Title : The Winds of Hastinapur
Author : Sharath Komarraju
ISBN : 9789351160878
Publisher : HarperCollins India
Genre : Mythology
Pages : 320
Source : Self
Rating : 4 stars
There have been hundreds of folklores, interpretations and retellings of the mother of all stories ‘Mahabharata’.
‘Winds of Hastinapur’ by Sharath Komarraju begins at the point when Ganga was sent to earth to grant ‘moksh’ to the cursed vasus, granting them freedom from the cycle of birth and death. But what was it like for the river maiden to kill her seven sons, make the eighth one the most powerful warrior only to give him away to his father once he reached adolescence? With this book Sharath Kommarraju inducts magic in the tale of Ganga, taking the readers in the surreal world of Meru, its crystal lake and its inhabitants.
This is also the story of Satyavati aka Matsyagandhi, who, due to her overambitiousness and short sightedness ploughed the seeds of the greatest battle ever fought.
Mahabharat is known for its powerful female characters like Draupadi, Kunti and Gandhari with sharp minds, witty political mindset and alluring beauty. If you want to go a bit back and plunge in the lives of those not-so-focussed female characters of Ganga and Satyavati, you shouldn’t miss this book.
A beautiful magical retelling full of vividness and ample indepth potrayal of the thoughts, ambitions and desires of the two ladies combined with a gripping plot makes it a good read.
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