goddesses like Vishnu, Indra are depicted not with reverence but they are very much affected by mortal negativity like jealously , envy and slyness. They are shown to have negative skills which they often used to achieve their ends. The concept of Heaven has been described as a place , Meru , where everything was under control , even the natural forces but even then it had to depend upon earth for some essential everyday supplies. Thus the vulnerability of Meru has been projected. A plausible explanation has been given for the ' immortality ' of the inhabitants of Meru . The concept of Crystal Lake is based on the law of Conservation of Energy and that everything maintains a perfect balance in the universe.
The Asuras (demons) are named as the Mighty Ones or Dark Ones and the concept of Amrita ( elixir of immortality) along with the myth of Vishnu's Mohini avatar has been depicted in an interesting manner. Sharath has established the concept of one and only God , Devi Bhagawati , who maintains an eternal balance throughout the universe and that the concept of Karma , what goes around , comes around .
What I like most in the book is the way the characters of Ganga and Satyabati has been portrayed. Ganga , the Lady of the Lake , full of motherly virtues and emotions never wants her son Debabrata to lead a cursed life on earth. But she is helpless as "The line of men was always measured by the father . Yes , the mother bore him, fed him, carried him, reared him, but it was the father whom the son ought to follow " .
On the other hand Satyabati or Kali has been shown as an independent , intransigent woman with great ambition and political vision. From the daughter of the head of a clan of fishermen , she raises herself to the seat of the Great Queen of Hastinapur , queen of Shantanu. Not only that she also makes it that her line of descendants are to be crowned as kings instead of Debabrata , the son of Ganga. Not only that , she coerces all the needed facilities for her clan , all those privileges from which the fisher-people are shunned so far . Satyabati here , is a pragmatic , matter-of-fact woman . The crux of her character is her foresightedness and practical wisdom. She knows what she wants in life and achieves it . She never repents on losing her virginity and believes that virginity is " being pure in thought and action , being unafraid as long as your emotions have nothing immoral about them ; and taking pride in the gifts that the gods have given you , and spit back on the shame that the world insisted on heaping upon you " . Quite a feminist attribution , I must say .
Thus , these two women contribute in their own ways to the story and the prelude of the Great Battle is created with the birth of Dhritarashtra and Pandu , along with the son of waiting-maid Subha ( who would later be known as Vidura ) grandsons of Satyabati .
The author has made earnest attempts to weave the story of the 'winds' of Hastinapur with his own imagination and explanation and has done a commendable job. To some the story may look incomplete but I must remind you that with the birth of Dritirashtra, Pandu and Vidura , a new era begins in the epic...the era of Bhishma , the era of Gandhari , Kunti and Madri. I hope Sharath Kumarraju would like to fascinate us with the stories of these female characters in future.
The book is recommendable to all who keep an interest in mythological fiction. Being an ardent fan of the epic , Mahabharata , I have greatly enjoyed the book.
From my side it's 4/5
It was this unique characterization that first attracted me to read this book. For we all know , that the most powerful female character ancient Indian literary works has ever witnessed is, Draupadi , who was indirectly or directly responsible for the Great Battle of Kurukshetra and thousands of books ,dramas, verses have been written taking her as the protagonist. But Sharath's delineation started from the very beginning of the story , at that point of time when the seed of the Great Battle was just sown . When the mighty AshtaVasus robbed Nandini , the heavenly cow of Sage Vasishta and his wife Arundhati and were eventually cursed to take birth on earth . It was then that Ganga , was chosen to be the mother of all eight of them and was sent to earth to marry Shantanu , the king of Hastinapur . Among the eight , all seven were supposed to return to Heaven soon after their birth as Ganga dropped them in the river but the eighth , who was cursed to live a long mundane , monotonous life as an earthling , survived and known as Debabrata or Pitamah Bhishma .
Sharath Komarraju has made this familiar story-line a smooth concoction of mythology and fiction. The so-called Gods and Goddesses like Vishnu, Indra are depicted not with reverence but they are very much affected by mortal negativity like jealously , envy and slyness. They are shown to have negative skills which they often used to achieve their ends. The concept of Heaven has been described as a place , Meru , where everything was under control , even the natural forces but even then it had to depend upon earth for some essential everyday supplies. Thus the vulnerability of Meru has been projected. A plausible explanation has been given for the ' immortality ' of the inhabitants of Meru . The concept of Crystal Lake is based on the law of Conservation of Energy and that everything maintains a perfect balance in the universe.
The Asuras (demons) are named as the Mighty Ones or Dark Ones and the concept of Amrita ( elixir of immortality) along with the myth of Vishnu's Mohini avatar has been depicted in an interesting manner. Sharath has established the concept of one and only God , Devi Bhagawati , who maintains an eternal balance throughout the universe and that the concept of Karma , what goes around , comes around .
What I like most in the book is the way the characters of Ganga and Satyabati has been portrayed. Ganga , the Lady of the Lake , full of motherly virtues and emotions never wants her son Debabrata to lead a cursed life on earth. But she is helpless as "The line of men was always measured by the father . Yes , the mother bore him, fed him, carried him, reared him, but it was the father whom the son ought to follow " .
On the other hand Satyabati or Kali has been shown as an independent , intransigent woman with great ambition and political vision. From the daughter of the head of a clan of fishermen , she raises herself to the seat of the Great Queen of Hastinapur , queen of Shantanu. Not only that she also makes it that her line of descendants are to be crowned as kings instead of Debabrata , the son of Ganga. Not only that , she coerces all the needed facilities for her clan , all those privileges from which the fisher-people are shunned so far . Satyabati here , is a pragmatic , matter-of-fact woman . The crux of her character is her foresightedness and practical wisdom. She knows what she wants in life and achieves it . She never repents on losing her virginity and believes that virginity is " being pure in thought and action , being unafraid as long as your emotions have nothing immoral about them ; and taking pride in the gifts that the gods have given you , and spit back on the shame that the world insisted on heaping upon you " . Quite a feminist attribution , I must say .
Thus , these two women contribute in their own ways to the story and the prelude of the Great Battle is created with the birth of Dhritarashtra and Pandu , along with the son of waiting-maid Subha ( who would later be known as Vidura ) grandsons of Satyabati .
The author has made earnest attempts to weave the story of the 'winds' of Hastinapur with his own imagination and explanation and has done a commendable job. To some the story may look incomplete but I must remind you that with the birth of Dritirashtra, Pandu and Vidura , a new era begins in the epic...the era of Bhishma , the era of Gandhari , Kunti and Madri. I hope Sharath Kumarraju would like to fascinate us with the stories of these female characters in future.
The book is recommendable to all who keep an interest in mythological fiction. Being an ardent fan of the epic , Mahabharata , I have greatly enjoyed the book.
From my side it's 4/5
December 28, 2015
‘The Winds of Hastinapur’ by Sharath Komarraju is the first book of one more series based on the grand old epic Mahabharata. The distinguishing feature of this new series is that it concentrates on the ladies rather than the well known men of the epic. While the narrative of Draupadi has been retold various times, no one had exploited the sentiments of other women characters of Mahabharata so far. This new book series by Sharath Komarraju beautifully captures this opportunity and offers voices to those other women characters of Mahabharata. These voices had remained unheard so far. The first book of this series ‘The Winds of Hastinapur’ is the narrative of two females and can be partitioned into two segments. The first section of the book deals with the tale of Ganga (the mother of Bhisma) and the second one is the account of Satyavati (Bhisma’s step mother). Though the book opens with the death of Pandavas while they were ascending the Meru Parvat, it very soon takes us back to the very beginning phase of Mahabharata.
