What did daily life look like in the world the Rig-Veda describes? What were the economics, the politics, the social arrangements, the understanding of dharma and karma in a settlement on the banks of the Sindhu thousands of years ago? Anjesh Baranwal's novel Sangacchadhvam takes those questions seriously -- and rather than writing a work of abstract scholarship, builds a story around the answers.
The book works from the Rig-Vedic literature directly, weaving the facts of that society into a narrative that functions as both fiction and as a kind of lived archaeology. The approach is comparable, one endorser notes, to the Panchatantra -- facts embedded in story so that they travel further and stay longer than they would in a lecture. Baranwal is careful to distinguish imagination from invention: the leap of fiction is acknowledged, but the grounding in the textual record is genuine.
Scholarship on Vedic civilisation tends either toward the overly technical or the romantically vague. This novel attempts something harder -- a specific, inhabited world, recognisable enough to feel like home to a contemporary reader, ancient enough to ask new questions about where Indian culture began.
-:ABOUT THE BOOK:- Sangacchadhvam is a story which, while taking a leap of imagination, is still firmly grounded in facts. While doing so, the story makes a sincere effort to present the reality of the Rg-Vedic literature. Weaving together numerous facts related to Rg-Vedic society, economics, politics, dharma, and karma, this story is not only informative but also purposeful. It would appeal to any person who is even slightly curious about our cultural roots, irrespective of his or her age. "The Rg-Veda... the root of Indian civilisation and traditions... along with the fundamental knowledge contained in it should reach every person. The effort made in this direction is commendable, and writing an interesting novel based on the facts of the Rg-Veda is also quite unique." - Prof. (Dr.) Surendra Kumar Jaiswal Former Head of Department, Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, University of Lucknow "The Sangacchadhvam novel series, without a doubt, contains the original and traditional facts related to the Rg-Vedic period. The exploration of scattered facts vis--vis Rg-Vedic period and the presentation of those facts in the form of a story reminds me of Pacatantra." - Prof. (Dr.) Sanjay Dwivedi Director General, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi "The entire narrative, plot, and writing style is such that we can see our own life unfolding in front of us in the form of a story which, despite having a background related to ancient times, gives a feeling of being ever fresh." - Dr. Abhishek Kumar Associate Professor and Director, Anant National University, Ahmedabad "The serious effort put to transform a subject like Rg-Veda in the form of a novel is really commendable." - Manoj Muntashir
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