10. VEDIC VOWS - THE MOHINI

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Blurb:

War, Bloodshed, intrigue, treason, betrayal, sins have abounded and the gods are watching, kali warrior goddess has been unable to withstand the imploring of her devotees, her Commander, the yogini is weary of wars and pleads for fusion in to the cosmos, so she sets about creating a powerful warrior, a weapon in her all woman echelon, a Mohini. Vedha is chosen, and on her trip to Ujjain is thrown in to the past and is brutally exposed to a world of men and rules made by monarchs, a world where myths and legends come alive, watch as she becomes Mohini, as her warrior soul awakens; where she loses her innocence, exuberance and hope with only justice and resolution left.

My Impression: Plot, characters, narration -- this riveting Indian myth based book scores on all fronts.

Interview:

Q. Why do you read?

A. I read because, it's the only thing which can take you to different part of the world, new dimensions, out of your mind by just sitting in a corner. It talks to you and also leaves space for your imagination. It is an escape point; it takes you away from your mundane life.

Q. Which genre you don't prefer at all? And why?

A. I love all genres. I'm much diversified so I don't have any specifics. I read everything; I'll choose other genres if I have the option of skipping out day to day romance. Romantic novels have different divisions. I don't mind historical romance or thrillers, but regular crush and dilly dallying begins to pall on you after sometime, so if I have other options, I'll skip them

Q. How did you come with your story?

A. I've always been interested in history and mythologies and ironically for a people with such a rich cultural heritage and historical significance our school books don't tell us anything worthwhile and many Indians don't know about our history to be proud of. One such king was Vikramaditya and I wanted our youngsters to know about him. He ruled the Middle East parts of Russia and china. A huge empire actually and he had the original navaratnas, 9 men who excelled in different fields. Along with it I decided to add our mythological aspect of Hinduism. I use the term "Mythology" loosely; for me it's a spiritual walk.

Q. Is Vedic Vows your first attempt as a writer?

A. I've written short stories since I was kid. But I never showed it to anyone outside or pursue it. This is my first public attempt in a novel.

Q. There is so much bloodsheds and sexual violence in your story. Don't you think it might create negative impact on younger readers?

A. Unfortunately my book does have a lot of violence and in many places women are dishonored; people especially men lived by the sword and died by it. The mightiest dictated the law and women and children were always the causalities of war; but that was how the world was back then. The Romans pimped and ravaged the land and its women after they conquered Africa; the Normans killed the Saxons in England and established their rule after pillaging and raping the women. So was it when the crusaders in the name of Christ sanctioned by the pope marched upon the Saracens i.e. Persians to wage war. They did all things unholy, in the name of holiness. The Saracens fought back the same way. The Muslim invaders who entered India did the same; Hindu dharma dictates to leave the women alone, but they did not honor that. They pillaged looted murdered and yes raped their way through India. The difference between the foreign woman and Indian women was that in those countries, women were accepted even if they had been through such trauma. They remarried and lived. But in India women did not have such clemency. Their life was not worth if they survived such things so they took to immolation.

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