As a passionate fan of books based on Indian Mythology, I became exceptionally upbeat when I got an offer to read and review this book. This book series had already created a curiosity in my mind. However, at the same time, I wasn't certain what was in store for me as I hadn’t read any book by Sharath Komarraju so far. And, additionally, a number of modern retelling of Indian epics had disappointed me as of late. Therefore, I had my apprehensions before reading this book. However, I am delighted to say that this book did not disappoint me at all. In fact, I found this book as one of the most excellent retellings of the Indian epics. Reading this book was really a delight. The book has a certain striking quality and leaves a stunning imprint on your mind.
The book has been written in lucid style and certainly gives a fresh perspective to the epic. While the author has used simple words to paint the story, these simple words give you an extremely elegantly composed account. The language is lyrical and helps in bringing out a certain beauty in dialogues. Another quality of the prose of this book is the depiction of different emotions. Almost all the characters in this book have been sketched well. Readers connect with them easily. Readers will especially like the portrayal of Ganga and Satyavati in this book. The contrast between these two lead characters of this book is captivating and brought out flawlessly by the author. The character of Bhisma has also been handled really well.
While the book did not disappoint you, the cover of the book upsets you. The cover of this book does not do justice to this brilliantly written book at all. I have said it many times in the past and I am stating it once more. Book cover plays an important role in the success of any book and, therefore, more attention should be paid towards this vital aspect of book. Hopefully, the author will pay more attention towards this aspect in future.
On the whole, this book is a delightful mystical retelling. The story is brimming with striking quality and plentiful in depth portrayal of different characters. And, I would say that this book is a must read for the fans of Indian Mythology.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.
Read more reviews on:
http://pgalmora.wordpress.com
As a passionate fan of books based on Indian Mythology, I became exceptionally upbeat when I got an offer to read and review this book. This book series had already created a curiosity in my mind. However, at the same time, I wasn't certain what was in store for me as I hadn’t read any book by Sharath Komarraju so far. And, additionally, a number of modern retelling of Indian epics had disappointed me as of late. Therefore, I had my apprehensions before reading this book. However, I am delighted to say that this book did not disappoint me at all. In fact, I found this book as one of the most excellent retellings of the Indian epics. Reading this book was really a delight. The book has a certain striking quality and leaves a stunning imprint on your mind.
The book has been written in lucid style and certainly gives a fresh perspective to the epic. While the author has used simple words to paint the story, these simple words give you an extremely elegantly composed account. The language is lyrical and helps in bringing out a certain beauty in dialogues. Another quality of the prose of this book is the depiction of different emotions. Almost all the characters in this book have been sketched well. Readers connect with them easily. Readers will especially like the portrayal of Ganga and Satyavati in this book. The contrast between these two lead characters of this book is captivating and brought out flawlessly by the author. The character of Bhisma has also been handled really well.
While the book did not disappoint you, the cover of the book upsets you. The cover of this book does not do justice to this brilliantly written book at all. I have said it many times in the past and I am stating it once more. Book cover plays an important role in the success of any book and, therefore, more attention should be paid towards this vital aspect of book. Hopefully, the author will pay more attention towards this aspect in future.
On the whole, this book is a delightful mystical retelling. The story is brimming with striking quality and plentiful in depth portrayal of different characters. And, I would say that this book is a must read for the fans of Indian Mythology.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.
Read more reviews on:
http://pgalmora.wordpress.com
May 27, 2014
As a story, the entire tale is tightly woven into a narrative that passes on from one character to the other. The reader is taken into the magical world of Meru, the kingdom of Hastina and the enchanting banks of Yamuna. The descriptive nature of the book allows the reader to clearly visualize the perception of these places from the author’s point of view. The places almost become a silent character in the narrative.
The narrative begins with Ganga as a young child who is oblivious of what lies ahead and ends at Satyavati, a queen who awaits a future that she created. The women are ambitious, real, perceptive, enchanting and powerful. The author allows the reader to peek inside their mind and witness the constant struggle that their decisions put them through. This perspective is intriguing, as one never associates the conflict inside the mind of a mythological character. Every mythological character ever written has either been black or white or driven by a purpose. One does not associate self doubt with such magnanimous characters. I was truly impressed with the ease with which these characters appear more realistic than fantastical.
However, while reading, there were several occasions where I felt more as an observer than a part of the narrative. There were places where I did not feel convinced of the characters voice. The book is more of a perspective than a voice. For me, it fails to create a voice for these characters. It definitely allows the reader to peek into the probably turmoil that these characters underwent. However there are various places where the interpretation of the author dominates imagination and perception. At this point, you begin to feel as if you are but a mere spectator to what happened. At certain points, the interpretation appears forced and redundant. You tend to lose your way in the ideas.
In the end, Winds Of Hastinapur is a good read. It is a great book to begin your journey with the Mahabharata. The narrative is strong and descriptive. The female characters have a very realistic and powerful voice. As a journey, the beginning of the greatest war is indeed magical. As a book Winds of Hastinapur does justice to this tremendous burden associated with Mahabharata. Worth a read.
The narrative begins with Ganga as a young child who is oblivious of what lies ahead and ends at Satyavati, a queen who awaits a future that she created. The women are ambitious, real, perceptive, enchanting and powerful. The author allows the reader to peek inside their mind and witness the constant struggle that their decisions put them through. This perspective is intriguing, as one never associates the conflict inside the mind of a mythological character. Every mythological character ever written has either been black or white or driven by a purpose. One does not associate self doubt with such magnanimous characters. I was truly impressed with the ease with which these characters appear more realistic than fantastical.
However, while reading, there were several occasions where I felt more as an observer than a part of the narrative. There were places where I did not feel convinced of the characters voice. The book is more of a perspective than a voice. For me, it fails to create a voice for these characters. It definitely allows the reader to peek into the probably turmoil that these characters underwent. However there are various places where the interpretation of the author dominates imagination and perception. At this point, you begin to feel as if you are but a mere spectator to what happened. At certain points, the interpretation appears forced and redundant. You tend to lose your way in the ideas.
In the end, Winds Of Hastinapur is a good read. It is a great book to begin your journey with the Mahabharata. The narrative is strong and descriptive. The female characters have a very realistic and powerful voice. As a journey, the beginning of the greatest war is indeed magical. As a book Winds of Hastinapur does justice to this tremendous burden associated with Mahabharata. Worth a read.
February 19, 2018
I had previously never heard of Sharath or his Hastinapur series. It just so happened that he had put out a post on a Facebook group that we are both part of to be part of an early access group who would get to read both the books in his Hastinapur series (of which Winds of Hastinapur has just been released) for free and our only obligation was to write a review of Winds without any obligation as to write a positive review. Full disclaimer before the review proper as I did get to read the first 2 books for free.
