Kartikeya: The Destroyer’s Son
Author: Anuja Chandramouli
Publisher: Rupa Publishers
Rating: 3.5/5
It
is riveting to roll up our sleeves and research on the origins of folklore and
the origins of mythology. Kartikeya, also known as Murugan, Skanda, Kumara and
Subrahmanya, is the Hindu God of War. Much has been read and talked about him
in theological books. Much has been hypothesized. There are beliefs and there
are myths. But isn’t mythology all about studying the myths and believing the
ones that sound more logical? Different folks have different strokes and thus,
the life of Kartikeya has been a debatable topic since ages because everyone
has a different story to tell. Amidst this ambiguity, Anuja Chandramouli
presents us with ‘Kartikeya’ that offers an insight, though not in detail, into
the life of this God born to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Based
on his war with Lord Indra, ‘Kartikeya’ focusses on the early life of this
young, lively and suave child who becomes a God of war owing to the bitter
circumstances. Backed by a strong narrative and velvety pace of the story, the
book passes the muster. The story does not trace the events in Kartikeya’s life
across the timeline, but instead majorly focusses on the war that freed the
three worlds from the tyranny of Soora, Sinha and Taraka.
Anuja’s
prowess lies in the lucid and provocative narration. The language caters to the
interest of diverse readers and mythology is made interesting. Divided aptly
into 24 chapters, the story delves into the birth and the incumbency of
Kartikeya. The circumstance under which the protagonist was born, his
intelligence, his relationship with people, his status in the society and his
rational thinking- all make us coerce into forming a different perception of
him. The authoress has also projected Murugan as promiscuous, which might not
be liked by all. There are chapters that describe the superfluous emotions,
which we believe that only the people of our kind (mortals) can experience.
There has been an altercation regarding Kartikeya’s life in South and the book
was expected to answer all the questions. Instead, it leaves the readers
kvetching.
Joining
the dots together, the book aims to bring the myths associated with the
provenance, the rearing and the transformation of the God of War into the
light. With powerful vocabulary, the book doesn’t fail to impress. A
tantalizing cover adds on to the enticing opus.
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