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nevermoreliterature's review
3.0
This book is a beautiful concept brought to fruition. Focusing on Radha, it compiles a series of articles, stories and songs, tracing the historicity, relevancy and the legacy of Radha in present day India.
Never mentioned in the Mahabharat, the Bhagavat Purana and the leading puranic texts of its time. The authenticity of Radha has been constantly questioned. What was the necessity to come up with a consort as enigmatic as Radha? What does she add to the legend of Krishna? Were the adulterous intonations socially acceptable, and what does it signify?
The book comes up with several point of views, authored by people hailing from varied fields, it's an intriguing read. Be it a leading indologist, a Vaishnava philosopher, an art scholar or even a filmmaker, everyone has their personal take on the lovelorn milkmaid from Vrindavan.
A separate section dedicated entirely to songs of Radha was a very thoughtful addition. A section that includes translations from Vidyapati, Jayadeva's Geeta Govinda, Chandidas, Andal and even Rabindranath Tagore and his Bhanusingher Padabali.
My favourite inclusions from the book are :
a) The two introductions by the editors of the book, Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal.
b) Radha : Beloved of the Blue God by Bulbul Sharma
c) Enjoying God : The Divine Paramour by Makarand Paranjap (My favourite/strongest article of the book)
d) The Heart-throb of Chaitanya by Harsha V.Dehejia
e) Radhe Radhe by Madhureeta Anand (A powerful yet feel good article)
f) The Blue Necked God by Indira Goswami
g) A Flute Called Radha by Debotri Dhar (An incredible and poignant short story)
h) Raikamal (An abridged translation of the Tarashankar Bandopadhyay novel of the same name)
With that, the book did slow down at times with articles either bordering on boredom (Gita Govinda : Illustrated Manuscripts from Rajasthan by Kapila Vatsayan) or completely failing to achieve its desired points (Radha in Bollywood Cinema by Alka Kurian; Sita and Radha : From Human to Divine, etc.)
The book would have been much much smoother without them. However all in all, it's an enriching experience, enough to nudge you towards the cult of Radha. Either that or it can just provide an informative past time to a causal reader.
Will recommend.
3 Stars
Never mentioned in the Mahabharat, the Bhagavat Purana and the leading puranic texts of its time. The authenticity of Radha has been constantly questioned. What was the necessity to come up with a consort as enigmatic as Radha? What does she add to the legend of Krishna? Were the adulterous intonations socially acceptable, and what does it signify?
The book comes up with several point of views, authored by people hailing from varied fields, it's an intriguing read. Be it a leading indologist, a Vaishnava philosopher, an art scholar or even a filmmaker, everyone has their personal take on the lovelorn milkmaid from Vrindavan.
A separate section dedicated entirely to songs of Radha was a very thoughtful addition. A section that includes translations from Vidyapati, Jayadeva's Geeta Govinda, Chandidas, Andal and even Rabindranath Tagore and his Bhanusingher Padabali.
My favourite inclusions from the book are :
a) The two introductions by the editors of the book, Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal.
b) Radha : Beloved of the Blue God by Bulbul Sharma
c) Enjoying God : The Divine Paramour by Makarand Paranjap (My favourite/strongest article of the book)
d) The Heart-throb of Chaitanya by Harsha V.Dehejia
e) Radhe Radhe by Madhureeta Anand (A powerful yet feel good article)
f) The Blue Necked God by Indira Goswami
g) A Flute Called Radha by Debotri Dhar (An incredible and poignant short story)
h) Raikamal (An abridged translation of the Tarashankar Bandopadhyay novel of the same name)
With that, the book did slow down at times with articles either bordering on boredom (Gita Govinda : Illustrated Manuscripts from Rajasthan by Kapila Vatsayan) or completely failing to achieve its desired points (Radha in Bollywood Cinema by Alka Kurian; Sita and Radha : From Human to Divine, etc.)
The book would have been much much smoother without them. However all in all, it's an enriching experience, enough to nudge you towards the cult of Radha. Either that or it can just provide an informative past time to a causal reader.
Will recommend.
3 Stars
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