I was on a Science Fiction bender for a few months and was looking for a change of pace and I figured, "hey, at worst the books would be terrible, but at least it would be a good way to take a break from Science Fiction". Well, turned out that these were some of the best books I've read this year.
The Hastinapur series aims to tell the all too familiar tale of the Mahabharata with a twist - the stories would be told from the perspective of the women. I thought ok, that should be something different from what we saw on TV as a kid or in the Amar Chitra Katha series. But there again, these are not the typical Mahabharata characters that you would expect. One is Ganga, mother of Devavrata aka Bheeshma Pitamaha, and the other is Satyavati, aka Kali, wife of King Shantanu and stepmother to Bheeshma.
Seeing how the man we only know as Bheeshma Pitamaha came to life and how he ended up being the man he was, moulded as he was by these two women is fascinating. How these machinations resulted in the Rise and eventual fall of Hastinapur makes for an engrossing tale that though familiar to a lot of us, still feels new due to the different perspectives of these two characters who were completely unknown, at least to me.
Fair warning to folks who are expecting detailed descriptions of the battles of the Mahabharata though - these books are mostly about the character interactions and there's only passing reference to the actual battles themselves. In that this is more like a Tarantino movie where story and dialogue is king rather than the action.
As far as the writing is concerned, Sharath has a simple, easy style that quickly pulls you in and keeps you hooked. The writing is also a few levels above your typical Chetan Bhagats and Amish's.
Highly recommended.
I was on a Science Fiction bender for a few months and was looking for a change of pace and I figured, "hey, at worst the books would be terrible, but at least it would be a good way to take a break from Science Fiction". Well, turned out that these were some of the best books I've read this year.
The Hastinapur series aims to tell the all too familiar tale of the Mahabharata with a twist - the stories would be told from the perspective of the women. I thought ok, that should be something different from what we saw on TV as a kid or in the Amar Chitra Katha series. But there again, these are not the typical Mahabharata characters that you would expect. One is Ganga, mother of Devavrata aka Bheeshma Pitamaha, and the other is Satyavati, aka Kali, wife of King Shantanu and stepmother to Bheeshma.
Seeing how the man we only know as Bheeshma Pitamaha came to life and how he ended up being the man he was, moulded as he was by these two women is fascinating. How these machinations resulted in the Rise and eventual fall of Hastinapur makes for an engrossing tale that though familiar to a lot of us, still feels new due to the different perspectives of these two characters who were completely unknown, at least to me.
Fair warning to folks who are expecting detailed descriptions of the battles of the Mahabharata though - these books are mostly about the character interactions and there's only passing reference to the actual battles themselves. In that this is more like a Tarantino movie where story and dialogue is king rather than the action.
As far as the writing is concerned, Sharath has a simple, easy style that quickly pulls you in and keeps you hooked. The writing is also a few levels above your typical Chetan Bhagats and Amish's.
Highly recommended.
November 28, 2015
Thoughts after completing the book:
Very interesting approach and presentation - loved the book!
I enjoyed the approach of the author in presenting the story from the perspective of women! I was surprised on how effective this idea was and enjoyed it!
I like the scientific approach in which the author explains what we often disregard as imagination and makes a very good case for how events could really have occurred in reality.
The flow of the story as well as the transition was very smooth and had continuity. Though I have seen and read about the Mahabharata since childhood days, the book brought had a fresh approach which made me feel that it is a different tale. I look forward to the next book that continues with the story and appreciate the author on a book written quite well!
Thoughts while reading:
When I started reading this book (I am not finished yet), I was skeptical on how a man could do justice to viewing the Mahabharata from the perspective of women. After a few chapters into it, I am not only amazed at how well the author has conveyed the perspective but also at the human look at the incidents which make you feel that they truly took place. More when I am done with the entire book, meanwhile I highly recommend it to all!
Very interesting approach and presentation - loved the book!
I enjoyed the approach of the author in presenting the story from the perspective of women! I was surprised on how effective this idea was and enjoyed it!
I like the scientific approach in which the author explains what we often disregard as imagination and makes a very good case for how events could really have occurred in reality.
The flow of the story as well as the transition was very smooth and had continuity. Though I have seen and read about the Mahabharata since childhood days, the book brought had a fresh approach which made me feel that it is a different tale. I look forward to the next book that continues with the story and appreciate the author on a book written quite well!
Thoughts while reading:
When I started reading this book (I am not finished yet), I was skeptical on how a man could do justice to viewing the Mahabharata from the perspective of women. After a few chapters into it, I am not only amazed at how well the author has conveyed the perspective but also at the human look at the incidents which make you feel that they truly took place. More when I am done with the entire book, meanwhile I highly recommend it to all!
February 20, 2016
The Winds of Hastinapur is about the two powerful women who were never properly acknowledged in the epic Mahabharata but nevertheless are the genesis for a Great Kingdom which resulted in Great War. The story gives us an imaginary conception of the thoughts and emotions of Ganga and Satyavathi based on the situations faced by them which led to their choices. Sharath's speciality lies in the characterisation of these two women who are portrayed as an epitome of womanhood. Along with strength and stubborn they are also embodied with qualities of femininity and motherhood. The women who were both contrary in their backgrounds carry a common bond of being a mother and the fears and fallacies of a mother. The style of Bildungsroman is used in the character sketch of Devavrath who carries an imperative role.The book is fresh and novel in its ideas though based on a concept widely used.I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it and would suggest reading, to anyone who is obsessed with our Great Epic.
December 29, 2013
Whispering Winds
The Winds of Hastinapur
Author: Sharath komarraju
ISBN 978-93-5116-087-8
Publisher HarperCollins
I have not enjoyed a book so much in a long time.
Krishna here’s the Queen’s rival, a bard of another kind.
The author narrates the oft sung story of Great War, but it is through the eyes of the women. Consciously or unconsciously the author has drawn deeply from the Devi Bhagawatam and the shakti cult. The fundamental concept of Devi Bhagawatam, of eternal balance if good happens somewhere it is at the cost of negative happening elsewhere, for goddess does not play favourite, she exacts her price sometime, somewhere.
The story of Mahabharata is not the story of men, but also the story of women. It is the story of the decline of an era. The author opens the story at a point where Ganga is cursed by the Gods for an earthly life. He takes us through the well known corridors of Mahabharata.
Narrating the story of Ganga, he talks of the matrilineal genealogy. He has brought forth some really interesting concepts and descriptions like the description of teenaged Devrata, he does not eulogize him as embodiment of great looks, and he describes a genuinely awkward teenage boy.
The celestial lake, being energized with the energy of dead humans, another very interesting concept. The negativity of the demigods, manifesting as disease on the earth is another interesting concept. The author has every subtly used the matsya nyaya, or the law of the jungle more respectably called survival of the fittest.
The women Ganga and Sathyavati court their man Shantanu in a very pre-Aryan form, where women demanded sex from men, and if a man refused he sinned. The pre-puritanical acceptance of multiple partners, marriage being independent of sex and childbearing emerges through the book without apologies or justification or elaborate explanation.
Of course there were some goof ups like children of the fisher folk going to the same school because the education system then was gurukula, so going to the same school didn’t happen unless they were looking for identical skill sets. The vaishya, shudra learning happened in the months of the monsoon when work at the fields was not possible.
