Raising Hell for Peace - A Crusade by the BrahmaKshatriya

by Shashi Bakshi

The book is a fictional political thriller with a mythological undertone. It weaves together conspiracy theories on how powerful individuals collude to shape destructive events across the globe and hide facts around it to suit their needs. It’s rare that the people will ever find the truth behind such events.

But there is hope. There are a chosen few who will fight back in these corridors of power and use what the manipulators thought was unique to them, against them. While Julius handles diplomatic affairs for Vatican, he has collaborated with Russian and American leaderships to achieve his geopolitical ambitions. Kalki is the prophesied tenth avatar of the Hindu God Vishnu. Guruji considers Desh to be the one. But in midst of a political turmoil, Desh's true potential is fading as he is not realizing his supposed destiny to establish a majoritarian state. This is worrying Balraj as he looks for a veiled relic that holds the key. In contrast, Arya is on a quest to establish a metaphorical Utopian society across the globe. At the same time, he is guiding Desh to keep him away from the misplaced objective Balraj anticipates of him.

What is Julius’ desire and how will it manifest?
What bond do Desh and Arya share?
What enigma is Balraj looking for?
Does Mythology have the answers they seek?

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2020

Reviews

[Tejas Vaity · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page-turner in the truest sense of the word! The fast-pacing of the book will get you hooked right from the first chapter and keeps you on the edge all throughout. There is not a dull moment in this gripping tale interlinking Indian mythology with contemporary politics.

For someone who loves reading political fiction; be it classics like 1984 and Animal Farm from George Orwell, or epics like Sacred Games and Leila, this book fell right in my ally.

While the language makes it a fairly easy read, Often times the story gets uncomfortably too close to the reality of the current state of affairs.

The author strikes a balance by managing to keep the plot entertaining and yet intellectual satisfy the reader with his take on majoritarian politics. The story intertwines the deep-rooted connections between geopolitics, religious establishments and terrorism.

As I was reading this, I could imagine it being adapted as a movie or web-series, but considering the current political climate of internet mobs boycotting every little thing that goes against their rigid ideologies, I wonder if there will be many stakeholders brave enough to take it on. My own personal happiest reading experience is when I am forced into the moral viewpoints of somebody which I do not necessarily agree with but I am forced to. I would recommend this novel to anyone with an open mind, willing to put their existing biases and prejudices aside, for them to truly marvel the beauty of this story.

The author does well not to fall for the tropes of getting too bleak and dystopian, which many of the speculative fiction falls into. Raising Hell for Peace leaves us with a hope for a better tomorrow as long as we are ready to stand in resistance against the seemingly invincible forces.

[Aryan Sarath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced socio-political thriller which would keep you captivated till the end. There are lot of events which had happened in the real life which has been incorporated in this novel in a real effective way. This includes:

9/11 Attacks
Indian Parliament Attack
Allahabad train burn incident apart from other important events like
NPR and CAA
Kamala as VP of U.S. to name a few.

The novel would make you retrospect irrespective of your political leaning or ideologies. This is the need of the hour since if you side with one - be it Left Wing or Right Wing without knowing their ideologies and when you are given the power, those ideologies shouldn't act as a deterrent as to what you truly are.

This is what happens with Balraj who is entrusted with upbringing of Deshbhakt by Guru Satyanand of The Indo Aryan Pride Organisation(IAPO) who believed that Desh is the Avatar or Kalki and in order to understand his fullest potential, he needs to be handed over the relic.

While Desh had a full backing of IAPO, he meets Aryabhat in the IIT,Kanpur and they become close friends. They had a gang of friends which included Kamala, Baozhai among others. While Desh was indulged in protests, Arya excels in his studies and fetches a full scholarship in Princeton University where he meets Katrina. Aftre going to the U.S. Arya loses touch with Desh.

Desh becomes the C.M.of U.P. twice and when he was facing the election for the 3rd time to the C.M.'s office, he gets to meet Arya who has become a political analyst and advisor to few other States. This character reminded me of PK in the present Indian politics. Don't tell me that you do not know who PK is.....

What did he do to make him win the elections?

Then there are riots. Why did that take place?

Then there was a rift between Arya and Desh. What had caused this rift?

Did Desh get the relic? If yes, did it manifest his powers?

This novel talks in great detail about how the politics is conducted and how the nations in the West like Italy(read it as Vatican), Russia, U.S. try to influence others through their plans and how the intel is gathered and the reasons as to why acts like sabotage, phone tapping, intel etc., are done and how it is done.

The book also talks about the racism which prevails even in this 21st century.

A must read irrespective of your political leanings and is a perfect fit if you are searching for a socio-political genre.

