Introduction
Genre: Fiction/ Historical Fiction
Publishers: Penguin Random House
Prithviraj Chauhan was destiny’s chosen one, singled out for glory and greatness. During the course of an extraordinary life, he transcended the limits imposed on mortals and achieved Godlike luster. The conquering hero dreamed of a united land where peace prevailed over war and love over hate.
Princess Samyukta loved him from afar, and when Prithviraj Chauhan claimed her for his own, defying the wrath of an implacable foe, their happiness was complete. Victorious in love and war, Prithviraj Chauhan was soon to discover that success came with a terrible price – trouble, treachery and tragedy. What happened next? Read the tale of the legendary warrior who lives on in the hearts of those who remember his unmatched valor and timeless heroism.
Anuja Chandramouli is a bestselling Indian author and New Age Indian Classicist. Her highly acclaimed debut novel, Arjuna: Saga of a Pandava Warrior-Prince, was named by Amazon India as one of the top 5 books in the Indian Writing category for the year 2013. Kamadeva: The God of Desire and Shakti: The Divine Feminine are her other bestsellers. Currently all three books are being translated into Hindi, Marathi, Gujarathi and Bengali, a real achievement for one so young. Her epic fantasies called Yama’s Lieutenant and its sequel has received an overwhelming response.
An accomplished orator, she regularly conducts workshops on Creative Writing, Story Telling and Mythology in schools, colleges and various other platforms. Her motivational speeches have also been well received. According to Chandramouli, her work with youngsters in the rural belt helping them improve their Spoken English and Writing skills has been wonderfully satisfying and enriching.
This happily married, mother of two little girls, lives in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. She is a student of classical dance and Yoga.She can be reached at anujamouli@gmail.com.
During my teenage days I remember being introduced to the epic love story of Prithviraj and Sanyukta in a movie, albeit briefly. Their story was one that was considered akin to Romeo-Juliet and Laila Majnu. Reading this book, with a gorgeous cover and an equally handsome character now thrilled me to bits.
Not having read much about either of them I always imagined him to be an average looking king who set his heart on a beautiful damsel. (Because, well that’s how the usual folklore of those times used to be. Women used to be described at length while nothing was told about the man’s appearance. This book was a welcome change to that style of narration. Here we have a flamboyant, dashing and charismatic Prithviraj Chauhan who falls in love with the beautiful Samyukta.
And here, we also have a story which is beyond this love story which changed history forever. In every individual’s life there are some incidents that change them forever. So much that they can actually talk about their life in before and after terms. This book shows us both the before and after of his life, the big incident being his love story with Samyukta. If I can say so, the author made me fall in love with Prithivraj Chauhan with this book. Oh man, what a heroic warrior!
Strong, both in body and mind Prithviraj Chauhan comes across as a just leader who was loved and revered by one and all. He managed to reach great heights with his nature and valor. But as they say it all comes at a price. The question is was he ready to pay that price or did it take him by surprise rendering him in-actionable? The latter part of the story forms the answer for these questions and I must say what a enthralling read it has been.
The best part about author Anuja Chandramouli is that while writing about mythology or history she tries to keep it simple in language and at the same time ensures an engaging narrative which grabs the attention of the reader instantly. I truly admire her for this quality and have loved reading her works, including this one.