Melancholy of Innocence by Raj Doctor

Title: Melancholy of Innocence

Author: Raj Doctor

Publisher: Frog Books (Leadstart Publishing)

Pages: 342

Genre: Fiction / Romance / Philosophy

Rating: 7.5/10

Source: Review Copy (from Author / Publisher)

‘Melancholy of Innocence’ in author’s own words is ‘a philo-poetic fable of love set in the late 1920s in Istanbul, just after the political revolution leading to Turkish independence. It is an adolescent’s journey into self discovery about the true meaning of love’.

13 year old Umit has had a normal and happy childhood. His parents had a love marriage, and they are open and unorthodox in their upbringing. Umit is never forced to do anything. Umit gets deeply influenced by Zeheb, who is a distant relative, with spiritual and Sufi leanings. Umit considers him as his mentor and philosopher. Sufi influence is pretty evident in his thoughts and in the way Umit conducts himself.

Umit feels a Ruh connection with Masum, when he sees her for the first time on the streets of Istanbul. Umit is 13, while Masum is 21 at the time. For quite sometime, Umit resists calling it ‘love’. For him, this ‘connection’ and his ‘feelings’ for her, are much beyond the worldly definition of love.

The book traces Umit’s single-minded devotion and love for Masum, while doing which he does not even think about the society, family, future, differences between them and accepted norms of conduct. He just devotes himself in being close to Masum, and revels in the joy of those moments. This love story, as is evident towards the end and in the beginning, had three phases. This book dwells in the first phase when Umit falls in love with Masum.   

The author has put the caveat that whatever Umit does is not his preachings for someone who worships another person, but just Umit’s way of expressing his unconditional love. He may not be right, unmindful of consequences, yet he does what he feels right. It is very easy to overlook that Umit is only thirteen.

After reading the book, I felt that the title as well as the cover page captures the essence of the story well. I also do not question the setting or the background chosen by the author because it is his prerogative. My experience has been that authors usually derive stories from their own personal experiences. I wouldn’t say that the setting or the background has deep influence on this story but a reader will certainly find several cultural and political references, and vivid description of Istanbul from 1920s.

The main characters of this book are Umit and Masum. We get a lot of insights into Umit’s character, mostly because the story is from his perspective. 

The novel is full of philosophical anecdotes but at the heart, is a love story, may be a little obsessive. At every point, the narrator tries to explain behaviour, de-constructs human nature and philosophy behind everything.

I liked the references at the bottom of pages, which aid understanding; and the year mentioned at the end of each chapter is extremely useful. I don’t know if it happens with other people, when a novel goes back and forth in time, I sometimes get confused on the exact time when a thing happens.

The only issues I have are with narration and the pace. The narration is done by a third person in a simple story telling manner. Occasionally it also speaks on behalf of Umit. I felt that the narration was a bit unidimensional.

There are a few typographical errors in some pages, wherein there are no spaces between words. There are also unwarranted paragraph spaces in between continuing sentence.

    

This book will appeal greatly to those who love philosophy. I personally favour fast paced stories, so in a few places, I thought the story lost momentum whenever author digressed to dwell on philosophies related to different facets of life, but that I thought was intentional. Had it been just a love story, it would have more pace but often the narration spirals into understanding human psychology, actions and philosophies. But it would certainly appeal to the readers who love this genre.

I am happy that the author has not attempted to veil philosophy in the guise of love story, and he chooses to call it ‘philo-poetic’ fable of love; because the book is exactly that.

A story introduces you to places, characters and their lives. For a while you live their lives, go through the proceedings, and when you come out, that is when a book makes a difference; were you able to know the characters intimately, were you able to empathise, were you happy to be with them for some time of your lives, was it worthwhile! If you answer these questions honestly, you know you have got the answer of whether a book was good or not, for you.

