The Lost River- On the Trail of Sarasvati- Michel Danino

I finished this book a while ago but I had to go away and think about how and what I was going to say(write) about the experience of reading it.

So , why this book? The title of course. If you grew up in India, Sarsvati is hard to ignore. She creeps in mantras and during pujas and makes an appearance at the Triveni  Sangam. But where is she, you ask when the Sangam is explained to you and you are told of a red river running underground. And from that day on, you have wondered.

Then you read Danino's book.
Danino brings to life Sarsvati's story, drawing from history, geography, mythology, ancient texts and archaeological evidence. The narrative is gripping and you are riveted. When you put the book down because the day demands it, you are wondering what happens next.  You can see the river gushing through  the land, hear the chanting of the sages on it's banks and watch the cities bustling around it.

He presents multiple perspectives and theories that abound on the river and it's life and death and leaves to decide for yourself- almost. His personal stand is visible of course.

So the book is not at all boring? Not really. Like all books, it does drag in places and sometimes you glaze over the excessive data and information. Then you realize that he needs to say all that to take a stand. Or for you to take one.

Verdict- an enjoyable read for a history buff, a necessary one for indologists.

Pligrim's India- ed. Arundhathi Subramanium

I bought this book to gift to a seeker, a pilgrim I wasn't going to read it, really. But the book seduced me into picking it up, by it's promise of translations from ancient texts and also just lying there on my center table, throwing me sly beckoning looks.

I succumbed and picked it up and was drawn into its many journeys, multiple quests and myriad voices.  The pieces are so carefully and beautifully selected- thanks Arundhati with a satisfying mix of prose and poetry ancient and contemporary.

I was hooked from the first piece - Jerry Pinto's visit to the Kumbh Mela and traveled into Kabir's poetry, Khasi folk tale. and more. There are visits to Dargha, churches, Sikh sacred destinations and the original fire temple. There are the famous shrines and road side destinations And of course the foreign seeker and the one who tries to find it with chemical help. The book is as secular as it is possible for a search for the divine can get. That is the strength of this book.

The writing is uniformly good and the translations are satisfying. They don't leave you with the half- satisfied feeling of having missed the main spice in a iconic dish that many translations often do. Again, another thanks to the editor

Of course , not all the journeys were satisfying. Some accounts  was a little too dry to keep me fully interested and the one about  the meeting with Sankaracharya of Kanchi a little too superficial to be satisfying.

But the sum is bigger than the parts. And more satisfying. And left me with questions about my own quest for the sacred. Namely- maybe it's time to start one.

A must for everybody who wondered about spiritual India.

Jaya- An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata- Devdutt Pattanaik

This is yet another retelling of the Mahabharata. Or is? The answer is yes and no. Yes, the core story is the retelling of the epic written by Vyasa. But interest in the book comes from the fact that Pattanaik provides the variations to the incidents in the epic written in other languages, wherever they occur. What is more, he has dug an amazing amount of interesting spin offs and side stories that make the reading very rich. For example do you know Draupadi has five husbands? Do you know she was the super Sati-Savithri Nalayini in one of her previous births? Also that this Nalayini was a very lustful woman who , when granted a boon by her husband, requested that he take different forms and make love to her? Ah, darn. That was a spoiler!


Do you know what Shakuni’s dice were made of? No, don’t Google it- read the book. The story is much more interesting.

What is missing is Pattanaik’s delightful tongue- in-cheek, irreverence. Maybe the epic’s canvas was too large for him to keep to that narrative e style .Or perhaps the tale to sombre?




However, he does make it up by giving a social commentary or perspective on the incidents and places them within the context of the then society and draws out attention to their values, codes and mores.

Read- A must for mythology lovers and maybe even socio-historians.

©Maya

The Battersea Park Road to Enlightenment – Isabel Losada

Okay. The Big Thing- I am going to stop telling you why I picked up this or other books- the reasons are the same- recommendations, interesting title , captivating blurb. If there is a story behind the why, I promise to let you in on it.


This book- one of the books that may well have influenced my life, I admit. How? When I tell you about the book, you might get the answer.

The book is about, as the title tells you, the author’s search for enlightenment. She tries everything- Insight Seminars, Rolfing- yeah I wondered too what the heck that was and I am going to resist the temptation to tell, tantric sex- I can see that smirk and tai`-chi.

The account is funny, candid, honest, informative and sometimes even inspiring. What you notice is how she open-mindedly embraces every experience, is willing to give it a fair chance and fair-minded in talking about it while being truly humorous. She launches into each one with whole heartedness and her account of it reads like a dizzy ride. So ehilarating that after every workshop she describes, you have to catch yourself from rushing off to try it. Even the colonic irrigation. Didn't mention earlier, did I? oh there are more in that book.

Read it- even if you are not seized by inspiration you will be hugely entertained. and definitely be better informed.

© Maya

Myth= Mithya- Dr Dwevdutt Pattanaik

 Why did I pick it up:  because myths fascinate me and I really enjoyed Pattanaik's 'The pregnant King' immensely.

And;: this book is very well written, in an easy reading style, with flashes, very faint and infrequent , of his tongue-in-cheek humour. The myths are well- known but what the big discovery was the meta-physical and philosophical meanings of the symbols and icons and figurative representation of the myths. it was a reading journey punctuated with - wow, never knew that, is that what this means moments.


But: the biggie was too much too soon. Will have to keep going  back to absorb it all.

Read: if you like myths or are seeking meaning into the Hindu dieites and prayer symbols.

Are You There,Vodka? It's me, Chelsea- Chelsea Handler

Why did I pick this up- Come on! How could I pass up a title like this?


Interest Zones- Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Handler. Believe me, you don’t need anything else. Oh and did I mention it? The writing is funny too.


But- Well this one is not going to keep me awake in the nights pondering of life- truths. And be warned- the book gets a bit hairy in places.


Read - If you want a romp, want to chase away the blues, haven’t laughed in a while or want a mood- lift without the calories.

©Maya