[Jiten Upadhyay (Team ThinkerViews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will give it around 7.5 stars out of 10. The stars above are rounded.
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The time keeps changing but the life of the common men remain almost same in terms of troubles, hopes and circumstances. Of course, each individual passes through different personal experiences but collectively these experiences forms a socio-political-economic environment. That's why almost all the generations look upto an avatar - the incarnation of the supreme being - to interfere into these affairs and clean up the evil from the society.

Shashi Bakshi tries elaborating this concept through his debut book - Raising Hell for Peace - A Crusade by the BrahmaKshatriya.

The Plot:
Starting in 1976 in an Ashram near Nagpur, we meet Guruji a key figure of Indo-Aryan Pride Organisation, a political party with rigid political views and a fair bit of influence in Indian political scene.

Guruji is meeting Sharma – a detective – who is in charge of investigative work for Guruji on various fronts and now tasks him to find the child who is about to be born. The Grah-Nakshatras are aligning to the combination that heralds the birth of Kalki and Guruji wants to bring this child to the Ashram and raise him there.

If you are aware with the legend of Kalki - the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu - expected to be born in Kaliyuga, you must expect the references of - Shambhala - and some other related stuff. You will meet a boy born in Shambhala hospital and given the name - Deshbhakt.

The story from this point takes some expected and some unexpected turns and moves ahead, but, let us stop here to avoid spoilers. All I can say is, if you have strong political views or awareness about the current political scenario in India, you will find shades of the same in this story.

Views And Reviews:
The book lives up to the categorization of a political thriller with a mythological undertone at most times. The author builds up his foundation right in the first chapter as he gives us the background on the Indo-Aryan Pride Organization (IAPO) and its goals of establishing a certain kind of rule in the country. To their way of thinking, Kalki also is the right choice for the next exceptional leader that this country needs, and who is supposed to put end to all wrongs and establish the way of Dharma in the modern times.

And the book lives upto the expectations it built, till the boy grows.

While the central thread and objective of the book is admirable, a lot of readers may not completely agree with the political journey and circumstances that the author has used to create this book. It could have been better elaborated. Of course, India is really a vast canvas and political scenarios in its different parts are quite different than each other.

This book is focused on religion-based majority-minority stuff, which obviously does exist in various countries around the globe. If you look at the overall situations, I think, there are more majority-minority divides like race, skin color and more. The world these days is different than what it was a few years ago. The technological advancement has changed the concept of trade and boundaries, and even wars. There was a great scope of exploration of these points in the story.

I found some proof-reading errors in the book that could have been taken care of.

I personally think that the cover page of the book needs to be much more appealing, in order to reflect its true strengths. If professionally worked, it could have been a lot better and will appeal a lot of readers and onlookers. Believe it or not, the cover page plays a singificant role in attracting a potential reader/buyer towards the book.

Also, when you read the book, you need to read it objectively, by putting aside your political and religious preferences. And you will find it a really good thriller.

Summary:
An interesting political thriller with seeds into the Indian mythology.

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[You can find detailed book review at: https://thinkerviews.com/books/englis...]

[Pranita Chavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raising Hell For Peace - A Crusade by the Brahma-Kshatriya is a book written by Mr. Shashi Bakshi.
The book reflects the current political scenario in the country, rather, the world.
The theme of the book is Politics interlined with the characters of Mythology.
The book is based on the dominance of the majorities. The dominance of Majority over Minorities to rule the kingdom has been going on since ages, With passage of time, as minority rose & started acknowledging themselves, the insecurity of a few majoritarian people rose & they took steps which disturbed the peace around.

For a person like me, who is not much interested in politics, reading a book about it would be a rare sight. Although being hesitant & uncertain about finishing the book when I was on the second page, I liked the how the characters have greatly related with the Mythological characters.
The Characters such as Arya & Deshbhakt shows two different perspective of the same scenario. These are the characters who are ideals of the leaders around the world.
The Aim being the same, however, the methods used by both being so different. The story of leaders dominating all around the globe with a similar goal, along with different events happening around the globe at the same time, keeps us busy while reading this book.
I loved the way the author has connected different scenarios across globe while balancing the theme. This keeps the mind curious & engaging to know further, thus turning the page. It seems slow in first few pages. However, once you go further, it engages us to know about the next step- be it Arya, Deshbhakt or the life of Guruji, or the future of Russia, or a simple love story of Arya -Katarina.
The Author has kept the book lively as it is based on the real-life events which are happening recently & few which have occurred in the past. While the country is becoming over-patriotic, killing many for happiness of few, the need of Arya is being highlighted, similar to Lord Krishna’s Avatar.
It is behind-the-veil story of Political scenario which is shown to the general public through media.
One of my favorite part is where Deshbhakt , even though being such powerful at convincing people & making things work in his own way, is convinced by Arya to take actions in a way which is totally different from what he is taught by his Guruji or from his childhood.
In one sentence, this book can be described as - A good paced Political, engaging book, with Mythological resemblance to the characters, their relevance & perfect timing, thrill & stories based on real-life events occurring around us.
The Author being a new entrance to the writer’s world, this could be an awesome start in this field.