Well, at the end, I was pretty engaged in Umit and Masum’s unusual love story, and wanted to know what happens in the end. I also tried to reason why Masum should love Umit, who is not her equal in age, looks, social status or education. But even beautiful people crave for adulation and love. Who wouldn’t want such single minded devotion!

Towards the end, the book says that Umit and Masum had 3 seasons of love, this story was just one of those. A sequel seems impending. Will I read if there is a sequel? I am not too sure because I don’t favour philosophies much, but then since I already know Umit and Masum to some extent, I just might! 

Image source: http://melancholyofinnocence.blogspot.com/

Book Reading Challenges 2012

I read far fewer books, in 2011, than I intended to. But considering that I had baby, 15 books is not a bad number, while when you consider that I did not have a job and nothing much to do at home for atleast half the year, 15 books sound less!
January is a good time to take up new challenges. I am taking up quite a few reading challenges, assuming that many of those would overlap.


1. South Asian Challenge 2012 : I intend to read 20 books by South Asian writers or about South Asia, this year.

2. Goodreads 2012 reading challenge: I find this widget extremely interesting. It helps you track your progress. I did not do too well last year, hope I will be on track this year. I intend to read more than 35 books. 

3. Review Challenge 2012: This one has been initiated by Smita, and since it is in line with my own resolution, I have taken it up. I don't commit to 1 review per week but atleast to review every book that I read, so my goal is of 35 book reviews this year.

4. 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge: Hosted by 'the Book Vixen', this one encourages myself to read atleast more than 15 books this year, since I read 15 in 2011. I will gun for 'I'm on Fire' level :-) which means I will read 16 more books than last year (last year I read 15).

5. Off the Shelf 2012 Challenge:This challenge is hosted by Bookish Ardour. Looking at my 200 odd collection, of which 70% are unread, I think it is time I took this challenge. I will aim for 'Trying' level, so I would read more than 15 books off my shelves (and not the ones acquired during 2012).

6. Tea and Books Reading Challenge: This challenge is hosted by The Book Garden. Only books above 700 pages qualify for this. Hmm.. this is going to be fun. I have a few really fat books but I need to check if they really qualify. I am aiming to be 'Chamomile Lover', so I need to read just 2 such books.

I am really excited about all these challenges and hope to do complete justice to them.

Book List Oct-Dec 2011

I wanted to put up the list of books which I recently acquired in last 3 months. I have been caught up in the new responsibilities of taking care of a baby but that did not deter me from attending the Book Sale by Goa-Based Broadway Book Centre and the Landmark Book Sale, while also buying several books from Flipkart and Indiaplaza.

Here is the list:

From the Broadway Book Sale: Each one bought for Rs 50. The price was a major deciding factor. I would not have bought even single one of these, if it had been for anything more. I felt this Book Sale was more suited for the college crowd. There was nothing from Indian Publishers and nothing in Non Fiction.

1. Nanny Returns by Nicole Karus and Emma Mclaughlin: I had earlier bought ‘The Nanny Diaries’ from a similar Sale at Rs 50 (the hardbound edition), so when I saw this one, I got it. I am not too fond of such books but they are fine for general time pass reading, you know, immediately after you have read some heavy-duty stuff.  

I have read ‘Inconceivable’ by Ben Elton and it was quite funny, so I bought both the books listed below:

2. Dead Famous by Ben Elton

3. Past Mortem by Ben Elton

4. From Here to Maternity by Sinead Moriarty: Bought this one for the obvious reasons. I remember reading another book called ‘I don’t know how she does it’ and it was hilarious. Hope this one is on similar lines. Yet another general time pass stuff.

5. Monster by Allan Hall: I am sometimes drawn to real life crime stories. I have read ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote and look forward to reading more on true crime.

6. The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam: I have heard a lot about “Maps for Lost Lovers” and have it too. I have not read it yet. This one is also from the same author.

