Category: <span>BOOK REVIEW</span>

Home BOOK REVIEW
‘Saraswati’s Intelligence’ by Vamsee Juluri – A Review
Post
August 25, 2023August 25, 2023BOOK REVIEW

‘Saraswati’s Intelligence’ by Vamsee Juluri – A Review

By: 

Vamsee Juluri's book is a page-turner, a great example of creative reimagining done right.
It cannot easily be categorised as per conventional genres. Depending on individual inclination, it can be classified as spiritual, based on passages dealing with the questioning of the nature of Dharma; action-packed thriller, given the battle scene depictions and wars waged; or 'mythological', since despite being based on living Devatas, it is a fictional representation of them; and very different from the stories we were raised on.

Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee – A Review
Post
August 14, 2023August 14, 2023BOOK REVIEW

Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee – A Review

By: 

In this review of "Hindu Love Stories" by Aditi Banerjee, we learn about the author's motivation behind writing the book; and her treatment of her characters. She brings forth the popular tales, as well as some lesser known ones; and shows us that some of the lore known to us as tales of duty and surrender can also be viewed from the Hindu view of love, which is very different from the single-hued romantic love marketed by the West.

48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene – A Review
Post
August 11, 2023August 11, 2023BOOK REVIEW

48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene – A Review

By: 

In this review of the book "48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene, Rohan Raghav Sharma reviews the relevance, appropriateness, and applicability of individual rules mentioned in the book; along with the writing style and historical research needed for the examples and allegories mentioned to illustrate practical implementation of the rules by historical figures.

‘Aryaa’ – An Anthology of Vedic Women – Review
Post
May 31, 2023May 31, 2023BOOK REVIEW

‘Aryaa’ – An Anthology of Vedic Women – Review

By: 

"Stories ranging from the Warrior princess Chitraganda who fights alongside Arjuna to the bold princess Ulupi who approaches Arjuna for the union of her own accord to Queen Subhadra who finds a different way of carrying out her dharma and supporting her husband than the conventional way one expects a wife to. Characters etched in the minds of popular imagination such as Satyavati, Shakuntala, and the duo Nala-Damayanti are also presented in a narrative that cannot fail to entertain and arouse interest. The most metaphysical and philosophical stories are undoubtedly those of Gargi, the Brahmavadini, and Maitreyi, the scholarly wife of the famed Yajnavalkya. These stories prove that while there were women steeped in the Shastric worldview, they were not purposely debarred from aspiring towards education and a spiritual path."
In this review of 'Aryaa - An Anthology of Vedic Women' Rohan Raghav Sharma discusses the need for such a book before delving into each of the ten stories told in the book. He gives detailed insights into each story along with his critique of the writing styles of the different writers.

The Fate Of Muslims Under Soviet Rule : A Review
Post
May 28, 2023May 28, 2023BOOK REVIEW

The Fate Of Muslims Under Soviet Rule : A Review

By: 

"Communism, as the logical outcome of materialism, cannot but be hostile to religion in all its aspects. Thus from the very beginning, the Communists aimed at the destruction of religious belief and worship in Soviet Russia." 
Halley Kalyan pens a review of “The Fate Of Muslims Under Soviet Rule” - a booklet about Soviet government rule in regions that had a significant population of practicing Muslims, by Erich W Bethman (1958); and highlights the shared antagonism towards religion (Hinduism in particular in the Indian context) between the Communist dogma and the Indian version of Secularism.