My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
Arjuna, in the Mahabharata, is described as the Nara to Krishna’s Narayana. In the entire epic, if Krishna is the one who wields the strings, albeit behind the scenes, it is Arjuna who is in the forefront of the story. It is he who is the most loved among the Pandavas, and it is his story Anuja Chandramouli seeks to relate, in her book by the same name.
She begins her story at the same place Veda Vyasa did – with Janamejaya’s sacrifice, and his quest to know more about his ancestors. However, instead of the epic in its entirety, she chooses to focus on Arjuna alone. However, Arjuna, for all his heroism and stature, cannot be separated from the Mahabharata.
Therefore, Anuja has no choice but to relate events happening around him, which makes it into yet another rendition of one of the greatest of Indian epics.
On the positive side, the author manages to hold on to her narrative, through the book, though she frequently delves into the past, or peeks into the future, to explain events in the present. In fact, her narrative is what carries the book through, since it’s a story most of us know well. That she manages to introduce some surprises, in the form of less known events and happenings, simply adds to her credit.
The writing is good, as is the language, but on the downside, the book reads like an essay, a simple retelling of the story, especially in the beginning. It took me quite a while to get past the first few chapters, and a spelling or proofing error I found didn’t help matters either. It took the story of Uloopi and Babhruvahana to get me interested in the book, and read through to the end.
To clarify, I found only one spelling or proofing error on Pg.70, but sometimes, even one can be one too many.
The best thing I can say about the book is that Anuja Chandramouli brings us a story we know well, adding some details many might not know. It is this which makes the book worth a read.
This book was sent to me for review by Leadstart Publishing. The views expressed are my own.
Best blog, really I like your blog very much. Your content and picture is awesome. I got best information about Delhi call Girls from your site. Thanks for sharing this type of information.
ReplyDeleteI was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
ReplyDeletehref=http://” www.appleparking.co.uk/” Stanstead Airport Car Parking
Awesome blog, It gives me Indian touch on every picture, thanks for sharing. We are travel loving people provides for cheap flights Melbourne to Delhi. Travel agents
ReplyDelete