I have a confession. Mythology and I are poles apart. We just don’t get along. I am bad with names and Indian mythology. I have often tried to purge my mind and “re-educate” myself on mythology via ACK comics (and other grown-up versions of the same). I have failed miserably more than once. For the past 4-5 years, I have kept away from mythology. And as mytho-fiction emerged as one of the fastest growing genre in Indian publishing, I pretended not to notice the book store shelves lined with mythology fiction reads.

While I love a great fiction, I wasn’t ready to burden my mind with names a mile long and characters who have backstories and lineage that are alien. I have also struggled with relating to the protagonist in mythology (and mytho-fiction). And then I said yes to reviewing Krishna Udayasankar’s Kurukshetra. (Yes! It is time to get my sanity tested. I sure am a glutton for punishment)

The book arrived, I opened the packaging excitedly and flipped through it. I stared at the cover for a few seconds and let it lie untouched. Around 400 pages,you can do it, I told myself everyday. I love reading and I was determined to read this book. Fear is a strange thing, you struggle to let go and enter the land of the unknown. Everyday I told myself, I will start reading the book and instead picked another genre I am comfortable with to spend those dark hours when the world around me expected me to sleep. I just wasn’t ready for mytho-fiction.

If I had purchased the book, I am quite sure I would have left it to languish in the dusty corners of my book shelf. Luckily, I was able to convince myself to start reading the book. It is quite easy to see why the book is very popular. Very well-written and almost racing to the finish. The book kept me hooked and I kept jumping between the “Introduction to Characters” page every few often, to keep up with the story.

War is around the corner and Aryavarta prepares for it. Alliances are formed, trust is broken and manipulative behaviour reigns. Pretty standard fare. Udayashankar weaves through the myriad of characters with ease and bringing to forefront the emotions of the characters. It is easy to relate to Uttara, Panchali, Dharm Yudhisthir and ofcouse Govinda Shauri. Each one’s voice shines through the writing, making it easy to lose yourself in the book.

I have not read the first two books in the trilogy and was wondering if it would be hard to get into the third book in the series. It was not so. Kurukshetra could easily function as a stand-alone book provided you have some background knowledge of the Mahabharata. And this is where I found the book lacking. I don’t know enough of the great epic to relate and connect the dots in this book. Often I found myself, getting frustrated while trying to enjoy the well-crafted scenes, dig into my (non-existent) background knowledge and remember “who is who”.

The best is the last. The finality of the war and the divinity of Govinda Shauri has been crafted extremely well and is a fitting end to the book (and the trilogy). Personally, I wish the book was a bit shorter and didn’t have so many characters but that comes because I am not a fan of the genre.

A well researched and written book that any mythology fan would love.

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