From Landmark Book Sale: The discounts at Book stores are not really great. Great discounts would only be on a handful books but that’s about it. So I looked for getting something on the “3 for 2” offer. And this offer also works for you only if all the books are of similar price. I usually end up buying several magazines on my visits, I prefer buying books online. Nevertheless, after a lot of research, I got the following books. First three are on the offer, rest as indicated.

I read these 2 books long back, and I wanted them for my collection:

7. India Unbound by Gurucharan Das

8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

9. The Pregnant King by Devdutt Pattnaik: It is related to Mahabharata and I had been thinking of getting this for quite sometime now.

10. Don’t go Away, We’ll be right back by Indu Balachandran (on a special price of Rs 99)

11. Byline by M.J.Akbar (at 10% discount on the cover price)

I was heartbroken to see ‘First Day First Show’ for Rs 99. I recently bought it for Rs 374! But that is something which you cannot plan.

I bought the following from Flipkart and Indiaplaza:

12. Dr Spocks Baby And Child Care by Robert Needlman, Benjamin Spock: Smita told me it is a good reference book on Child Care. So how could I not have it J

13. Sita's Ramayana by Samhita Arni, Moyna Chitrakar: After collecting several perspectives on Mahabharata, I have started expanding my ‘Ramayana’ collection. It also happens to be my first Graphic Novel.

14. The Best Of Quest by Laeeq Futehally, Achal Prabhala, Arshia Sattar: I first read about the book in Pune Mirror. I have bought books on Eunice De Souza’s recommendation earlier also, like ‘the Locust and the Bird’. Later on, I read a lot about 'the Best of Quest' in many articles and magazines.

15. Lucknow Boy by Vinod Mehta: Since I follow Outlook and the book is a memoir of its editor, I kept finding more and more about the book through his column on the last page. I found it fascinating enough. Memoirs are interesting only when they are honest and provide new revelations. There’s nothing exciting about sugar candy talk and reading something which is already a public knowledge. This issue of Outlook even featured excerpts from the book. The book sounds salacious!

Following 2 had been recommended by a friend who has studied psychology. I was discussing about reading on child psychology.

16. Developmental Psychology by Elizabeth Hurlock

17. Child Development 6ed by Elizabeth Hurlock

18. Half The Sky - How To Change The World by Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl Wudunn: I had my eyes on this one for a long time but only imported editions were available which were quite expensive. I recently bought it for a good price.

Some more additions for my ‘Ramayana’ collection. These have interesting perspectives on Sita and Ram, which reminds me of a superb animation film 'Sita Sings the Blues'.

19. In Search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology by NamitaGokhale, Malashri Lal

20. Lost Loves by Arshia Sattar

Following are supposed to be from Ravana’s perspective.

21. Ravanayan (Issue 1) by Vijayendra Mohanty, Vivek Goel

22. Ravanayan (Issue 2) by Vijayendra Mohanty, Vivek Goel

23. Ravanayan (Issue 3) by Vijayendra Mohanty, Vivek Goel

24. We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver: I discovered this book while reading an article on parenting. I found this highly recommended for all parents:

The above listed books have been bought only between October and December, and December is not over yet! One of these days, I would like to put up the list of my entire collection. I recently categorized and re-organized them.


Image Source: http://www.dailyclipart.net

Mafia Queens of Mumbai : Stories of Women from the Ganglands by S. Hussain Zaidi with Jane Borges

Title: Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Gangland

Author: S.Hussain Zaidi (with Jane Borges)
Publisher: Tranquebar
Pages: 290
Genre: Non Fiction / Crime
Rating: 10 /10
Source: Review Copy (from BlogAdda)

Vishal Bhardwaj begins his foreword with “Crime is juicier than spirituality”. And isn’t it so? I read an article somewhere recently (as Bharadwaj also laments) about the dearth of literature on crime in India, something on the lines of ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote. Incidentally, I recently found a new book, which deals with the Neeraj Grover Murder case called ‘Death in Mumbai’ by Meenal Baghel.