Bhishma here is not the glorified hero, but a king despite of not crowned one.
The concept of virginity as Sathyavati perceives it is an eye opener. “Being pure in thought and action. Being unafraid as long as your action has nothing immoral about them.”
But Sharath your story is incomplete without the story of Kunti, Draupadi, being said.
About: http://sharathkomarraju.com
The Winds of Hastinapur
Author: Sharath komarraju
ISBN 978-93-5116-087-8
Publisher HarperCollins
I have not enjoyed a book so much in a long time.
Krishna here’s the Queen’s rival, a bard of another kind.
The author narrates the oft sung story of Great War, but it is through the eyes of the women. Consciously or unconsciously the author has drawn deeply from the Devi Bhagawatam and the shakti cult. The fundamental concept of Devi Bhagawatam, of eternal balance if good happens somewhere it is at the cost of negative happening elsewhere, for goddess does not play favourite, she exacts her price sometime, somewhere.
The story of Mahabharata is not the story of men, but also the story of women. It is the story of the decline of an era. The author opens the story at a point where Ganga is cursed by the Gods for an earthly life. He takes us through the well known corridors of Mahabharata.
Narrating the story of Ganga, he talks of the matrilineal genealogy. He has brought forth some really interesting concepts and descriptions like the description of teenaged Devrata, he does not eulogize him as embodiment of great looks, and he describes a genuinely awkward teenage boy.
The celestial lake, being energized with the energy of dead humans, another very interesting concept. The negativity of the demigods, manifesting as disease on the earth is another interesting concept. The author has every subtly used the matsya nyaya, or the law of the jungle more respectably called survival of the fittest.
The women Ganga and Sathyavati court their man Shantanu in a very pre-Aryan form, where women demanded sex from men, and if a man refused he sinned. The pre-puritanical acceptance of multiple partners, marriage being independent of sex and childbearing emerges through the book without apologies or justification or elaborate explanation.
Of course there were some goof ups like children of the fisher folk going to the same school because the education system then was gurukula, so going to the same school didn’t happen unless they were looking for identical skill sets. The vaishya, shudra learning happened in the months of the monsoon when work at the fields was not possible.
Bhishma here is not the glorified hero, but a king despite of not crowned one.
The concept of virginity as Sathyavati perceives it is an eye opener. “Being pure in thought and action. Being unafraid as long as your action has nothing immoral about them.”
But Sharath your story is incomplete without the story of Kunti, Draupadi, being said.
About: http://sharathkomarraju.com
January 4, 2014
Mahabharata is a very rich work that can serve as base material for thousands of other works. There have been numerous interpretations in various media – books, movies, plays etc. ‘Winds of Hastinapur’ is yet another spin related to this great tale by upcoming author Sharath Komarraju who already has two crime thrillers under his belt.
This story does not span the entire Mahabharata story but just touches upon the beginning – up to the birth of Pandu and Dhritarashtra. The author has taken two interesting points of view – those of Ganga the mother of Bhishma and his step mother Sathyavati. I do not know if anyone else has attempted this point of view. He has attempted a lot of other interesting things in this work. One of them is to elaborate more upon the time Bhishma spent with his mother Ganga. In most stories, Ganga disappears with her eighth child and then suddenly appears before Shantanu after 14 years with his grown son. It was indeed interesting to read an account of what happened in the interim.
Another interesting aspect is the author’s interpretation related to the world of the Gods and celestial beings. Instead of taking a reverential attitude, he tries to paint them as an elder race with their foibles. In some ways in his presentation of the relationship between Gods and men, I can see influences of the Aryan Invasion
theory. In his presentation of interaction between the fisher folk and the king Shantanu he brings an element of class struggle. He has also tried to etch the characters of Ganga and Sathyavati in grey giving them both positive and negative traits. Another aspect where he has differentiated himself is in the depiction of the sexual mores of the times. Most versions try to gloss over this aspect or try to euphemize things like the western concept of babies being delivered by storks or being found under cabbages. But Sharath takes it head on and goes on to describe in erotic detail.
You can find detailed review here.
http://luciferhouseinc.blogspot.in/20...
This story does not span the entire Mahabharata story but just touches upon the beginning – up to the birth of Pandu and Dhritarashtra. The author has taken two interesting points of view – those of Ganga the mother of Bhishma and his step mother Sathyavati. I do not know if anyone else has attempted this point of view. He has attempted a lot of other interesting things in this work. One of them is to elaborate more upon the time Bhishma spent with his mother Ganga. In most stories, Ganga disappears with her eighth child and then suddenly appears before Shantanu after 14 years with his grown son. It was indeed interesting to read an account of what happened in the interim.
Another interesting aspect is the author’s interpretation related to the world of the Gods and celestial beings. Instead of taking a reverential attitude, he tries to paint them as an elder race with their foibles. In some ways in his presentation of the relationship between Gods and men, I can see influences of the Aryan Invasion
theory. In his presentation of interaction between the fisher folk and the king Shantanu he brings an element of class struggle. He has also tried to etch the characters of Ganga and Sathyavati in grey giving them both positive and negative traits. Another aspect where he has differentiated himself is in the depiction of the sexual mores of the times. Most versions try to gloss over this aspect or try to euphemize things like the western concept of babies being delivered by storks or being found under cabbages. But Sharath takes it head on and goes on to describe in erotic detail.
You can find detailed review here.
http://luciferhouseinc.blogspot.in/20...
June 30, 2017
Mahabharata from the narrative of its lesser written about women: Ganga and Satyavati. A fascinating premise for a mythology based book. Unfortunately, does not live up to the promise of the premise.
First, there is little about Ganga the woman in Part 1 of the book. Part 2 on Satyavati is better in that it mostly focuses on her. The part on Ganga has narratives on the capture of Meru by the Celestial Folk (Devas) from the dark skinned ones, betrayal of Mohini, a dark skinned belle by Vishnu, the secret of the Celestials' long life, Bhishma's quest for a salt mine. And yes, inbetween we also read about Ganga. The only good bit (a few lines) was Ganga's agony when she has to drown her seven new born infants. The storyline is weak. The characters inconsistent and weaker. And please, promiscuity does not an empowered woman make. Satyavati is portrayed as overtly promiscuous: she chooses a man to bed every now and then, has amorous thoughts about Bhishma (and this after she is the mother of Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya), Ambika has lustful thoughts about Bhishma, Vedavyasa performing niyoga is described as an act of lust... Vedavyasa is also described as a dirty, stinky sage (smelling of cadavers, feces, dried sweat), graying broken nails, yellowing teeth. Why? How does it add to the narrative? A forest dwelling dreadlocked sage ought to be scary enough for a dainty palace bred princess - what was the need to make him repulsive?
Because the storyline is weak and badly woven, we get nitpicking. There is a difference between simple english and poor english. CB writes simple english. This book is bad english. And then come the grammatical, editorial errors.
There are very many inaccuracies: Gandhara is "north east of Hastinapura", there are mangroves at the base of Mount Meru, there are even oak trees in Meru and whats more, they sway in the wind.
Overall, a poorly executed book based on an excellent premise. Think I will avoid the next one.
