Chanakya’s Chant : Book Review

‘Adi Shakti,Namo Namah;

Sarab Shakti,Namo Namah;

Prithum Bhagwati,Namo Namah;

Kundalini Mata Shakti;

Mata Shakti,Namo Namah.’

2300 years ago

Chanakya alias Kautilya is a son of a very learned & respected teacher Chanak, in the kingdom of  magadh. The ruler of magadh ,Dhananand who is corrupt and deeply involved in pleasures &merry making gets Chanak brutally  killed.  Chanakya then wows to avenge the death of  his father.

Kautilya moves out of Magadh and studies in Takshila where he arms himself with best knowledge in all the fields.He turns out to be best guru in political science.With his  shrewdness & cunning tactics he creates around himself a network of people who help him in attaining his goal.His dream now is not only to dethrone and kill Dhananad but also to unite entire Bharat, a dream which is the sole purpose of his life.With his tactics not only he achieves the same but also makes sure that Alexander who was on verge of attacking and overtaking India had to retreat.Finally Chandragupta Maurya  who was his best pupil is made the king of entire united Bharat.

Present day

History repeats itself in the form of Gangasagar , who is the son of a teacher and is a brilliant student. He loses his father at an early age.To make ends meet he starts working with a rich businessman Agarwalji from whom he learns the finer nuances of politics and economics.As he grows up he moves into politics and becomes a political advisor , a manipulator just like Chanakya.

He recognises Chandini Gupta at very young age and finances her entire education in UK to prepare her to be the most powerful politician in India.He had grand vision and shrewdness enough to use people and resources well for his political ambitions.Starting from municipal elections in Kanpur he moves ahead to conquer state and finally the central government.But just like Chanakya he doesn’t rule but makes his best student take the charge, whereas he remains as a political advisor and a great manipulator.He finally realizes his dream of making Chandini Gupta as the Prime Minister of India.

USP of this novel:

There are two stories running parallel  in this novel separated by time gap of 2300 years,one is of Chanakya and other of Gangasagar in  current India.

Each story flips alternatively  by one chapter at a time showing stark resemblance in plot,situation,politics and strategy.

Both the political grandmasters don’t rule directly but through their brilliant students ChandraGupta   and Chandini Gupta.

The interwoven plots keeps the reader glued  till the end as the thrill builds up.

Relation to current scenario

The novel shows the true and dark side of current political set up of our country.As you read through the book,one can easily relate to many political situations in our country be it 2G scam,Land acquisition, black money,hawala case,oil exploration scam, fued between Ambani brothers, share market manipulation or the like.

Though many may not agree but this story truly prophesies the philosophy of Saam, Daam ,Dand Bhed to achieve goal by any means.

Quotations worth mentioning :

‘A man who opens his mouth too often may end up meeting a tragic end,either from indigestion or execution’

‘Strength doesn’t  come from physical activity, it comes from indomitable will’

‘One does not need to pluck fruit from a tree that is about to be chopped down,The fruit will fall by themselves. Focus on bigger purpose and rest of your manifesto will follow as a matter of course.’

‘In order to become a master, a ruler must profess to be a servant of people’

‘Politics is war without bloodshed and war is simply war with bloodshed’

‘If you don’t want the council to spend too long over something , make it the last item on their agenda before refreshments’

‘One’s mother comes before one’s motherland’

‘What should a man strive for? Kama,Dharma,Artha and Moksha.But the fact is that neither your wife nor your children will love you if you are poor, no single citizen will ever perform his duty if he’s not motivated by financial incentives or penalties and which man can renounce his worldly life in quest of salvation if he doesn’t have wealth to support the family he leaves behind’

‘Sometimes a majority only means that all the fools are on the same side’

‘Friends come and go.Enemies accumulate’

‘A battle is never about who is right.It’s mostly about who’s left’

‘If war-like situation persists,public sentiment will be with the government of the day.It always happens.People who would love to pull down the government’s pants suddenly become patriotic’

‘In politics  there are  no permanent friends or enemies’

About the author:

Ashwin Sanghi (born January 25, 1969) is an Indian author of thriller fiction best known for his 2007 novel, The Rozabal Line which was originally published under his pseudonym Shawn Haigins. The revised edition of The Rozabal Line was published by Westland Ltd. & Tranquebar Press in 2008 under his own name.

Rating :  4/5

I have been a great fan of Chanakya ever since I read his Chanakya Neeti.This book not only  lived upto my expectations but was  much more than that.

It kept me in awe and glued till the end.This is an ultimate thriller for any fiction lover.

This book will help you to peep into the minds of politicians & great strategic thinkers  and amply proves that ultimate power may lie in hands of a person behind the scene.

PS: This review is under book review program of Blogadda.I am extremely thankful to Ashwin Sanghi and Blogadda for providing me the book and opportunity to write  the review about the same.