To digress a little more from the book, I recently read an article here that says how unimaginative the word ‘Non Fiction’ is. It does total injustice to the talented lot of writers who do not dwell in fictitious stories and yet create nothing short of excellent pieces of literature. Why bunch them all together in a highly non-creative word called ‘Non Fiction’? It takes away from the whole effort.

Finally coming back to the book, it is an outstanding and fascinating book – in its unusual subject, extensive research, deft story-telling and engaging pace. The cover page is highly apt and sets the mood for the book. I finished it in 4.5 hours flat.

S. Hussain Zaidi (who has also written the exceptional ‘Black Friday’) alongwith Jane Borges, creates vivid imagery of 13 women who enjoyed a lot of clout in the Mumbai mafia.

Though little known to the general public, unlike their several infamous male counterparts, these women have been singled out for their close involvement with underworld or power enjoyed by them. From wives and girlfriends of Dons to a Bollywood starlet, from a much sought-after bar dancer to women fueled by their ambition – each story reads like a movie script. The fact that the stories of these women are not easy to piece together, since little has been known about them, it makes the authors’ efforts far more commendable.

Following are glimpses of 13 women featured in this book:

• Jenabai –known for her closeness with the underworld dons Vardharajan, Karim Lala and Haji Mastan, and she was quite sought after for her advice.
• Gangubai – a girl who ran away from her small village, goes on to become the much-respected matriarch of Kamathipura – the red light area of Mumbai
• Ashraf or Sapna didi -  a wife who did not have any knowledge about her husband’s underworld connection till he gets killed in an encounter, trains herself with single-minded determination to take on the people responsible for his death
• Jyoti Amma and Mahalaxmi Papamani – Poverty and responsibility of taking care of family lead them into drug peddling, and over time they became powerful
• Monica Bedi – Her closeness with a Dubai business, who was actually Abu Salem, got her into the wrong side of the law, and she paid the price heavily
• Asha Gawli, Neeta Naik, , Sujata Nikhalje, Padma Poojary – Wives of Hindu Dons who went on to handle the place of their husbands while they were absconding
• Mrs Paul, Rubina Siraj Sayyed – Girlfriends and associates of Chhota Shakeel
• Tarannum Khan – the most (in)famous bar dancer who minted a lot of money in cricket betting
• Archana Sharma – a Ram Leela artiste from Ujjain becomes  a hardcore criminal, responsible for kidnapping, extortion and murder

It is definitely an interesting book, for who is not fascinated by the many stories of the underworld. Several movies have been scripted over the years, and it would continue to be portrayed on the celluloid with as much interest and drama.

It is definitely a must read for all book lovers, and I would go on to say that it would also appeal to people who like Fiction. After all, these are also stories, only real!

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!


Image Source: westlandbooks.in

The Muddy River by P.A.Krishnan

Title: The Muddy River

Author: P.A. Krishnan
Publisher: Tranquebar
Pages: 248
Genre: Political fiction
Rating: 9 out of 10

Source: Review Copy (from BlogAdda)

In contrast to the unassuming cover page, the book was quite impressive.

‘The Muddy River’ almost seems to be a real story - multi-layered, multi-dimensional and complex (which also reminded me of Shashi Deshpande’s books).

Ramesh Chandran is a Delhi-based bureaucrat, who is transferred to Assam when he starts asking for Contract files of his Corporation (Power Transmission Corporation) and has a few uncomfortable run-ins with senior people in his organisation. It is meant to be a punishment posting. Sukanya is Ramesh’ wife, and they are both trying to come to terms with the untimely death of their only child Priya in a freak incident. They love each other but the incidence has developed a strain in their relationship. (To digress a little, I read somewhere that the death of a child leads to a lot of divorces because husband and wife have different ways of dealing with the loss and many times they are not able to understand the other).

Ramesh is an upright person and while he thinks he is a Marxist, he is also majorly influenced by Gandhi (who keeps coming into the narrative every now and then).