First, there is little about Ganga the woman in Part 1 of the book. Part 2 on Satyavati is better in that it mostly focuses on her. The part on Ganga has narratives on the capture of Meru by the Celestial Folk (Devas) from the dark skinned ones, betrayal of Mohini, a dark skinned belle by Vishnu, the secret of the Celestials' long life, Bhishma's quest for a salt mine. And yes, inbetween we also read about Ganga. The only good bit (a few lines) was Ganga's agony when she has to drown her seven new born infants. The storyline is weak. The characters inconsistent and weaker. And please, promiscuity does not an empowered woman make. Satyavati is portrayed as overtly promiscuous: she chooses a man to bed every now and then, has amorous thoughts about Bhishma (and this after she is the mother of Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya), Ambika has lustful thoughts about Bhishma, Vedavyasa performing niyoga is described as an act of lust... Vedavyasa is also described as a dirty, stinky sage (smelling of cadavers, feces, dried sweat), graying broken nails, yellowing teeth. Why? How does it add to the narrative? A forest dwelling dreadlocked sage ought to be scary enough for a dainty palace bred princess - what was the need to make him repulsive?
Because the storyline is weak and badly woven, we get nitpicking. There is a difference between simple english and poor english. CB writes simple english. This book is bad english. And then come the grammatical, editorial errors.
There are very many inaccuracies: Gandhara is "north east of Hastinapura", there are mangroves at the base of Mount Meru, there are even oak trees in Meru and whats more, they sway in the wind.
Overall, a poorly executed book based on an excellent premise. Think I will avoid the next one.
October 10, 2014
The Winds of Hastinapur is a narrative fascinatingly woven to form a beautiful depiction of the lives of the characters which were not debated much upon, before. The author tries to take the reader into a world which is completely appealing to the lives of Ganga and Satyavati, the two most intriguing characters of the Mahabharata . There is a beautiful depiction of the deepest emotions of the ladies and what they went through while playing their parts in the epic; how ambition and desire led them to a point where they had everything but contentment and moral happiness.
However, as the story came to an end, I literally craved for more. The author established just the right platform for the tale to rise and take the form of an epic which fascinates the entire humankind, the Mahabharata. But the book lacked in the contents of the story of the Great War.
Also, I thought that the part narrating and explaining the life of Ganga was more elaborate than that of Satyavati. The second part just went off in a haste, leaving the reader curious as to what would happen next.
Anyways, The Winds of Hastinapur is a beautiful and new perception. I think a sequel to the book can form a wonderful series. It is indeed a must-read for those who are looking for a new angle to the the story of the Great War.
However, as the story came to an end, I literally craved for more. The author established just the right platform for the tale to rise and take the form of an epic which fascinates the entire humankind, the Mahabharata. But the book lacked in the contents of the story of the Great War.
Also, I thought that the part narrating and explaining the life of Ganga was more elaborate than that of Satyavati. The second part just went off in a haste, leaving the reader curious as to what would happen next.
Anyways, The Winds of Hastinapur is a beautiful and new perception. I think a sequel to the book can form a wonderful series. It is indeed a must-read for those who are looking for a new angle to the the story of the Great War.
October 10, 2014
The Winds of Hastinapur is a narrative fascinatingly woven to form a beautiful depiction of the lives of the characters which were not debated much upon, before. The author tries to take the reader into a world which is completely appealing to the lives of Ganga and Satyavati, the two most intriguing characters of the Mahabharata . There is a beautiful depiction of the deepest emotions of the ladies and what they went through while playing their parts in the epic; how ambition and desire led them to a point where they had everything but contentment and moral happiness.
However, as the story came to an end, I literally craved for more. The author established just the right platform for the tale to rise and take the form of an epic which fascinates the entire humankind, the Mahabharata. But the book lacked in the contents of the story of the Great War.
Also, I thought that the part narrating and explaining the life of Ganga was more elaborate than that of Satyavati. The second part just went off in a haste, leaving the reader curious as to what would happen next.
Anyways, The Winds of Hastinapur is a beautiful and new perception. I think a sequel to the book can form a wonderful series. It is indeed a must-read for those who are looking for a new angle to the the story of the Great War.
However, as the story came to an end, I literally craved for more. The author established just the right platform for the tale to rise and take the form of an epic which fascinates the entire humankind, the Mahabharata. But the book lacked in the contents of the story of the Great War.
Also, I thought that the part narrating and explaining the life of Ganga was more elaborate than that of Satyavati. The second part just went off in a haste, leaving the reader curious as to what would happen next.
Anyways, The Winds of Hastinapur is a beautiful and new perception. I think a sequel to the book can form a wonderful series. It is indeed a must-read for those who are looking for a new angle to the the story of the Great War.
June 3, 2014
There have been hundreds of folklores, interpretations and retellings of the mother of all stories 'Mahabharata'.
'Winds of Hastinapur' by Sharath Komarraju begins at the point when Ganga was sent to earth to grant 'moksh' to the cursed vasus, granting them freedom from the cycle of birth and death. But what was it like for the river maiden to kill her seven sons, make the eighth one the most powerful warrior only to give him away to his father once he reached adolescence? With this book Sharath Kommarraju inducts magic in the tale of Ganga, taking the readers in the surreal world of Meru, its crystal lake and its inhabitants.
This is also the story of Satyavati aka Matsyagandhi, who, due to her overambitiousness and short sightedness ploughed the seeds of the greatest battle ever fought.
Mahabharat is known for its powerful female characters like Draupadi, Kunti and Gandhari with sharp minds, witty political mindset and alluring beauty. If you want to go a bit back and plunge in the lives of those not-so-focussed female characters of Ganga and Satyavati, you shouldn't miss this book.
A beautiful magical retelling full of vividness and ample indepth potrayal of the thoughts, ambitions and desires of the two ladies combined with a gripping plot makes it a good read.
'Winds of Hastinapur' by Sharath Komarraju begins at the point when Ganga was sent to earth to grant 'moksh' to the cursed vasus, granting them freedom from the cycle of birth and death. But what was it like for the river maiden to kill her seven sons, make the eighth one the most powerful warrior only to give him away to his father once he reached adolescence? With this book Sharath Kommarraju inducts magic in the tale of Ganga, taking the readers in the surreal world of Meru, its crystal lake and its inhabitants.
This is also the story of Satyavati aka Matsyagandhi, who, due to her overambitiousness and short sightedness ploughed the seeds of the greatest battle ever fought.
Mahabharat is known for its powerful female characters like Draupadi, Kunti and Gandhari with sharp minds, witty political mindset and alluring beauty. If you want to go a bit back and plunge in the lives of those not-so-focussed female characters of Ganga and Satyavati, you shouldn't miss this book.
A beautiful magical retelling full of vividness and ample indepth potrayal of the thoughts, ambitions and desires of the two ladies combined with a gripping plot makes it a good read.
June 2, 2014
Full review of Sharath Komarraju's "Winds of Hastinapur".
With more than 74,000 verses and about 1.8 million words, Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world. It has been widely translated, simplified, retold and fictionalised over the centuries. But most of them do not give you the total picture of the epic for two simple reasons – first, the womenfolk are largely ignored and second, most of them start the narration with the birth of Pandavas and Kauravas, while the actual story has its beginnings at a much earlier time. Chaturvedi Badrinath’s “The Women of the Mahabharata”, Kavita Kane’s “Karna’s Wife” and Chitra Banerjee’s “The Palace of Illusions” attempted to bring the focus on the women of Mahabharata. Similary, there complete translated volumes of Mahabharata which give us the entire story, but these do not serve everybody’s tastes.
