The courtesan's keeper by Kshemendra

"The courtesan's keeper" by Kshemendra. This book is published by Penguin India in 2014 and has 200 pages. This book is translated from Sanskrit to English by A. N. D. Haskar.

The original title of this book is 'Samaya mātrikā (समय मातृका)'. Kshemendra is estimated to have lived during 990-1070 CE in Kashmir during the reign of King Ananta.

Kalavati is a courtesan. Her grandmother and keeper has died and she is facing a lot of problems because now there is no one to overlook her affairs. A barber suggests the name of Kankali to her, who was once a courtesan, mendicant, rich widow, seductress, murderer, sanyasi and thief and who went with various names in her prime.

Will Kalavati accept her? Will she prove her worth? How will Kankali protect her mistress? How will they leach a prospective customer?

The story is set in Pravaraputra, modern day Srinagar. Flesh trade is called the oldest trade in the history of mankind. This thousand year old story gives us a glimpse in to the past, how the people lived, how they traded, what they liked and what they feared.  Although the story is thousand years old much of it is still relevant.

To write about the life of a courtesan was a bold thing at that time but Kshemendra has done it. His writing style is concise. He has managed to write a lot of things in very few words. This concise writing holds a mirror of life at that time in front of the readers.

The book has mention of Chinese and Turkish people and goods. It also mentions prosperous cities of that time, Varanasi and Pataliputra.

Some parts of the book are worth mentioning. When the barber asks Kalavati why she doesn't look good he enumerates a number of scenarios of what might be the reason of her unhappiness. These possible scenarios tell you a lot about life and times of the era.

Kankali's justification of untruthfulness as only way to prosperity for a courtesan is satirical and worth mention. In one chapter Kankali tells Kalavati about 80 types of passions and what kind of people are best suitors to ensnare.

It's a small book and simple story but it was a prose written when poetry ruled literature. It provides information of the life of the time and the society.

Recommend reading.

Close call in Kashmir by Bharat Wakhlu

"Close call in Kashmir" debut novel of Bharat Wakhlu. This book is published by Penguin metro reads in August 2010 and has 232 pages.

Dr. Michael Zutshi is a professor of South Asian art and history in USA. His sister is abducted by terrorists in Kashmir. Pirzada Shamsuddin Bandey is the head priest of the Dargah at Aishmuqam. He is opposed to terrorist violence and is vocal about it.  'Amanat' needs to be protected. Artefacts worth millions of dollars are stolen from Srinagar.

Will Michael come back to India? Who is stealing the artefacts? What stand does Shasuddin take? What is 'Amanat'? Why it needs to be protected?

Bharat has written a very good debut novel. Narration is good. Pace is maintained. Reader's interest is retained. Story is delivered with ease. But I felt that author has missed a few opportunities to make it more interesting.

This story centers around a legend of Dara Sukoh, elder brother of Auranzeb, who Aurangzeb beheaded to become Emperor. The book talks of a legend where great treasure was handed over to six mystique saints by Dara to be retrieved at a later date when he became king. He never became king and the treasure was lost.

Kashmir has a long tradition of mystique saints. The book addresses the Islamist terrorist threat to the shrines of mystique saints (sadhus and sufis, Hindu and Muslims). It also addresses terrorism in general including killings, sympathizers within government, black marketing of precious artefacts, kidnappings, ISI etc.

Although the treasure was handed over to six saints, author doesn't make it clear how it ended where it ended. Author has not elaborated the contribution of six. It could well have been one. Here one feels something amiss.

The climax is devoid of any action. In such a book with all ingredients of a thriller, I expected an action packed climax. It was easily possible to do so but the author chose not to.

The artistic key on the book cover tells us that the book has something to do with the hidden treasure. It's an interesting cover. Use of black colour is also symbolic.

Despite purchasing a brand new book, it had yellow pages. The quality of paper used was sub standard. Was it done to keep the cost down? In any case, it hindered the joy of reading.

A good book. Recommend reading.

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