Book Review of "The Great Train Journey"

 

Om Shree Ganeshay Namah

Book Review of  “MAHABHARATA UNRAVELLED”

Front Cover of the Indian Subcontinent version of the Book

Back cover of the Indian Subcontinent Version of the Book

How I Came Across This Book:-

Like most Indians, I came to know about Ami Ganatra(author of the book Mahabharata Unravelled) and his book through some viral clips and podcasts in which she is telling the unheard stories of Mahabharat and breaking many misconceptions built around the Mahakavya. At first, I didn’t pay much attention because I was born into a devout Hindu family and my grandfather already told me about many of the stories of the Mahabharata which were not part of any TV adaptation so far. I also know a lot more than any average person about the Mahabharata. But there are many incidents in the Mahakavya about which I have basically very vague ideas with many local add-ons to it. Some of them are like the terms such as Gandharvas, Suta, and Nagas. I was also unaware of most of the sons of Kauravas and Pandavas, about the end of the city of Dwarka, etc.

So I decided that I would order this book and try to find answers and details to my questions in this book which I don’t know much about. I purchased this book from Amazon on 19 January 2024 for 253 INR.

About The Book:-

Mahabharata is considered one of the grandest war of ancient India. In this war, it is said that there was not a single warrior family of that time that didn’t lose at least a father, a son, a brother, or a grandson in this war. Many of the families get wiped out completely in this Dharm Yudh. The whole Kaurava male lineage was devoured in this 18-day war which took place at Kurukshetra.

Those who have never read or seen the TV adaptation might be thinking of why such destruction takes place. Who were the Kauravas and Pandavas? Why did they were fighting each other? Who were the participants in this war? Why did nobody try to stop it from happening? Who were the survivors of this war? And so on, many questions may arise in your brain after getting to know about the setup of this book. To get the answers to these questions you either have to read the original Ved Vyas Mahabharata or read this book which is “Mahabharata Unravelled-Lesser Known Facets of a Well-Known History”. According to me, if you don’t have the time to read the Ved Vyas Mahabharata then reading this book by author Ami Ganatra is your best go-to option as of 2024.

In this book, the author not only answers the general questions of the public but also bust so many myths that were created around this great piece of Indian History to justify the actions of some of its characters. This book answers why certain things happened the way they did in the Mahabharata period. This book is written in very easy language that anyone can read, even if you are a beginner or just want to start reading non-fiction then this book is a perfect way for you to start the non-fiction genre.

Index - 1

Index - 2

1st Chapter in the Book

This book is classified into 3 parts and 24 chapters spanning almost 350 pages with ideal font size having ample space between words and lines. The main sources used in this book are Geetapress Editon of Mahabharata with Sanskrit text and Hindi Translation, BORI(Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune) CE(Critical Edition), and KMG(Kisari Mohan Ganguli) English Translation of ‘The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa’.

Best Things About This Book:-

·         The book mainly discusses about the untouched or lesser-known facets of the Mahabharata.

·         All the references made in the books are well-detailed and accurate.

·         The book is fast-paced and keeps the reader hooked to it and that makes it more enjoyable.

·         The language used in this book is very easy to understand and can be read by anyone. It can be a great option for beginners.

·         The book is relatively thick and consists of 408 pages out of which the main content is around 348 pages.

·         The fonts used in this book are ideal in size and makes the reading experience easy.

Conclusion:-

Again I will say that reading this is the best way to learn about Mahabharata and get the answers to the questions you are finding elsewhere. As of February 2024, Ami Ganatra the author of this book also released the second part of this book with the title “Mahabharata Unravelled-II”, so if you are unable to find your answers in this book then the second book might get you covered in that situation. Although reading the original Mahabharat Text has no replacement if you don’t have that much time to invest in it then this is your best go-to option available as of now. As of now, I don’t have the second part but whenever I get my hands on it and read it completely then I will also make a review of that as well.

This book is so amazing that this will be the first book that will get a score of 100 out of 100 on this book review series of this blogging channel. And according to me, this book falls in the category of Read at Least Once in a Lifetime(Especially for the people of the Indian Subcontinent).