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ashishiyer 's review for:
Cuckold
by Kiran Nagarkar
This is the first historical fiction book I have read on Rajasthan. A fictionalised biography of Maharaj Kumar of whom little is known except that he was the son of the famous Rana Sangha of Mewar and the husband of Meerabai . Nagarkar has carried out a lot of research into Rajput history of those times and he sets his story against the backdrop of real events. The descriptions bring you to India in 1600. The writing is smart, fun and captivating. The author has chosen such a topic for his novel that is not very common in the history of fiction. To know the historical characters we do have to rely upon the history books or documents preserved in the libraries. That too sometimes seems boring. But Nagarkar has taken the boring and tough job and made his way to that bygone era. The novel is a work of fiction but sometimes he has taken literal liberties but that are too to suit his purpose of writing.
The story revolves around Maharaj Kumar. Married to a wife who loves someone else, he struggles to rescue Chittor from hostile elements - both internal and external. Maharaj Kumar is a brave warrior and a forward thinker who plans many grand and innovative schemes like a water and sewage system for the fort, a brilliant tactician who prefers to watch his enemy in action and then plan an attack as opposed to the straight on confrontation preferred by Rajputs of those times, who ultimately becomes a victim of his circumstances. Politics, scheming, spies, romance, affairs, eunuchs, concubines, cheating wives – everything is there in this novel. I felt transported to Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh and it was as if I had been there, the colours of Chittorgarh all coming alive in front of my eyes. It is an absolute page turner and is a must for people who are in love with Rajasthan and its splendour. There is a lot of research that has gone into this book and it is evident in the manner in which he describes the war strategies and the mechanism of gathering intelligence about enemy position etc. of those times. There is ample attention to detail and one feels as if one has known the characters personally for a long time.
I wish we could have more of such books which talk about the grandeur as well as the history of Rajasthan. To be honest I was looking for more of Ranga Sanga and Meera bai. And i felt drag in parts.
Interesting Read.
The story revolves around Maharaj Kumar. Married to a wife who loves someone else, he struggles to rescue Chittor from hostile elements - both internal and external. Maharaj Kumar is a brave warrior and a forward thinker who plans many grand and innovative schemes like a water and sewage system for the fort, a brilliant tactician who prefers to watch his enemy in action and then plan an attack as opposed to the straight on confrontation preferred by Rajputs of those times, who ultimately becomes a victim of his circumstances. Politics, scheming, spies, romance, affairs, eunuchs, concubines, cheating wives – everything is there in this novel. I felt transported to Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh and it was as if I had been there, the colours of Chittorgarh all coming alive in front of my eyes. It is an absolute page turner and is a must for people who are in love with Rajasthan and its splendour. There is a lot of research that has gone into this book and it is evident in the manner in which he describes the war strategies and the mechanism of gathering intelligence about enemy position etc. of those times. There is ample attention to detail and one feels as if one has known the characters personally for a long time.
I wish we could have more of such books which talk about the grandeur as well as the history of Rajasthan. To be honest I was looking for more of Ranga Sanga and Meera bai. And i felt drag in parts.
Interesting Read.