I, Harshavardhana
5/5
()
About this ebook
Related to I, Harshavardhana
Related ebooks
On A Clear Day, You Can See India Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neon Noon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Phantom Tiger and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDurga Nivas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBegum Hazrat Mahal: Warrior Queen of Awadh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuskin Bond's World: Thematic Influences of Nature, Children, and Love in his Major Works Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Godaan: Screenplays by Gulzar Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDay of Reckoning: Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEquinox Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marriages Are Made In India Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNot Just Cricket: A Reporter's Journey through Modern India Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Life Misspent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Laughing Corpse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSELECTED SHORT STORIES OF CHANDRASEKHAR RATH Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeft from the Nameless Shop Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrisoner's Dilemma Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArdeshir and Pirojsha Godrej Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Strangers Meet… Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaptism by Fire: The College Street Case Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHave Pen, Will Travel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poison Tree: A Tale of Hindu Life in Bengal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFidali's Way: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glaring Shadow - A stream of consciousness novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMajra Jacquelin Singh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLessons for Mrs Hauksbee: Tales of Passion, Intrigue and Scandal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhere Do You Go in the Dark, My Love? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChe in Paona Bazar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The View from Kollam: A Day in the Life of a Sub-collector Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Historical Fiction For You
Carnegie's Maid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Tender Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sold on a Monday: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hang the Moon: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sisters Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Einstein: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Light Between Oceans: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Euphoria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Island of Sea Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kitchen House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tinkers: 10th Anniversary Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related categories
Reviews for I, Harshavardhana
1 rating1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5short and sweet. Nice. Gives a new perspective on personalities of old times.
Book preview
I, Harshavardhana - Pavithra Srinivasan
http://www.pustaka.co.in
I, Harshavardhana
Author :
Pavithra Srinivasan
For more books
http://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/pavithra-srinivasan
Digital/Electronic Copyright © by Pustaka Digital Media Pvt. Ltd.
All other copyright © by Author.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Table of Content
Author’s Note
1. In the Beginning …
2. Destiny’s Plans
3. Of Marriages and Madness
4. Storm on the High Seas
5. The Drums of War
6. Holding the Fort
7. Ships and Anchor
8. The King and I
9. Traitors!
11. Road to an Empire
12. An Emperor Remembers
Glossary
Author’s Note
Reading Ponniyin Selvan at the age of 12 altered my perception of fiction and History for good. At 13, I decided grandly that I would have a career in writing, and that I would begin with stories for children. And then, as is usual in a humdrum adult life, my dream slipped away. I began to pursue accounting as a possible profession.
But my heart wasn’t in it.
At 22, I was prepared to follow the route set forth by my family – a career in accountancy (and later, marriage), but I knew that I didn’t really want to go down that path. Meantime, I continued to read and blog, hoping against hope that my interests would lead me to a life I could love, barely aware that I was already on its first rung.
One week in February 2002, I received a call by a sub-editor of The New Indian Express, who was doing an article on Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan and stumbled across my name (along with a few others), as a hardcore fan. She asked me for my input; I duly sent her a mail with a long account of the love of my life; the book that deserved to rank amongst world classics.
Back came a reply. What are you doing, not writing for us?
I told her about my love of fiction, especially books for children, and was instantly asked if I would be interested in contributing for their children’s supplement, Vibes. My first ever published story, titled The Trip,
was published on March 14, 2002.
From then on, I began to contribute heavily to The New Indian Express and not just stories for children, but features for adults. I moved on to Young World, The Hindu. To Chandamama, Prodigy, and to Gokulam.
Published by the Kalki Group of Magazine, Gokulam was special to me, as the magazine was founded by the descendants of my favourite author (and the reason for my writing), Kalki R Krishnamurthy. Writing in Gokulam was a prestigious thing; an accomplishment. I’d already written a serial for them and when the call came asking for another, I opted for a historical.
I like to think of my specialty as throwing light on little-known facets of well-known historical figures: to explore hidden aspects of their life and personality, and showcase knowledge that is obscured by time and disinterest. (This, in fact, forms the basis of another series I wrote: Little-Known Tales of Well-known Times. Yes, it’s a plug.) The process of choosing a theme for a story is almost like spirit-writing, where you hold pen over paper and let the spirit take control of the pen
: you read upon a wide variety of people and cultures and period, until you start feeling a constant, insistent tug from the person or period you’re supposed to write about. You browse through a great many books; magazines; websites and gradually, by degrees, you realize that one person keeps engaging your attention, forcing you to delve more into their lives. Read about me,
they seem to say. Write about me. This is my story, and you are going to tell it.
I’d read about Harsha Vardhana in school, of course. Who hasn’t? He was one of the greats of India; a pioneer among emperors; wise, intelligent, noble, religious, brave, uniting Northern India that seemed, once more, on the cusp of disintegrating into tiny provinces and descending into senseless violence. He’s mentioned more than once by Emperor Mahendra Pallavar in Kalki’s magnum opus, Sivakamiyin Sabadham as a peerless king who’s the rarest of them all: a warrior who nevertheless detested war, promoting peace, prosperity and the arts.
As I grew to adulthood, my mind was consumed by various humdrum, earthly concerns and I lost touch with this king as I had with many others. I probably wouldn’t have had occasion to remember him if not for one circumstance: once, on a random visit to the Chennai Connemara Library, I stumbled upon a book on Harsha Vardhana. I browsed through it idly, thinking that it was probably one that glorified emperors in a superficial way – for it’s true that in-depth character analyses of many of our historic personages do