When a prick reads an epic!

Recently I read a Marathi novel named Yayaati. (Mind you its a dynanpeeth award winner, which is the highest award any book can get in India). It is written by V.S.Khandekar.

It's a great work of art. It carries deep social message. But frankly I did not like it. I guess my faculties are not yet developed to understand such heavy stuff.

Some things which I did appreciate about the book are its strong characters and mythological background.

There are 4 main characters in the book

1. Yayaati - the lecherous prince (and of course king) who has no control over his mind

2. Kacha - the godly man. the real hero. I went weak in my knees as his character started developing!!

3. Devyani - the ultimate self centered bitch!

4. Sharmishtha - the unconditional lover/friend anyone can desire for.

Actually all the 4 were the extremities of human behavior.

The story develops around the 4 and engulfs their fate. There are so many twists and turns, that one feels like caught in the middle of a K series serial. So many villains, so many 'situations', so many emotionally shitty circumstances, so many monologues, so many co-incidences, so many returning characters, so many curses and counter curses, the list is pretty endless..

At one point, I actually went like 'Aww come on!! Don't tell me this is the girl who wants to marry Yayaati's son, and looks like Yayaati's ex-lover who accidentally got killed some 20 years ago!!' I know this wont make any sense to you. But mind you reader, great works of art never make sense!

So moral of the story, is (or was considering the 'k' magic is fading now) Ekta Kapoor reading all this for inspiration ? The thinking part of me took over so never mind!

Read at your own risk reader! As for me, I shall just keep away.

Sorry mom! (its one of her younger days ka first novel and kinda favorite! She read it sometime in the 70's!)

~nightflier