‘The Gurukul Chronicles’ by Smara (Radhika
Meghanathan) tells the story of three boys and how their lives intersect—
Eklavya of the Nishada hunter tribes, who dreamed of joining the Gurukul meant
for Kshatriya princes; Karna or Radheya, he of divine birth who was adopted by
a charioteer and who valued truth above all else; and Ashwatthama, a Rishi’s
son.
All three of them have often been told that
they are special but feel isolated; all three of them feel like misfits. All
three of them encounter a magical being in the forest at various points in time
that reveals their destiny to them. All three of them want more from life than
what they are entitled to.
The book briefly touches upon the caste
system and how the “high born” were privy to advantages that the lower castes
were not. The issue of favouritism— of how some teachers are partial to some
students— is also touched upon.
The boys’ relationship with their gurus,
how it changes them and leads to the part that they would grow up to play in
the Mahabharata war forms the crux of this book.
It is written in an engaging style, which
brought to mind all the Percy Jackson books I had read about Greek Mythology. I
didn’t find a single dull moment in this book. I looked forward to getting back
to the book after chores done during the day. It held my attention and interest
all through.
'The Gurukul Chronicles' won the manuscript
award at the Pune Literary Festival in 2016 and was also launched at the Indian
consulate in New York in 2018.
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