The Brahmin by Ravi Shankar Etteth A Historical Thriller from Ancient India
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars
Blurb
It is a time of violence as well as calm. Men of peace are spreading the message of the Buddha even as monks are being tortured in the dungeons of Pataliputra. In Magadha, all talk is about the impending war against Kalinga. While King Ashoka plots the movements of his ships and cavalry, Queen Asandhimitra broods over the growing unrest in the kingdom. There is only one man they can both trust to take them through this period of uncertainty and looming the enigmatically named Brahmin, skilful spymaster and custodian of Magadha’s best-kept secrets. Lush with historical detail and unforgettable characters, The Brahmin is an intricately plotted novel that seeks to recreate a near-mythical period in India’s past.
The Brahmin
I had brought this book (19th June 2018 ) on Amazon after reading the book blurb which sounded both intriguing and interesting. Usually I give historical and period fiction stories a miss unless it is relatively recent; although I've been lucky to have read some significant and interesting period stories including some which were tremendously interesting. Some of the finest that I've read concerns Constantinople and the crusades and some of the fantastic, tremendous books by Colleen McCullough about ancient Rome.
I had also read the more popular books of Meluha The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi which was good but did not find them worth the hype.
This book was in my TBR for the last 6 years and while reviewing my library (now mostly digital) which I do every year in late December or early January, saw this book and decided to make my attempt.
The story is placed in one of Indian history's tumultuous era where possibly two of the worlds greatest ever kings and two of the worlds greatest religious and life gurus had just passed and another great emperor was just establishing himself in India. The former two kings are Alexander the Great and Chandragupta Maurya (founder of the Mauryan dynasty) and the Guru(s) were Gautam Buddha and Mahaveer (Jain tirthankara), Buddhism and Jainism respectively. The last was Ashoka, initially known as Chanda Ashok (Ashok the terrible) and then Dharma Ashok (Ashok the Righteous/Pious) a journey that made him Ashoka the Great.
Magadha empire was then powerful enough to deter the great Alexander to forsake his world conquest.
The story concerns a period of history where Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka had taken over the reigns of the kingdom after a bloodbath amongst his brothers in which he ended victorious and before the Kalinga war which would change the destiny of the country by turning the ruthless, aggressive and ambitious emperor Ashoka into a believer and messenger of peace.
The story concerns the statecraft and spy craft of that period between the kingdoms of Magadha (present day Bihar) and Kalinga (present day Odisha) and is a fabulous story told with great verve. At the heart of the story is a murder mystery with women in Ashoka's palace turning up dead. The other story within connects the ancient story of the Brahmin King Ravana of Lanka (Sri Lanka), the king in Ramayan, who had in his control a weapon of extreme mass destruction created by the greatest of his time but one which could potentially devastate the world.
The Brahmin also tells the story of the weapon which was in Ravana's safe keeping and how it was kept safe by successive generations of Brahmins.
The story and the telling is top notch and the planning of the actions and set-pieces in the story are fine. My only complaint was that Ravi Shankar has taken a lot of liberty with the times and has painted stories which seem more European than Indian. The impact of the Greek culture in India is not that well documented especially in the dressing and food habits. This was a little bit jarring but can be brushed away as poetic license and it takes nothing away from the story.
The characterization of Ashoka as a person prone to anger and one whose temper smoldered as an undercurrent. His decisions and dialogues point to his powerful personality. The Brahmin himself is a well versed person who is grounded and is skilled with both words and the sword.
The queen Asandhimitra is a strong character and her strong role in the story is a reflection of the way women in ancient India were revered and honored and how even the strongest kings listened to counsel and gender was no bar to knowledge and advice.
The story has two other strong female characters about whom information is a little less but one a trusted aide of the Brahmin and the other a strong killer for hire who has made a reputation for herself amongst the kingdoms of that time. Their mutual loyalty to their respective kingdoms and masters are well documented.
The corruption of the bureaucracy is an absolute truth through the age and this story documents that in sufficient amounts to propel the story. The shadow boxing in espionage between Magadha and Kalinga and their respective chessmen in the form of the Brahmin, the Queen, the Envoy from Kalinga form the story. Courtroom politics and personal rivalry for the kings ear can be seen in the Magadha's minister Radhagupta and the Brahmin. The nimble stays on its feet in the story.
Fabulous reading.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars
Recommended
NB -
The word Brahmin in Indian society and culture is a varna as well as a caste within the Hindu society. In the ancient Vedic- and post-Vedic Indian subcontinent, the Brahmins were mostly the priestly class, serving as priests as well as spiritual teachers for the community and were often the most learned and well read of the community maintaining records and authoring books and treatises.
You can also write to firstsutraindia@gmail.com
Goodreads Review here -
https://twitter.com/bookishdramas
https://www.instagram.com/bookishdramas/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088404892842
Comments
Post a Comment