Sharath Komarraju, through his recent novel “The Winds of Hastinapur”, has attempted to combine these two; it tells the story from the very beginning and has a major emphasis on the women characters of Mahabharata.
With more than 74,000 verses and about 1.8 million words, Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world. It has been widely translated, simplified, retold and fictionalised over the centuries. But most of them do not give you the total picture of the epic for two simple reasons – first, the womenfolk are largely ignored and second, most of them start the narration with the birth of Pandavas and Kauravas, while the actual story has its beginnings at a much earlier time. Chaturvedi Badrinath’s “The Women of the Mahabharata”, Kavita Kane’s “Karna’s Wife” and Chitra Banerjee’s “The Palace of Illusions” attempted to bring the focus on the women of Mahabharata. Similary, there complete translated volumes of Mahabharata which give us the entire story, but these do not serve everybody’s tastes.
Sharath Komarraju, through his recent novel “The Winds of Hastinapur”, has attempted to combine these two; it tells the story from the very beginning and has a major emphasis on the women characters of Mahabharata.
October 16, 2015
With the first half of the book, Sharath Kommarraju weaves magic into the enigmatic character of Ganga. He takes us on a journey into the heights of Mount Meru, its inhabitants and how their lives are linked to the lives of the humans living on earth. Ganga's destiny to live on earth, beget seven children who she has to kill, her eighth son Devavrata who was destined to change the fortunes of all the kingdoms on earth; these are the threads that the author weaves into a wonderful tapestry.
The second half of the book chronicles the rise of Satyavati from humble beginnings as a fisherman chief's daughter to becoming the queen of Hastina. Her initial dalliance with Sage Parashara, her ambitious nature which propels her into the spotlight, her ascent to Hastina due to Devavrata's terrible vows; these form the major narrative arc in this part of the book.
Yet another interesting and well written perspective to the great epic Mahabharata which continues to provide fodder to anybody who is interested and dedicated enough to understand it, peel off the various layers in the narrative and churn out lovely books such as this one.
The second half of the book chronicles the rise of Satyavati from humble beginnings as a fisherman chief's daughter to becoming the queen of Hastina. Her initial dalliance with Sage Parashara, her ambitious nature which propels her into the spotlight, her ascent to Hastina due to Devavrata's terrible vows; these form the major narrative arc in this part of the book.
Yet another interesting and well written perspective to the great epic Mahabharata which continues to provide fodder to anybody who is interested and dedicated enough to understand it, peel off the various layers in the narrative and churn out lovely books such as this one.
February 25, 2015
Mahabharata has always fascinated me from childhood. There have been many interpretations and perspectives by different authors.
Sharath Komarraju’s take on the epic was different and detailed. I have always considered that Draupadi is the strongest female character. I was just proved how wrong I was.
Ganga and Satyavati are the characters behind the scene and it’s time for them to be in the lime light. The Winds of Hastinapur was the right stage. From the eyes of the great river the epic is retold.
Who knew what happened to Devavrata when Ganga took him with her?
How did Satyavati feel when she delivered and abandoned her first born?
What was Devavrata mindset when he made the terrible oath?
The author has given logical and convincing answers to many of the unanswered questions and that makes the read interesting. Sharath has done a wonderful job in developing the characters and was in no rush. The clarity in writing makes us to relate with each character and their story.
Mahabharata is definitely a story of women and is beautifully portrayed. Waiting eagerly for the sequel!
Sharath Komarraju’s take on the epic was different and detailed. I have always considered that Draupadi is the strongest female character. I was just proved how wrong I was.
Ganga and Satyavati are the characters behind the scene and it’s time for them to be in the lime light. The Winds of Hastinapur was the right stage. From the eyes of the great river the epic is retold.
Who knew what happened to Devavrata when Ganga took him with her?
How did Satyavati feel when she delivered and abandoned her first born?
What was Devavrata mindset when he made the terrible oath?
The author has given logical and convincing answers to many of the unanswered questions and that makes the read interesting. Sharath has done a wonderful job in developing the characters and was in no rush. The clarity in writing makes us to relate with each character and their story.
Mahabharata is definitely a story of women and is beautifully portrayed. Waiting eagerly for the sequel!
October 27, 2015
We all know the tale behind the epic of all time : The Mahabharata. But the back stories are not always told in any of the interpretation. How all this got started, which were the 'divine' conspiracies that led to the greatest of the wars. Being aeons old, the story itself has ample scope to have a fictional account on how everything would have happened.
Sharath, the author churning his cells in this direction, gives a really interesting take from Satyavati and Ganga's point of view. Or say women's pov. And thus the difference is clearly visible compared to other tales about this epic. Being a fictional account, it takes liberty to create its own world. Here, it's Meru (as Swarg) and of course earth - two balancing forces of nature. How story moves forward with Ganga and his son Devavrata at Meru, how Hastinapur gets its heirs one by one and how seeds for bloody future are thrown on the red soil, keeps you engaged. And as this is just a starter, it makes you eagerly awaited for the sequel.
Sharath, the author churning his cells in this direction, gives a really interesting take from Satyavati and Ganga's point of view. Or say women's pov. And thus the difference is clearly visible compared to other tales about this epic. Being a fictional account, it takes liberty to create its own world. Here, it's Meru (as Swarg) and of course earth - two balancing forces of nature. How story moves forward with Ganga and his son Devavrata at Meru, how Hastinapur gets its heirs one by one and how seeds for bloody future are thrown on the red soil, keeps you engaged. And as this is just a starter, it makes you eagerly awaited for the sequel.
April 11, 2014
There are many versions of Mahabharata, but "The Winds of Hastinapur" is refreshingly different. Probably for the first time ever, the epic has been retold through the lives of Ganga and Satyavati - the two most enigmatic ladies in the story. The story unfolds on predicable lines, but with a twist, which captures the imagination of the readers, with the powerful characterization of the two ladies, who are depicted to wield more power than their husband Shantanu - the king of Hastinapur. Quintessential Mahabharata - but from a hitherto unexplored angle from the perspective of the women, who shaped the course of events leading to the great war. "The Winds of Hastinapur" is surely unputdownable.
February 2, 2014
I was intrigued as soon as I heard the plot of The Winds of Hastinapur, and I knew I was going to like it right away. I think Sharath deserves four out of the five stars I gave him just for thinking of the idea itself. The Mahabharata has been part of India's ancient culture and history for the past 3000 years, and yet no one ever thought of narrating the epic from a different point of view.
January 5, 2014
Quite an innovative retelling of some characters usually skipped over or cursorily dealt with - but a little disjointed between the two perspectives. And I do hope there will be a follow on, because there are several questions left hanging, several avenues unexplored...
August 24, 2016
Good read. Beautiful realistic characterizations in an attempt to rewrite the cherished epic. Read my book review here: http://shreyasimukerji.blogspot.in/20...