In Assam, Ramesh is chosen to negotiate the release of one of his company’s senior managers, who gets kidnapped by a militant outfit for a ransom. In his pursuit of this case, Ramesh meets Anupama (his subordinate who has strong views about Assam’s fight for independence from the rest of the India), Bhuyan (the Deputy Inspector General who comes to like the sincerity of Ramesh), Bura (a practical Marwari Contrator who is chosen as a contact between the militants and Ramesh), Rajbankshi (the Gandhian) and Mrs Ghosh (the kidnapped Mr Ghosh’s unthankful and untrusting wife). The story dwells on two main issues –the release of Mr Ghosh is certainly the main issue but it also deals with the levels of corruption in a government organisation and the resistance one faces when he tries to take it on. Ramesh goes out of his way, sometimes even putting his life in danger, meeting a number of people who can be of even a little help in ensuring Ghosh’s release. Ramesh’s pursuit of unravelling corruption within his organisation gets him into trouble and he also gets suspended but he never bucks to the pressure.

The language is illustrative. I admit, I had to look up quite a few words, but it is always a pleasure to read such books which enrich your language, while at the same time narrating the story well! English is a beautiful language.

The story moves forward in the form of a main narrative, and the manuscript written by Ramesh for his book, but it never confuses you between the real and the fictional (in terms of the book). Sukanya sends the chapters from Ramesh’s manuscript to their friends Subir and Herbert for their comments. The interaction between Sukanya, Subir and Herbert is interesting and clarifies a few doubts which one may have about the story, as to why the author had written an incident in a certain way.

I was hooked to the story from the beginning and did not lose interest till the end. The book has as much pace as a thriller. It dwells on the corruption and bureaucracy in government organisations, empathizes with the voice of people of Assam and while doing so keeps coming back to the relevance of what Gandhi has said!

It is a well-written book, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in a good story. There are a few technicalities related to workings of Power companies but if you don’t understand them, you can move one, and it is only for a short while. It certainly cannot be a reason to put you off because I can assure that atleast this book is not difficult to read. It is lucid in its narrative.

I just hold back one point for a little rushed and dramatic ending, but it might appeal to many.

I am impressed by the writer’s story telling and I look forward to reading his first book as well. I also could not stop myself from reading about Mr Sanjoy Ghose, to whom this book is dedicated.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!
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Interesting book on Censorship

As my husband pointed out the other day, I hoard books, and don't read as much as I buy them (an argument he brought up when I was nagging him to take me to the Book Sale). Well, book collection is certainly a bigger passion than book reading. Anyways, I am always on the look out for interesting books and new subjects to read. Over the years, I have discovered that Non-Fiction is several times more interesting than Fiction. Quite by chance, I read about this book called 'You can't please everyone' by Kobita Sarkar. But I have not been able to find it on any book shopping sites so far. If anybody finds it on any of the sites, please put in a word here. 


Image source: http://8ate.blogspot.com

Books on Pregnancy

When I discovered that I was pregnant, I searched for best books to refer on Pregnancy. There are several books but after checking out reviews and getting references from people who had gone through this, I zeroed in on 3 books.

1. What to Expect When you're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
'What to Expect when you are expecting' is like a bible when you are expecting, and I think, even several non-readers have referred to it during pregnancy. I have found answers to every possible question that I had, in this book. 
From before you conceive to what to expect month-after-month (also week by week), and from special cases to post-partum weeks; you will find answer to all your questions in this 600-page book, in an easy question-answer format. 

2. Passport to a Healthy Pregnancy by Gita Arjun
I carried this one even when I was leaving for hospital, to read about post - delivery because, you see, I was 12 days early. I had not read everything.
Written by Dr. Gita Arjun - an eminent obstetrician and gynaecologist - this book is extremely reader friendly. It attempts to explain how pregnancy happens, foetal development, various tests in different stages of pregnancy, about the entire nine months and labour and delivery. I think the hindi / marathi version of this book is called "Garbha Sanskar".
It is an excellent book to refer in Indian context.

