Book Review: The Krishna Key

Mythology in India has a plethora of secrets waiting to be explored. Fiction writing in India is developing into a genre which allows freedom of creativity without inversely impacting the commercial aspect. And there are authors like Ashwin Sanghi who knows how to mix the two and bring out a gem of product. That, my dear friends, is what "The Krishna Key" is all about! Ashwin Sanghi prepares a unique mix of tales from the life of Krishna (& the Mahabharata), draws a parallel line with the life of the protagonist in today's times and places it perfectly on the platter for us to experience. Trust me, the experience is all worth it!

Target Audience:

1. Fiction and Thriller freaks

2. Historians with a special attachment towards the Hindu mythology
3. Readers who read the Chanakya's Chant will enjoy this book as well. Chanakya's Chant had a different way of story-telling. In that regard, this book is also unique.

Plot: The book is a murder mystery which revolves around the secrets surrounding Krishna, Dwarka and the ancient mythology. There are talented researchers out there proving that Krishna actually existed and the Mahabharata actually happened with umpteen evidences and proofs supporting the same. Safeguarding these evidences become important to ensure it doesn't fall into wrong hands. Which is exactly what's going to happen. To avoid this scenario, Professor Ravi Mohan Saini along with his student Priya embark on a journey they never intended in the first place. They have three key motives: first is to prevent a serial killer to get hold of them and the seal they possess and second is to find the remaining 3 seals along with the base plate to unearth the secret which is known as "The Krishna Key".

Writing: One word - "Typical". That's how one can describe the author's style of writing. The story-telling is non-linear. You have a backdrop of Krishna's story with a detailed description of a parallel story in today's times. The concept of a short paragraph belonging to Krishna's story as a pretext to the main story provides a small break to absorb the story in terms of what has happened and where is it headed. However, unlike Chanakya's chant, I didn't find any co-relation between the two stories. Also, it's clearly evident that Ashwin Sanghi has researched the topic extensively and has structured it perfectly to complete this book. The author has provided a "warning" to allow readers to read the book in a linear fashion and avoid temptation to decipher the clue by observing images provided at the end. Quite a challenge, isn't it? The book somewhat resembles the genre pioneered by a certain Dan Brown and Ashwin Sanghi could become India's answer to Dan. The only challenge here would be to write a religious fiction without hurting the Indian sensibilities.

Relevance in today's times: There are two important areas of relevance one can find in "The Krishna Key". One - A peek into the region's historical events will do no harm to anyone concerned. Experience is what gives wisdom to do the right things in today's "kalyug" world as per the Hindu mythology. It also provides different perceptions of what is right. Two - The story works like a mirror for today's youth who prefer short-cuts to success. They are indifferent towards the journey they take as long as the destination is in sight. Success could be financial, social or spiritual - as uniquely defined by oneself. 

In conclusion, I recommend this book to all the readers especially those belonging to the target audience mentioned above. I am sure you will love the book. Read "The Krishna Key" to understand how history repeats itself albeit in a different way. Regret is one word you will not experience.

My Rating: 4/5 (as I still believe the best from Ashwin Sanghi is yet to come)

PS: This review is part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda. A special thanks to the BlogAdda team for selecting me for the review process.