Book Review:Chanakya's Chant

Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wouldn't have picked up this book if it wasn't for the title "Chanakya's Chant",that caught my attention.I had always been in awe of the great economist and politician in ancient India, also known as Kautilya.His work "Arthashastra" is one of its kind.So with that in mind,and the recommendations from the likes of Shashi Tharoor,a man of intellect, and Amish Tripathi,whose Shiva Trilogy has kept me spell-bound,made me go for this book.
Far from being a religious treatise of Chanakya,as one would guess from its title,the book runs parallel stories of the lives of two king-makers Chanakya,in ancient India and Pt.Gangasagar Mishra,in present day India,masters in the game of politics and economics unravelling a world of political and economical master play; doing what they do best-a rich display of their war-craft.
The narration recounts the early life span of Chanakya, right from his childhood till he succeeded in his ultimate objective-unification of Bharat (India) and re-installation of Chandragupta Maurya on the throne of Magadha;keeping in tandem is a present day story of Pt.Gangasagar Mishra who has a similar game-plan in mind-to make Chandini Gupta, the Prime Minister of India. Both are ambushed in their missions by hurdles which they overcame through a series of maze of lie,deception,power,money etc. with a view at the greater good that comes with the end result-which somehow reminds me of Krishna's sayings to Arjun during the epic battle of Mahabharata.
The book is acutely well-written with apt quotes thrown in between which makes it a very pleasant experience.However,I strongly recommend against picking up this book for anyone who isn't so drawn into politics or economics for that matter.There is every possibility that the game of political warfare might bore you out and throw you into a deep slumber.Otherwise,go for it at the earliest! It's totally worth the space in your book-shelf!

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