3. PREGNANCY: What The Indian Woman Always Wanted To Know But Was Afraid To Ask by Nutan Pandit
Nutan Pandit is not a doctor but she has immense knowledge and extensive experience related to child birth. You would say, why another book when the other two answers all the queries.
This book is a little different. It starts with dealing with a lot of myths around pregnancy. The book has several illustrations to facilitate understanding. Apart from usual discussions on conception, pregnancy, labour and delivery; the book takes a look at how labour has cme to be associated with 'pain', understanding the process of natural child birth, understanding and dealing with various problems or discomforts during pregnancy through home remedies, exercises, issues related to feeding, etc.
The language is lucid and illustrative, and everything has been discussed in an interesting way.

Right now, I refer “What to expect – the first year” and so far, I have found it extremely useful. 

Why Men Can Only Do One Thing at a Time and Women Never Stop Talking

Title: Why Men Can Only Do One Thing at a Time and Women Never Stop Talking

Author: Allan + Barbara Pease
Publisher: Manjul India
Pages: 120
Genre: Non Fiction / Self Help
Rating: 9 out of 10

I happened to read a review of this book here, and it came across as a fun book. Since I have been in between books for a while now (owing to my other preoccupations), I wanted to pick up a quick-read to make myself feel better.

I have never read any of those “Man-Woman” books, say, “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus”. But the tit-bits from the book were hilarious and I really wanted to give it a shot. Of course, such books tend to stereotype all men and women but broadly, even when you can relate to some parts of it, it is fun.

To begin with, I did not have a relationship issue to sort out or I did not, for that matter, needed a book to help me better understand my spouse. I have been in a relationship for too long now to figure that out myself. The experience of reading this book was akin to watching ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’ or the latest ‘Pyaar ka Punchnama’. The key to enjoying such books or movies is to be able to laugh out loud at the many gender oriented jokes or observations. Admit it, many are even true!

Apart from the fact that it is a very short book (I finished it in a couple of hours, in a single sitting), the best part of this book is that it is filled with interesting illustrations.

I have pulled out a few of my personal favourites from the book:

• It reiterates the fact that women have a peripheral vision. In just one look they observe and note everything in the vicinity; while men have ‘tunnel vision’. That’s why they’re always so obvious when they look at other women. They have to turn their heads. See this ad and you would understand the point better.
• The illustration of a woman’s brain and a man’s brain is simply hilarious. You have to see it yourself to appreciate it.
• Women want to talk about issues in great detail, while men do not understand or appreciate this. No faults there, it is just how they are. I will relate from personal experience. If I talk to somebody on phone, I will be able to recount the entire conversation verbatim, while if I ask my husband to just tell me what conversation he had on phone (with whoever), he will be completely blank.
• Then there is the perpetual argument about what women say and what they actually mean!
• And my all time favourite about the depth of what women and men think. Here’s a joke to that effect, though not from the book, which I have often shared and it never fails to amuse:

*************************************************************** 

Her Diary

Today night, I thought he was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a cafe to have some coffee.

I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment. Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk, he agreed but he kept quiet and absent.

I asked him what was wrong - he said, "Nothing."

I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.

On the way home I told him that I loved him, he simply smiled and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior; I don't know why he didn't say, "I love u, too."

When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there and watched TV.; he seemed distant and absent.

Finally I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later he came to bed.I decided that I could not take it anymore, so I decided to confront him with the situation but he had fallen asleep. I started crying and cried until I too fell asleep.

I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.My life is a disaster.

His Diary

Today India lost the cricket match against Bangladesh. Damn it!

***************************************************************

There are several such gems which I can go on and on about. So, without spilling anything further, I would recommend this book to every guy or girl who has been or is in a relationship. You would be able to relate to it better. But remember to have fun while you read it.