December 20, 2013
Not the best take on Mahabharat, could have been a lot better. The view points and story leaves with a feeling that something more is to be continues.
largely unsatisfying
largely unsatisfying
June 8, 2018
The only reason to pick up this book was because the first book I read of the author, 'The tree bears witness', was the one I loved and I gave it 4 stars.
It was about 60% of the book that I realized my IQ level was down to 'level 0'. Why did it take me so long to realize that I was reading the story of Bhisma Pithamaha? May be because I didn't read the premise or even if I did, I don't think anything is mentioned about Bhisma. I knew the book was about Mythology retelling and my guess was that the book is going to speak about the Mahabharata War and not the stories preceding it. The book does exactly that, narrate the beginnings of the epic.
The book is divided into two parts: The story of Ganga and The story of Bhisma Pithamaha (That's how I like to call them). Plus few last chapters back to Ganga.
The first part is dry and boring. If I had to rate the book only on the basis of the first part, it should have been 1/5. What left me stunned was the let down in expectations about the writing style of an author whose 'Tree Bears Witness' was quite good. The author, my guess is, wanted to take a philosophical approach to the story line due to which, I felt, left the book devoid of any life.
The story about Ganga, her mother, her journey into self discovery and more could have been wrapped up much sooner than later. I had to plough to finish the part and at one point I felt I should stop reading the book. Glad I didn't.
Part 2: The story picks up pace and you feel a u-turn in writing style as the author enters into his own element. The story of fisherwoman is so beautifully narrated that I felt being swooped down into the her realm. I could sense what she was going through and why she did what she did.
There is one element in her story line that left me slightly confused. Why does King Shantanu, who at first, didn't seem to be sexually attracted to Kali, bow down to her rhetoric? If he was attracted to her, the author didn't build a compelling case of it. The King arrives at her house and invites her to be part of the Queen Household. If that's the King's way to inviting maidens to have sex, there was nothing about such behaviour mentioned before. If the author had spent time in explaining the proclivities of King Shantanu, the reason for his silence during Kali's demands seemed justified.
If you were to go by what the image the author had created about King Shantanu, my guess is that the King would have asked his soldiers cut the head of Kali and her father for making irrespecutful demands. For a King, the mere fact of inviting a lady to his household is an honor. Refuting that is paramount to irresponsible behaviour. Top of that, when she demanded that the King marry her, my god, it's blasphemy.
To help myself ease into the story, I kind of assumed that Shantanu was sexually desperate to bed Kali and that's the reason he kept quite.
I can understand as to why Bhisma went back to Kali to say that her demands have been accepted by the King. But even there the story line is not convincingly explained. Bhisma, wise, knowledgable, intellectual, decides to take the throne of Hastina because he considers that as his sacred duty (there is a whole lot of dry back story to it in the first part). Then, why would he succumb to his father's desire to bed a woman? I simply accepted the concept without wanting to understand, just the way you don't question Mr Rajnikanth's stunt scenes.
Mind you, while I criticize the 'reason' for certain actions, by no means I say the writing isn't good. In fact, because it's so good, I felt the need to raise my concern. Kali's outburst or demands really get's into our nerves. As a reader, we would think of why the King remains silent and yet admire her sheer guts to speak her mind.
Moving on, the story starts to grip you even though you know the eventual outcome. The reason being that the results are due to actions that are explained differently from what we have heard during our childhood and it's reasoned very well.
The writing is smooth and keeps you engaged till the end. If I were to rate the book only based on the second part, it would be 4.5/5 stars. The writing style is close to or as exactly as his other book I mentioned above.
I wish the book started with the second part and gave the first part is series of flashback, the reading wouldn't have been nearly as bad as I felt it was.
Pick the book, skim through the first part unless you found it exciting and enjoy the remaining story line.
It was about 60% of the book that I realized my IQ level was down to 'level 0'. Why did it take me so long to realize that I was reading the story of Bhisma Pithamaha? May be because I didn't read the premise or even if I did, I don't think anything is mentioned about Bhisma. I knew the book was about Mythology retelling and my guess was that the book is going to speak about the Mahabharata War and not the stories preceding it. The book does exactly that, narrate the beginnings of the epic.
The book is divided into two parts: The story of Ganga and The story of Bhisma Pithamaha (That's how I like to call them). Plus few last chapters back to Ganga.
The first part is dry and boring. If I had to rate the book only on the basis of the first part, it should have been 1/5. What left me stunned was the let down in expectations about the writing style of an author whose 'Tree Bears Witness' was quite good. The author, my guess is, wanted to take a philosophical approach to the story line due to which, I felt, left the book devoid of any life.
The story about Ganga, her mother, her journey into self discovery and more could have been wrapped up much sooner than later. I had to plough to finish the part and at one point I felt I should stop reading the book. Glad I didn't.
Part 2: The story picks up pace and you feel a u-turn in writing style as the author enters into his own element. The story of fisherwoman is so beautifully narrated that I felt being swooped down into the her realm. I could sense what she was going through and why she did what she did.
There is one element in her story line that left me slightly confused. Why does King Shantanu, who at first, didn't seem to be sexually attracted to Kali, bow down to her rhetoric? If he was attracted to her, the author didn't build a compelling case of it. The King arrives at her house and invites her to be part of the Queen Household. If that's the King's way to inviting maidens to have sex, there was nothing about such behaviour mentioned before. If the author had spent time in explaining the proclivities of King Shantanu, the reason for his silence during Kali's demands seemed justified.
If you were to go by what the image the author had created about King Shantanu, my guess is that the King would have asked his soldiers cut the head of Kali and her father for making irrespecutful demands. For a King, the mere fact of inviting a lady to his household is an honor. Refuting that is paramount to irresponsible behaviour. Top of that, when she demanded that the King marry her, my god, it's blasphemy.
To help myself ease into the story, I kind of assumed that Shantanu was sexually desperate to bed Kali and that's the reason he kept quite.
I can understand as to why Bhisma went back to Kali to say that her demands have been accepted by the King. But even there the story line is not convincingly explained. Bhisma, wise, knowledgable, intellectual, decides to take the throne of Hastina because he considers that as his sacred duty (there is a whole lot of dry back story to it in the first part). Then, why would he succumb to his father's desire to bed a woman? I simply accepted the concept without wanting to understand, just the way you don't question Mr Rajnikanth's stunt scenes.
Mind you, while I criticize the 'reason' for certain actions, by no means I say the writing isn't good. In fact, because it's so good, I felt the need to raise my concern. Kali's outburst or demands really get's into our nerves. As a reader, we would think of why the King remains silent and yet admire her sheer guts to speak her mind.
Moving on, the story starts to grip you even though you know the eventual outcome. The reason being that the results are due to actions that are explained differently from what we have heard during our childhood and it's reasoned very well.
The writing is smooth and keeps you engaged till the end. If I were to rate the book only based on the second part, it would be 4.5/5 stars. The writing style is close to or as exactly as his other book I mentioned above.
I wish the book started with the second part and gave the first part is series of flashback, the reading wouldn't have been nearly as bad as I felt it was.
Pick the book, skim through the first part unless you found it exciting and enjoy the remaining story line.
June 23, 2022
I had read the third book of the series ages ago. Not till I was in bookstagram, that I knew it's a series.
I would give 4 stars out of 5.
