Book Review: Agniputr by Vadhan
When curses and quantum physics mingle to tingle the mind, a fantasy thriller is born.
Words: Ambica Gulati
A demon to most of us but God to the tantriks, the energy
born of blood, hair and dead body has risen to bring power to the one who knew
the formula to awaken it. Well, the book begins on an pacy and gory note, with
tantrik kriyas bringing alive a phenomenon that could destroy the world but is
power for only one man. There is a lot of drama and action in Agniputr. And it
appeals to the Indian sensibility with its spirituality, gory tales of finding
power through the dead, aghoris eating human flesh. And villages which thrive
on such tales. After all, India
is the mystical country with its supernatural phenomenon.
The book is a mix of royalty, old zamindars, people with
values and then the quantum physicists and scientists who belong the 21st
century. The sutram is a womb of
energy which has the potential to cause an apocalypse. And this sutram has been reigned in and kept
under check for years and years by the crippled rajah Surya. And then comes
Sheila, a scientist, who happens to get to know about the energy here through a
colleague. And the sutram has been responsible
for many calamities in that area, including the lives of many.
The plot is well woven, the language is simple and the
chapters grip. The tale moves between a lot of 21st century drama,
and old world myths and tales. There is science and spiritual mix, there are
politicians and secrets, there are misunderstandings, overall it is a tale of
drama and the way India
of today is living off its ancient spiritual traditions. The emotions o greed,
ambition, power, evil versus good are prevalent throughout. And the then the
ultimate sacrifice for love.
However, the fantasy tends to give away in the last two chapters.
The protagonist becomes a Bollywood stereotype and uses the age-old trick of
dressing like a pandit to find the
real answer. But the romantic in me is fiercely disappointed when the hero dies
and his love lives on with her husband bearing his child. Here fantasy becomes
more real life and the saga of evil energy, tantriks, families in pain, quest
for one man’s power to rule the world all fade away. Perhaps I had wanted to
see the saga find an ‘endless end’ where it could leave me more room for
fantasies. But all in all, a book which will please those who have lots of room
for the invisible sources in their life.
Book details at amazon.com
Price: Rs 209
Paperback: 364 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
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