I have passed it on to my husband, who by the way has read about 2 books (non-academic) in life, and he is also enjoying it quite a lot.  

(Image source: flipkart.com)

Amazon's Free Super Saver Delivery to India

I was very excited to have chanced upon this. I have always wondered why Amazon is still not in India. In the last couple of years, the online sale of books has multiplied several times, and I am sure it is just a matter of time that India will be on Amazon's radar because I would love to be able to order from their wide range.  

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

Title: The Twentieth Wife

Author: Indu Sundaresan
Publisher: Penguin 
Pages: 388
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

‘The Twentieth Wife’ is the first one from Indu Sundaresan’s Taj trilogy, though I read it after reading ‘The feast of roses’ which is the second one. There are three books in this series about Mughal empire but each can be read independently. But be rest assured, if you have read any one of them, you would invariably end up reading all of them. (By the way, the third one is called 'Shadow Princess')

I have always felt that writing a historical fiction can be very difficult, since you are dealing with historical characters and facts. You can fictionalize the interactions but you need to stick to the facts. The research required is also immense.

What drew me to this series is the love story of Jahangir and Nur Jahan. We have all heard enough about Shahjahan and Mumtaz Mahal, but little is known about Mumtaz’s more ambitious and powerful aunt Nur Jahan who defies convention and prevailing status of women in the society, to rule the empire alongside her husband Jahangir, of course, from behind the veil.

‘The Twentieth Wife’ begins at the time when Mehrunnisa was about to be born. Her parents and siblings were fleeing from Persia to India. She takes birth during the journey. From that moment, the penniless family’s fate turns and Mehrunnisa’s father Ghias Beg lands up with a job in Emperor Akbar’s court.

Mehrunnisa first encounters prince Salim (later known as Jahangir) when she is all of eight, when she accompanies her mother for the prince’s first marriage. Overawed by the glory of the palace, the freedom enjoyed by women of emperor’s harem, and captivated by the prince himself, Mehrunnisa decides that one day she too would marry prince Salim.

The book is about this unconventional and extraordinary woman, Mehrunnisa, but the book goes beyond her quest to become an empress. It offers glimpses of Mughal dynasty and conflicts around the throne. Encouraged by his cohorts, prince Salim revolts against his father Akbar to claim his rights on the throne. Ironically, he also finds his son Khusrau in contention for the throne.

Due to the turn of fate, Mehrunnisa is married to Ali Quli, a soldier, despite the fact that Salim wanted to marry her. The story has its cinematic twists, with Mehrunnisa and Jahangir separating for several years, and then reuniting after death of her first husband. On one hand, Jahangir is besotted with her; while on the other, Ali Quli though initially impressed by her beauty, never thinks much of her. Being a soldier, he is usually absent for several days.

It is also interesting to note that an emperor used to have hundreds of wives and thousands of concubines and slave girls in his harem. The marriages were usually for political and strategic reasons. Mughal emperors had also married Hindu princesses. The zanana harems were in itself a fascinating place of power play amongst the incumbents. The emperors would have several children and many times they would not even get to know or see their children for a long time. Their inter-personal relationships are quite apparent in the conflicts for the empire, where father-son would consider each other as rivals.

The book also has a passing reference of Salim and Anarkali affair. Anarkali was supposedly a slave girl.

In a society, and in times, when women were lost into ignominy in a male-dominated society, Mehrunnisa enters Jahangir’s harem at an age of 34 years as his 20^th and last wife. This ambitious lady grows in power and influences Jahangir’s rule significantly. Though in her determination to fulfill her dreams, she often comes across as haughty, manipulative and extremely ambitious.

Historical love stories are always alluring, and Indu Sundaresan’s deft handling of this little known love story makes it a very interesting read. The author succeeds in recreating the essence of Mughal era through her vivid description of prevailing culture, ambience, customs, food, etc.  

The book is interesting and will appeal to anybody who loves a good historical fiction, or even just a good book!


(Image source: flipkart.com)