Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Year of publishing: 2012
Number of pages: 496
Language: English (translated to other Indian languages)
Genre: Mythological fiction, thriller
My rating: 3/5
One of the most popular contemporary Indian authors with a global reach, Ashwin Sanghi is a well-known name among readers. With his first novel, The Rozabal Line, being a bestseller - there was no looking back for Sanghi. The Krishna Key, the book being reviewed in this blog, is Sanghi's third novel and is a widely acclaimed mythological thriller worldwide. The book is also the third one of Sanghi's 'Bharat' series – a series of novels depicting stories with Indian mythology and heritage at the backdrop. His books are also being adapted into various web series and movies. Hindi, Telegu, are some of the languages in which Sanghi's books are translated to from English.
Hindu mythology believes that Lord Vishnu has been born and re-born several times on Earth, in various avatars, with Krishna being the eighth and the most influential of them. It is also believed that during the Dark Age of Earth (aka Kaliyug) – when humankind will be stooped in vices and tragedy, will the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu be re-born on Earth to cure humankind, and be called Kalki Avatar. And this is where the story starts from. A young boy, Sampath Sharma, is made to believe that he is the Kalki Avatar. He is trained and brainwashed to protect the secret that Krishna has left behind for humankind – in the quest of which, he turns into a serial killer. And this, puts the lives of famous historian Ravi Mohan Saini and his school friends (working in fields of science, archaeology, linguistics and history) – Varshney, Chhedi, Bhojraj, Kurkude, at risk. While all are killed, Saini survives the murder attempt. And amidst all these, he becomes aware of the existence of Krishna's secret, and sets out on a mission to uncover it – to understand what the secret is and where to find it. The mission takes him to different stretches of India – to places which are seemingly normal but with extraordinary significances linked with Krishna. He experiences betrayal, love, grief, thrill – possibly all emotions that a human can feel. With his enemies always breathing on his neck, will Saini be able to find Krishna's secret, the key to Krishna? What is the Krishna key afterall? How is he and his friends, who have led a normal life and simply focused on excelling in their careers – be even linked with this huge suspense? Well, dear reader, I leave that to you to find out!
If mythological fiction is your go-to genre for books, this book shall be no less than a paradise for you. With mythological references in almost every line of the book, 'The Krishna Key' might be a treasured addition to your bookshelf. If you love conspiracy theories, this book is a must-have for you as well. For example, the way Sanghi has linked the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre building with the Shiva Lingam will sweep you off your feet! The book is a great work of research, undoubtedly. It will make you ponder upon a myriad possibilities that you may have simply never noticed, which makes this book a page turner till its very last page.
But here's the main problem I felt about the book – it is too perfect to be true. Truth is stranger than fiction, yes, but perfection is a rarity. The hero, heroine, villain, everyone has the perfect appearance, perfect character, perfect aura to attract everyone they are around – without them even realizing it. Each character has a tragic past, which makes them the invincible personalities they are at present. The plot is centered round Saini and his aide, especially Saini – you may argue that it should be the case because he is the protagonist afterall, but the way he has the perfect escape from every adverse situation with such ease, is too unbelievable. Infact, the way Sampath Sharma is introduced to the readers as the Kalki Avatar – with two parallel narrations depicting commonalities between Sampath and the mythical Kalki Avatar, breaks the flow of the novel, in my opinion.
Another problem, is the way the book was concluded. Towards the climax, when Krishna's secret is about to get revealed, a sadhu (ascetic) is introduced into the plot. Quoting that part of the book here:
"'I know what you seek,' said the sadhu cryptically. 'Remember one thing though… the philosopher is more important than the stone.' "
This, changes the entire notion that the reader would have developed by then, about the Krishna key. And eventually, what is finally revealed as the Krishna key – the ultimate closure to the entire novel - would be quite disappointing. A perfect metaphor would be something like this - you have been eating a plateful of delicious biryani, and while eating the last spoon of it, you accidently bite into a piece of cardamom, which disrupts the entire taste of the biryani you have been enjoying for so long!
All these make me feel that Sanghi, besides being an amazing story-teller, is a clever businessperson. He understands the modern trend of adapting novels into popular culture through movies and web series, and has developed 'The Krishna Key' exactly in a way such that the glamour industry would love to adapt it into a potential blockbuster movie. Now, while this can be perfectly acceptable to anyone (maybe even to you, my reader), for me, a book too real to be true is not a pleasure read. Moreover, a better closure was expected from Sanghi, given the wonderful way in which the book had begun its journey.
Thus, you may give Sanghi's 'The Krishna Key' a try. But I would suggest not to keep much high hopes about it. It is not one of those books that will leave a lasting impact on the reader, but like I have mentioned earlier – if mythology and conspiracy theories are your mood-setters, do give it a try! Also, like always, if you have read it already, do let me know what you think about it.
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