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Abhaya

by Saiswaroopa Iyer ,

4.4, 10 Ratings 4 Reviews

BOOK, 332 pages

Published 01-09-2016

Original Title : Abhaya
Genre : Not defined
ISBN : 9781535535588 (ISBN13: 153553558X)
Language : en
User assigned genres : Mahabharata

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Formerly an analyst with a Venture capital firm, Saiswaroopa's interests include Startups, Economics, Carnatic Music, Philosophy, Politics, History and Literature of India. She won a state level gold medal from TTD in rendering Annamacharya Kritis. She holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Technolog ... more

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4 pts

Beloo Mehra rated it

May 01, 2020

“I revere Krishna today as one of the first architects of a unified India. Yes, I believe he did exist in the obscure history of India…. Abhaya has been my window to explore and experience Krishna Vaasudeva.” This is how Saiswaroopa Iyer introduces the second lead of her debut novel, Abhaya, in the Author’s Note. Krishna Vasudeva is second leading character because the first place is reserved for his love, his beloved Satyabhama, who takes the name and form of Abhaya in this marvellously moving creative imagination by Saiswaroopa Iyer. ... more

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2 pts

K Subramanyam rated it

July 22, 2019

During the times of the great Vijayanagara Empire, a new form of literature called Prabandha Sahityam came up. Here, the author would pick an event from the Hindu Puranas and then create a story that goes hand in hand with the original one. The plot that the writer chooses would dominate the book without taking away the sanctity or significance of the original story. Abhaya is Smt. Sai Swaroopa Iyer’s attempt to revive this system and create a modern-day Prabandha. The book starts in the Eastern Hills of Bharathavarsha; a king from these l ... more During the times of the great Vijayanagara Empire, a new form of literature called Prabandha Sahityam came up. Here, the author would pick an event from the Hindu Puranas and then create a story that goes hand in hand with the original one. The plot that the writer chooses would dominate the book without taking away the sanctity or significance of the original story. Abhaya is Smt. Sai Swaroopa Iyer’s attempt to revive this system and create a modern-day Prabandha. The book starts in the Eastern Hills of Bharathavarsha; a king from these lands is out for a regular temple visit and he and his Senapati save a woman (Dhatri) from what can be a modern day’s equivalent of honor killing. As Dhatri takes her time to recuperate, the author takes us to the western part of the nation where we see a small kingdom Anagha where a nervous King holds his firstborn “Abhaya” for the first time in his hands. What does fate have in store for these women who come from the two ends of the Bharathavarsha? What are the troubles, travails and moments of triumph that await them? Are these troubles meant only for them or for all the women who stay between the ends of the nation? What is their approach to life? Where does Sri Krishna come in all this? While we get all the answers as we read the book, we also get to see what ails the land. Minds steeped in blind faith, unchallenged ideas of patriarchy, religious bigots killing the fundamental freedoms of the people, greedy men and master manipulators who want to control the entire world. As we embark our journey with Abhaya and join her in her fights on the ills around her, we also learn valuable lessons in leadership, governance, statecraft, ethics and the ways and means to overcome the moral dilemma that plagues a lot of good brains. We see our assumptions challenged and beliefs shattered, we see a new version of the protagonist and ourselves as we move ahead. To me, these learnings are indeed the USP of the book.

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8 pts

Gautham R Shenoy rated it

September 19, 2018

Abhaya is set in the Mahabharata period. The incidents in the novel coincide with the Pandavas' bid to perform the Rajasuya. The novel is a retelling of the Narakasura vadha episode wherin it describes a new threat in the form of Lord Bhauma of Kamarupa who uses a subverted form of the Shakta religion in order to covertly destroy the Arya civilization and gain control over the Arya empire. The novel describes the effort of Abhaya and Krishna Vasudeva, the prince of Dwaraka in combating this challenge. For me the best parts of the novel are the ... more Abhaya is set in the Mahabharata period. The incidents in the novel coincide with the Pandavas' bid to perform the Rajasuya. The novel is a retelling of the Narakasura vadha episode wherin it describes a new threat in the form of Lord Bhauma of Kamarupa who uses a subverted form of the Shakta religion in order to covertly destroy the Arya civilization and gain control over the Arya empire. The novel describes the effort of Abhaya and Krishna Vasudeva, the prince of Dwaraka in combating this challenge. For me the best parts of the novel are the ones where Abhaya is conversing with Krishna. Their relationship is beautifully described. The way it transforms from Sakhya to Prema is beautifully woven into the story. In the story we see a Krishna akin to the character of Krishna in SL Bhyrappa's Parva or K M Munshi's Krishnavatara Series, in that there's nothing supernatural about him. He is just a person whose goals coincide with that of Dharma, he seeks out the Artha to achieve the Dharmic goal. And he does this in a very endearing manner. The author has acknowledged both Parva and Krishnavatara series in the list of books at the end. Another strong point about the book is the way female characters are written. There are very strong female characters, but they are definitely not the garden variety of male-hating, panty-burning feminists that we encounter in social media. The strength of the female characters in the books seems to come from the inner-most core of Sanatana Dharma which has always been pro-life as opposed to pro-ideology. A sensitive issue about how change needs to be brought about is shown through the contrasting approaches taken by Dhatri and Abhaya. I would strongly recommend this work to anyone who is interesting in retelling of our epics. This one is tastefully done. And what's more! It revives the kind of story-telling by the likes of KM Munshi in a foreign language without making it seem so foreign. Kudos to the author for that!

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18 pts

Shashi Kiran rated it

September 17, 2018

Great book in the category of Puranas.

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