Book Review
The Curse of Anuganga by Harini Srinivasan
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| The Curse of Anuganga by Harini Srinivasan |
Author: Harini
Srinivasan
ISBN: 978-8193642498
Genre: Historical Fiction (Mystery)
Length: 280 Pages
Publisher: TreeShade Books (28
April 2019)
My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
My Ratings: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Order your copy right now: https://amzn.to/2KzF00u
About the author:
Check her blog: www.bagsbooksandmore.wordpress.com
An aficionado of literature, history and dance, Harini
Srinivasan has found innovative ways of bringing her passions to her work.
Among her achievements is her contribution as an editor of several prestigious publications
published by the Publications Division, Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, Government of India, such as Selected Speeches of the President:
Pranab Mukherjee; The Republican Ethic: Selected Speeches of Shri Ram Nath
Kovind; Indian Dance – Through a Critic’s Eye; Abode Under the Dome; Legends of
Indian Silver Screen; and Selected Speeches of the Vice President: M. Venkaiah
Naidu.
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| Harini Srinivasan |
She also has to her credit a children’s book “The Wizard
Tales - Adventures of Bun-Bun” (now into its second print) and a blog on
classic Hindi films and books. Along the
way, she undertook different roles (Civil Servant, Project Manager,
Communications Professional and Editor) across countries (India, Germany and
the Netherlands). A doting mother of a 10 year old son, Harini Srinivasan lives
with her family in Gurgaon.
Check her blog: www.bagsbooksandmore.wordpress.com
Follow her on Instagram: @hsriniv12
REVIEW
Narration
The Curse of Anuganga is a Historical Fiction based on the
history of Vakataka dynasty capital, which is Nandivardhana. Driving the
inspiration from the history of ancient India, the author Harini Srinivasan has tried to put her
views and story which could have caused the mysterious events that took place
at the end of the 4th century. The story is narrated in the third-person
point of view which follows the main character Shaunaka. The author has tried
her best to portray Ancient India with the wealth of rich culture of architecture,
developed imperial government, language and literature. She has used many
Sanskrit words throughout the book quite often which affected the efficiency of
writing style. The writing style and the structure is very good and the story
is consistent and average paced throughout the book.
Location and Setting
The story takes place in 403 CE when the Rani Prabhavatigupta
(390 CE – 410 CE) was the regent Queen, ruling over the kingdom Nandivardhana on
behalf of her two young sons. Harini Srinivasan has successfully portrayed the image
of this kingdom and how it worked, it is just perfect and is a remarkable point
about The Curse of Anuganga. There are different quarters in the kingdom of
Nandivardhana and the story mainly revolves around Buddhist Quarter,
Administrative Quarter, Jewellers’ Quarter and the market of the city. The book
also described the infrastructure of various constructions which added value to
the magnificent period of Indian history.
Theme
The Curse of Anuganga follows a murder mystery and the
constant threat to the kingdom from an unknown source throughout the course. The
main character Shaunaka is the son of a well-known goldsmith, Vishnuveera. The
prologue and the opening took me by surprise and my expectation got higher, but
nothing sort of happened until towards the end. After studying the theories
about Kalidasa, author went along with the theory that associates Kalidasa to
the court of King Chandragupta II. So, there is this great element to read
about, which is Mahakavi and his invaluable creations and accomplishments.
Plot
Shaunaka is given the charge to work on the bride’s jewellry at
the corner house in Buddhist Quarters. Unfortunate Shaunaka and his brother
Ashwini find themselves in front of the Vinayashura’s dead body. Vinayashura,
the owner of that corner house who was rumored to have deep connections with
the royal family, was mysterious enough to Shaunaka and now after the murder, he
is intrigued to know more about the mystery at hand. Because of their logic and
keen observation skills, Shaunaka and Ashwini have land duty of assisting the
head of police to solve this murder. Also another event, the royal wedding of
the prince is facing the obstacles and both mysteries are causing a threat to the
security of Nandivardhana.
My Views
The use of Sanskrit might have compromised the capacity of
the narration but it was very essential to the story and it was fun to learn
bits of Sanskrit this way. I loved many characters and the list includes Devi
Tanirika (wife of Vinayashura and mother of bride─ Tarika), Pitamahi Ahalyabai (Grandmother of
Shaunaka and Ashwini), Bharavi and Yakshvatsa. I expected more from the
character of Mahakavi Kalidasa. The story was not much intriguing as it was
just moving straight forward without any major events in between. Thus, the
climax was burdened with all the mysteries. While the language, setting and the
representation of mysterious events in the ancient history of India were
expertly carried out.
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