⭐- I read this during my exams and it was no less than a therapy. The prose calms your nerves. Like a refreshing clatter of rain after a tremendous hot morning. This is the book version of ASMR!
⭐- The scenes crackle with energy. The way this novel portrays the female characters. When Ganga says to Shantanu, "The lady of the river belongs to no one." And Satyavati preaches the value of consent, "If you force me without my consent, it won't be very pleasurable for either of us."
⭐- I loved reading about the motivations of the characters. I had known Mahabharata from my childhood, it's something which flows in my blood 😂. The retelling induced with personal desires made it more realistic, more human.
⭐- The book had only one twist but it shocked me outright. I wasn't expecting an unexpected turn in a story which I already know so well.
⭐🚫- Though the book was good, it didn't have a compelling factor in it. Once I kept it down, I had no inclination to pick it up again. One of the reasons why I took such a long time to read it.
🐱- The scene where Vichitraveerya says, "The women of Kuru lines choose their males themselves." is my favorite. You cannot expect your wife to be a virgin when you are not.
I would give 4 stars out of 5.
⭐- I read this during my exams and it was no less than a therapy. The prose calms your nerves. Like a refreshing clatter of rain after a tremendous hot morning. This is the book version of ASMR!
⭐- The scenes crackle with energy. The way this novel portrays the female characters. When Ganga says to Shantanu, "The lady of the river belongs to no one." And Satyavati preaches the value of consent, "If you force me without my consent, it won't be very pleasurable for either of us."
⭐- I loved reading about the motivations of the characters. I had known Mahabharata from my childhood, it's something which flows in my blood 😂. The retelling induced with personal desires made it more realistic, more human.
⭐- The book had only one twist but it shocked me outright. I wasn't expecting an unexpected turn in a story which I already know so well.
⭐🚫- Though the book was good, it didn't have a compelling factor in it. Once I kept it down, I had no inclination to pick it up again. One of the reasons why I took such a long time to read it.
🐱- The scene where Vichitraveerya says, "The women of Kuru lines choose their males themselves." is my favorite. You cannot expect your wife to be a virgin when you are not.
August 25, 2017
CYBER VYASA OF BENGALURU
Dear Sharath,
I chanced upon the first member of your ambitious hastinapur series, and there were prejudices galore in my mind when I embarked upon the fruits of your hardwork.
The novel started slow, meandering through the mythical lands of Mere, depicting Ganga in the human emotions of want and regret.
But boy, was I blown away at the end of this epic? I surely was.
Now to tell the readers, this novel is not for those who want everything at a breakneck speed. This is a slow burner, that plays with its characters with the ruthlessness of karma itself.
You have been utterly impartial to all of your characters, watching and writing them from a sideways glance, never once glorifying one and maligning another.
One theme that has been consistent through this novel is that heart-tugging regret that every human feels- what if I had done that?
Ganga regrets blessing her son with angelic water; Satyavati regrets twisting Devavrata into an inhuman path and so on.
The lives of Sharath's characters are full of these regrets and aches, making them as human as we the lowly selves of today are.
Man, are you sure you are not Ved Vyasa incarnate?
Because you seem to be, at least the cyber Vyasa of Bangalore.
Dear Sharath,
I chanced upon the first member of your ambitious hastinapur series, and there were prejudices galore in my mind when I embarked upon the fruits of your hardwork.
The novel started slow, meandering through the mythical lands of Mere, depicting Ganga in the human emotions of want and regret.
But boy, was I blown away at the end of this epic? I surely was.
Now to tell the readers, this novel is not for those who want everything at a breakneck speed. This is a slow burner, that plays with its characters with the ruthlessness of karma itself.
You have been utterly impartial to all of your characters, watching and writing them from a sideways glance, never once glorifying one and maligning another.
One theme that has been consistent through this novel is that heart-tugging regret that every human feels- what if I had done that?
Ganga regrets blessing her son with angelic water; Satyavati regrets twisting Devavrata into an inhuman path and so on.
The lives of Sharath's characters are full of these regrets and aches, making them as human as we the lowly selves of today are.
Man, are you sure you are not Ved Vyasa incarnate?
Because you seem to be, at least the cyber Vyasa of Bangalore.
July 6, 2017
This book is a re-telling of the great epic Mahabharata from the perspective of it's female characters. This first book narrates the story of Ganga and Satyavati, relatively minor characters of the epic. We have all grown up listening to the great epic and even watched it in television. But almost every version of the epic is from male viewpoint. It's really fascinating to read it from the viewpoint of it's female protagonists. A few years back, I read the novel "The Palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, which I must say is surely a masterpiece, being a retelling of the epic from Draupadi's perspective. This novel fascinates me in the same way. The fact that this novel is the work of a male author, fascinates me even more. The author has beautifully captured every emotion, every feeling that the women characters went through.
The description of Arundhati after she cursed Prabhasa will make you re-think about the virtues of sages. "A curse came out of that part of you that was black, and it nurturef all that was bad inside you and brought it to the fore, made it bigger and made you feel small and weak. She had heard Sage Vasishta say oncr that that man is truly good who has the ability to curse but still cannot, for that means there is no blackness in his heart."
The motherly feelings of Ganga when she dropped her new-born babies in river is something every woman will feel in her situation. It's not the feeling of a Celestial, but that of an ordinary mother.
Satyavati's tale is equally incandescent with human emotions. In the last few chapters, the stories of three Kasi princesses, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika, throws a new light in the epic.
Some quotes from the book will stay with me for quite a long time after finishing the book. I'd like to share a few here:
"She had heard it said once that nothing in the universe comes without a price; that in every instance you received something you wanted, you had to give up something you had, and in every instance you lost something, you gained something you did not have. The goddess was a trader herself; she gave not without receiving, and she took not without giving."
"The only true secret to happiness is to accept that we have no control over our fate."
"All our wishes and hopes have to go into the paths that we must yet travel, wherever they may lead."
Overall, it's the kind of book that you will want to read and re-read. A five star rating for the excellent style of story-telling and almost lyrical prose.
The description of Arundhati after she cursed Prabhasa will make you re-think about the virtues of sages. "A curse came out of that part of you that was black, and it nurturef all that was bad inside you and brought it to the fore, made it bigger and made you feel small and weak. She had heard Sage Vasishta say oncr that that man is truly good who has the ability to curse but still cannot, for that means there is no blackness in his heart."
The motherly feelings of Ganga when she dropped her new-born babies in river is something every woman will feel in her situation. It's not the feeling of a Celestial, but that of an ordinary mother.
Satyavati's tale is equally incandescent with human emotions. In the last few chapters, the stories of three Kasi princesses, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika, throws a new light in the epic.
Some quotes from the book will stay with me for quite a long time after finishing the book. I'd like to share a few here:
"She had heard it said once that nothing in the universe comes without a price; that in every instance you received something you wanted, you had to give up something you had, and in every instance you lost something, you gained something you did not have. The goddess was a trader herself; she gave not without receiving, and she took not without giving."
"The only true secret to happiness is to accept that we have no control over our fate."
"All our wishes and hopes have to go into the paths that we must yet travel, wherever they may lead."
Overall, it's the kind of book that you will want to read and re-read. A five star rating for the excellent style of story-telling and almost lyrical prose.
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