Book Review: "The Krishna Key"

If I had to describe the novel in one word it would be this: Enthralling! This is the first novel by the author, Ashwin Sanghi, that I have read and it makes me want to read the rest of his works. The narration, the immaculate research and details when combined with a thriller of a plot make it a an exciting read.

The story revolves around Dr. Saini, a professor of History, who also happens to be a descendent of the Yadava clan of Krishna. After being labelled the prime suspect in the murder of his friend Dr. Varshaney, an Archaeologist based in Kalibangan, Dr. Saini is out to prove that he is innocent and that there is a bigger conspiracy in which he is merely being set up. His journey to prove his innocence sets him on the quest of the Krishna Key- Krishna's best kept secret. The different signs and symbols, the history and myths of our land, esoteric puzzles, connecting all the dots finally lead him to decipher the truth about the secret.

The plot gets us hooked onto the book from the very beginning to the very end.  It's extremely imaginative and a well researched book that has the ability to make readers almost believe this piece of fiction to be true. There were similarities to Dan Brown's The  Da Vinci Code but that doesn't take away the originality or the thrill of the story one bit. There are enough twists and quite a few jaw-dropping scenes that keep it from becoming predictable and the story as the plot slowly unravels it has a different flow and nature from The Da Vinci Code. The amount of research that has gone into writing this story with such incredible detail is stupendous.

As with any adventure centric plot, the focus throughout the book was on the thrill factor rather than character development .  The main historic personality of the book is Krishna, a charismatic mythological character who played a major role in the epic saga- the Mahabharata. For those without even a passing knowledge of this saga, the snippets about Krishna  in the beginning of the chapters help. It has been simplified by the author for readers who are unaware of Krishna and his role in the Mahabharata.

This book can boast of a dynamic narration, never going off track and keeping the reader engaged in the story from the word go. It is taut and smooth that makes the book such a delight to read.

A thriller that ends on a philosophical note; the end was a bit of an anti-climax. Also there were a few places where shoddy editing and proof-reading crept up but can be ignored if you are as much engrossed in the story as I was.

A mesmerizing read, this book had presented me with the strange aspects of our history and I found myself doing a Google search on most of the myths, some backed up with facts. The links given at the end of the book are very comprehensive and show the amount of research that has been done. Urban legends, age old myths, scientific facts all blended into a masterpiece that is The Krishna Key. Loved it!

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The Skies and their Glory

Early morning snaps and poetry :) Have a fabulous day y'all! 

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,

         And his burning plumes outspread,

Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,

         When the morning star shines dead;

As on the jag of a mountain crag,

         Which an earthquake rocks and swings,

An eagle alit one moment may sit

         In the light of its golden wings.

And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea beneath,

         Its ardours of rest and of love,

And the crimson pall of eve may fall

         From the depth of Heaven above,

With wings folded I rest, on mine aëry nest,

         As still as a brooding dove.

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone,

         And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl;

The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim,

         When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl.

From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape,

         Over a torrent sea,

Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,

         The mountains its columns be.

The triumphal arch through which I march

         With hurricane, fire, and snow,

When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair,

         Is the million-coloured bow;

The sphere-fire above its soft colours wove,

         While the moist Earth was laughing below.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,

         And the nursling of the Sky;

I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;

         I change, but I cannot die.

For after the rain when with never a stain

         The pavilion of Heaven is bare,

And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams

         Build up the blue dome of air,

I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,

         And out of the caverns of rain,

Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb,

         I arise and unbuild it again.

AN: The world is a beautiful place at this time of the day! The poem above is a part of P.B Shelly's The Cloud (stanzas III, V and VI)

Of Divine Sights and Smells

I recently paid a short visit to my farm on the outskirts on the city; what a delightful sight the entire place is during such pleasant weather! After eating some of the freshly plucked  guavas, I got clicking. Sadly, when I reached the fourth shot my battery died on me. Consequences of always being connected to the world :-/

Everywhere I looked I saw lush green mango trees and the wilderness surrounding them. There was a light drizzle of rain, nothing to be bothered by. The whole place looked so beautiful. The sunlight, the after-rain freshness reflecting on everything it had touched.

The heavenly smell of petrichor combined with the smell of the freshness of the leaves and grass all around--divine!

This rose lit up the entire wall, what a perfect shot this was. Roses are overrated for the wrong reasons, and the ones you get in flower shops today are as good as plastic--a disappointment to the sweet smelling flower it really is don't you think?

And then there was...

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....!!!!!!! 

Mr.Bug on his move!