Skip to main content

Fact and fiction make history




Book Review

Name: The Brahmin
Author: Ravi Shankar Etteth
Publisher: Westland
Pages: 246
Price: Rs 350


Any Indian book dabbling in history and mythology will inevitably have its roots in the epics. And, so it is with The Brahmin, which resumes the tale of Rama and Ravana, with little nuggets from the Greek mythology. The story, as the title suggests, is that of the brahmin from King Ashoka’s court. In present-day terms, the brahmin would be labelled as ‘man-Friday’ of any political bigwig.


In the book, he is the spymaster tracking crimes, keeping Ashoka, his queen Asandhimitra and the people of Magadh safe. The novel opens to the discovery of Ashoka’s concubine’s dead body, seven days after she was killed. A black cestus (glove made of leather straps worn by Greek fighters) was found a few feet away from the body. The glove contained a red flower, kovidara, which subsequently becomes the killer’s calling card.

With a Magadh-Kalinga war looming over the horizon, Ashoka gives the brahmin seven days to catch the killer. And, thus begins a cat and a mouse game, with political intrigue, court rivalries, personal associations thickening the plot.

Since this is a period novel, and Ashoka ruled the country at one point of time, the author had the responsibility to blend fact and fiction seamlessly. Etteth has manged it well. His skill in weaving in various characters with varied motives and histories, serves in keeping the mystery portions in the book taut.

The author also deserves a special mention when it comes to creating the period thriller. He has surpassed himself when it comes to detailing the costumes the characters wore. If one were to mount a period film on this novel, then at least the costume department would have all the research laid out before them. Also the architecture, the interiors, the secret rooms and connecting passageways, arches, niches stand up before you in complete grandeur.

The richness in the tale and also in Ashoka’s life is balanced with the presence of austere, plain speaking tribe of warrior Buddhist monks. Yes, there is an inherent contradiction when we mention Buddhism and its warrior monks. But it’s the contradictions, peppered with fact and imaginative fiction, that make history. In that sense, The Brahmin is a fascinating and gripping historical tale.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Valu and more

Visited Poman Pimpale village where Marathi picture Valu was shot. --- Documentary la chala… came the shout and Poman Pimpale villagers slowly started gathering at the village square. The children were already there, jostling each other, eager to see the ‘documentary’ – Marathi film Valu, which was shot in this village, some 14 kms away from Saswad. On the occasion of the film completing 50 successful days, the cast and crew of Valu, decided to host a special screening for the villagers on Saturday as a tribute. As Umesh Kulkarni, the director of Valu says, “ The movie is a collaborative venture of the villagers and myself. Valu is theirs as much as it is mine.” You just need to mingle with the crowd to find out what Umesh says is true - it’s their movie that the villagers have gathered to see. Pradeep Poman, a village elder, says that they enjoyed the whole film making process. “It had become a past time for us. Whenever we had some time to spare, we just went to see the shooting. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Portrait of a poet

This has already been published in the Sunday supplement. Krishnaji Keshav Damle also known as Keshavsut --- Poetry never really appealed to me. And, so it was with great reluctance that I agreed to my husband's plan to visit Keshavsut Smarak – a memorial raised in memory of 'Father of Modern Marathi Poetry', Krishnaji Keshav Damle – in Malgund. We were in Ganapatipule at that time and decided to go to Malgund, a 10-minute drive (a kilometre) from the popular tourist destination. A sign-post told us to take a left turn and what greeted us, at the end of the lane, was tranquil silence. No security guards, no tourists, just a plaque announcing that Damle, popularly known as Keshavsut, was born in the red-roofed house, surrounded by green shrubbery. Keshavsut's house in Malgund  A poem by Keshavsut  The house, renovated in the old style, was near-empty, except for Keshavsut's portrait that was hanging from the wall in the front room. In the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Many ideas of ‘self’ (Review of Pratibimb, Marathi play)

With Mahesh Elkunchwar’s name as a writer associated with Pratibimb (Reflection), you know nothing in the play will be at face value. Nothing is what it seems. It is difficult for commoners to get into Elkunchwar’s mindspace, which is precisely the subject of the Marathi play, which was staged earlier in August and will now be performed again on Friday, September 15 at Sudarshan Rangmanch, Shaniwar Peth. While watching the play, it’s evident that the viewer has to peel various layers to get to the core of the story — Who are you? What does ‘self-identity’ mean? Is it so bad if your reflection goes missing or if you have no identity? Thokale (a white-collared office goer) wakes up one morning and finds his reflection missing. Enters Bai, his landlady, who tries to assure him that nothing is lost. In fact, it could be a ‘breaking news’ for the newspaper. This perhaps could have led to a lot of chaos physically. Instead, we are led to the darkness looming large in our dystopian minds...
1 comment
Read more