Title: Karna's Alter Ego
Author: Surendra Nath
ISBN: 9789384180119
Blurb:
Karna, the ill-fated hero of Mahabharata. Many feel he deserved to win. If only luck had favoured him...
5000 years later, we have a man named Vasu, who is much like Karna – illegitimate birth, very talented but denied all credits in life, rejected in love, misses a medal in the Asian games, gets caught for telling an innocent lie, overlooked for promotion. He begins to identify himself with Karna, and interestingly Karna appears to him after every debacle to assuage and encourage him.
It seems Vasu is Karna’s alter ego.
My Take:
The hero of this story is Vasu, who at the age
of twelve is shattered to know that he is not a legitimate son of his parents.
Having heard of stories from Mahabharata, he begins to relate to and
identify himself with Karna, which gives him solace and inspiration. This novel
then goes on to documenting how he misses a number of rewards in life in spite
of being exceptionally talented and the most deserving.
The writer has done an exceptionally well job
through this novel, first by choosing a unique theme, and then by going on to
do justice to it. Though the theme is not mythological, there still remains an
element of it presented in a novel way e.g. the story of Karna. The author
deviates often from the mainstream viewpoint and provides newer insights into
the persona of Karna. Reading this novel, you will thus come across a different
story of Karna at the places; even though the setting is modern, the element of
antiquity is still there.
As far as novelty is concerned, this book
scores at par with Dr Sweety Shinde’s Arjuna: Without A Doubt. If you
are tired of reading love stories, and want to read something new and more
interesting, read Karna’s Alter Ego. It is a wonderful book.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendation: GO FOR IT
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