[Kevin Mallik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raising Hell for Peace by Shashi Bakshi is a riveting political thriller. As far as I remember, it is one of the best political thrillers I have ever read in my life after books on WW I & II. I liked its Indian backdrop that eventually drives the plot consistently. The story is about ideologies that define the fate of political parties and future of millions of people, whether they support any party or not.

The novel kick starts with one famous Guru named Satyanand, who runs IAPO – a sort of polarizing organization. He wants India to be a majoritarian country. To fulfill his ambition, there are some important characters that run throughout the novel. Another twist in the novel is to find someone with relics of Kalki – the tenth avatar of Lord Krishna. However, after a few chapters, the novel sets its eyes on politics. With characters like Anton, Donald, Kamla, Desh, Arya, Balraj, and Julius – we get into an unputdownable political thriller.

A very interesting and contemporary novel if one keeps track of the current political landscape of the world. I found this novel terrific, sharp, and poignant. From political enthusiast to naïve to compulsive readers, this novel has something in store for you. Without giving much, I can admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

[Madhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book that confronted me on my political beliefs
The book ‘Raising Hell for Peace’ made me think about my own political ideologies. Though it is a fictional political thriller book, it kind of makes you think about lot of events that happened, like few riots, air strikes, protests, etc.
It gives you many insights on how each event has so many underlying truths that may never come into light.
The life journey of four IIT students across different countries at varied powerful positions and how the dynamics work was breath taking.
Balraj leaving his wife based on one statement from Guruji indicates how people take extreme decisions under assumption.
I wish there is a real character like Arya who can turn around the way Politicians work. The way he empathizes with Desh and empowers him is brilliant. A person like Arya is the need of the hour.
Worth reading this book, which unfolds so many interconnections between events and people.
Though it is a book of fiction, you do get lot of insightful connections surrounding mythology.

[Supriya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is well crafted. It contains characters coming from different backgrounds across the globe. The series of events plotted in the book is really expressive as it form a series of connection with one another. The writer has made a smart choice in picking up the names of character, one can easily relate it from present situation and mythology.The story move smoothly, unfolding different aspects layer by layer. The language is quite simple and easy to understand, one can actually imagine or rather live everything while reading the book. The book is gracefully meeting different aspects of global politics and how it is harming the lives of common citizen it even tell how an incident occurred in one nation effect the live of people in another part of the planet. The author has tried to give a message of peace and stability between countries,religious and ethnic groups which is time to time hampered due to the greed and stereotypical orthodox believe of few people who want power,domination and uniformity instead of unity across the world.The book is a must try 👍👍👍👍

[Isha Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing political thriller novel that tries to sum up current political landscape of the world. The book took me on a ride across the globe and introduced me to several key political figures that try to rule the world for, more or less, their own benefits. The story has politics and Indian mythological, the author tried to blend both into one to come up with a riveting tale.

The novel is good to read and the title of the book is 100 percent apt. Politicians putting the façade of peace lovers only to fulfill their agenda, whether it is the USA or India or Russia - the game is same everywhere. The novel features the story of two characters, Deshbhakth and Arya. They become friends in college but their ideologies are different and contrasting, given to their choices. The novel is more about political campaigns and hidden agenda on the pretext of religion and other things.

With many stories and characters inside, this is a good read anytime. I have also reviewed this book on my blog. No spoilers, pick up this book, and say your opinion about the contemporary politics.

[Prabhakar Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked really liked this book because of its fast paced writing, which keeps you on edge with every chapter, and the way author described the current political situation using mythological references was brilliant. The language was easy to read. Author managed to maintain the balance between fiction and reality however at some point it feels like distinction between them is not that farfetched. It also outlines the fact that how a very number of people try to control the entire world and also speaks about the rise of authoritarian leaders. Well, if you are a beginner looking for a political fiction, I suggest this book would be an ideal start, as it keeps you on your toes till the last chapter while summarizing the current situation out there.

[Lovepreet Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raising hell for peace: A crusade for the Brahma Kshatriya by Shashi Bakshi has the mythological undertone on the ongoing and past political events across the world. It gives the readers the virtue of thought that how influential and high powered people can use their powers to shape the events around the world to satisfy their own needs and in their quest for power how general public's life is affected. A lot of real life events have been included in the book that can led you question how many underlying truths of these situations have never seen the light of the day. You for sure will be engrossed as the story unfolds chapter after chapter.

[Akshay Bodkhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The debutant author has seamlessly merged some of the significant real life events that have shaped the world with his story and characters. Lots of planning must have gone in the story board, before the author started writing this epic. The language being quite easy to understand for people of all ages, the author has managed to keep the reader engaged with the fast paced story line. The characters are well defined with their characteristics and have resemblance to real life people. The inclusion of mythology in the story line and characters is very well designed.

[Jason Aranha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shashi Bakshi’s political-mythological thriller novel depicts how Desh, an avatar of lord Vishnu, journeys through his life to attain his true potential. The author speaks about the corrupt leaders who want to further their personal agendas at the cost of human lives. But there is still hope for the world. While Julius handles diplomatic affairs for Vatican, he has collaborated with Russian and American leaderships to achieve his geopolitical ambitions.
However, the author has tried to link a lot of stories and he has fast-paced the book in most of the chapters.

[Moin Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The idea and its interpretation is the most appreciable aspect of this book - the author has done a fantastic job linking daily figures to mythological figures and it all comes across as cohesive. The other thing that I think makes it a gripping read is the pacing, which is fast yet very palpable and keeps the events that unfold very exciting. I would like to suggest this book further as it's a fresh concept that's very well done without seeming overdone or pretentious.

[Nidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's such a unique mix of Mythology and Political drama which is so relatable since it includes various events that India and US has faced. The way all the characters are elaborated is so perfect and unlike other books the author has decided not to drag the story and keep it fast paced. Definitely a must read even if you don't have any political knowledge.

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an avid reader of mythological novels, I quite enjoyed Raisin Hell for Peace.
If you know a thing or two about the political scenario in the country, you will be able to relate the characters - Desh, Arya and Balraj with some of our political leaders. With this, the interest in this novel just pops up more and more.

[Nikita Suryawanshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Raising hell for peace" book is a fictional political thriller with mythological undertone. It includes how powerful individuals collude to shape destructive events across the globe. There are a chosen few who will fight back in these corridors of power and author has well explained all the events and all the characters.

[Anupriya]

Raising Hell for Peace: A Crusade by the Brahma-Kshatriya is a fictional thriller and also mythological book.I am familiar with Indian mythology, and in this book author connected ancient mythology with politics. If you guys are interested in political events, Indian mythology you should read read this book for sure.

[Sayali Kadam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has tried to give a message of peace and stability between countries,religious and ethnic groups which is time to time hampered due to the greed and stereotypical orthodox believe of few people who want power,domination and uniformity instead of unity across the world. You can visualise the situations described in the book

[Mahak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is based on the dominance of the majorities. The dominance of Majority over Minorities to rule the kingdom has been going on since ages. With passage of time, as minority rose & started acknowledging themselves, the insecurity of a few majoritarian people rose & they took steps which disturbed the peace around.

[Tanvi Limbachiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinatingly epic tale with multiple sub-plots that keep you hooked and make marks on the grander scale as the events unfold and the whole story culminates. The writing is quite smart and engaging.

[Shubham More · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot of Raising Hell for Peace was quite engrossing. Focused heavily on Indian mythology and politics, it has moments of brilliance when lines between fiction and reality are blurred as the author narrates some of the major real-life events that have shaped the world.

[Kaushal K · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent fast paced socio-political thriller written in simple English. I love how the author combined the current political scenario with some essence of Mythology. The last chapter especially blew my mind.

[Asha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author manages to have a firm grip on the narrative structures even as there are various sub-plots dealing with complex socio-political subjects happening over decades that could very well may have gone haywire otherwise.

[Chetan Shinde · Rating 5 out of 5]

The storytelling of Raising Hell for Peace follows a fictional narrative, but some of the notable events are associated with the main characters of the story in an intriguing manner. You get insights on how politicians can create geopolitical tension for their gains.

[Hashmita · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not often that I am forced to reconsider my long held opinions and ideas. Raising Hell for Peace manages to do just that with its sweeping take on geopolitics not just in India but also with Global standpoint. Reading a political themed novel has never been more enjoyable for me.

[Anish Pillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the very first page, Raising Hell for Peace kept me on the hook. It was a very fast paced and thrilling reading experience. The way mythology was intertwined in the political plot of the book was magnificent.

[Manoj Boxi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book can be overwhelmingly fast at first but once you get a hang of it, you understand the author's idea and then it all starts making sense. The story is an apt reflection of our times - the turmoil and tension, the lust for blood and violence... it's all there and makes for one good read.

[Nimeesh Tambe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading such books which are based on politics and Raising Hell For Peace is the perfect example. There are lot of events which had happened in the real life which has been incorporated in this novel in a real effective way. An excellent read for sure.

[Amit Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raising Hell for Peace sheds a light on the deep rooted connections religious institutions have on the power dynamics of world politics. The writer takes heavy inspiration from some prominent real life personalities to develop his characters.

[Harsh Parmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read overall. Pretty interesting story and the surprises that unfold aren't really predictable. However, it's too fast paced and sometimes the events might close in on you little too thick and fast; would still suggest it though and give it a thumbs up.