Monday, October 14, 2013

Book Review : Chakra

'Chakra : Chronicles of the Witch way' by Ritu Lalit is the third book by the author.She has penned two books earlier ....namely 'A bowlful of Butterflies' & 'Hilawi'.The 'Chakra' cover shows two grey eyes of a woman through a slit in some ancient manuscript.The manuscript is shaded in hues of blue,navy blue & green .The manuscript has some Hindu symbols  Om,Trikon & others imprinted on it.The grey eyes are hypnotic...they seem to piercing through as if searching for something .The paper quality is good.The printing is very good .The book is neatly arranged into chapters.There is a prayer to Ma Kundalini, at the beginning ,before the story unfolds.It sets the stage for the saga which is based on yogic power of those who practice & swear by it .


This is the story of Parineeta, who runs a detective agency in Delhi & is caretaker to her nieces & nephew .She also takes care of Mickey ,an orphan. Parineeta searches for baubles of the rich  ladies & also goes after the flirtatious husbands.One day ,just as vacations are about to begin in school,her brother's daughter gets into some act ,which makes heads turn.All hell breaks loose after that .There are  many twists & turns in the book from then onwards, till the very end.Parineeta is frantic as she finds her nephew & niece missing.Will she be able to locate them ? Have the kids gone on a frolic of their own ? Or have they been kidnapped ? As Parineeta begins her search,she has to come to terms with her forgotten legacy.She does not want to have anything to do with it.She has lost so much because of that ,she opines.Yet,it seems, only her past can make the future better for generation next.There is a prophecy which talks of the age of the Japnis. Is Parineeta going to usher in that age ? Will her nieces be also part & parcel of that age of the witches ? And if so ,how ? How far is that day ? For all the answers,Parineeta must connect with her clan & even with rival clans & many others.There is hardly any time left before rivals close in on her nieces & nephew. Parineeta has to act fast.She has to trust those with whom she never wanted to associate.Will others heed her now, when she needs them most ?


Chakra is the story of Japas & Japnis who have a very strong Kundalini which is awake from birth.This is the saga of the clans of Bhoomars,Jalajs,Pallavs,Varunis & others like Koylas.Koylas are those who drain others emotionally.The author talks of people who venerate the elements....air,earth,fire ,water etal. She writes about the serpent ...our inherent Kundalini power which must be awakened to make us what we actually are.Ritu lalit has made the saga so interesting by taking bits & pieces from Indian myths,puranas that Chakra makes for a truly fascinating kahani !

Chakra has its bits of humor .Witness the tee shirts worn by the heroine which say it all ' HIGH MAINTENANCE BUT SO WORTH IT ','HOT n SPICY ','TALK TO MY FACE,TITS CAN'T HEAR 'etc.References to the traffic in Delhi says   that people take pot shots on traffic lights with their guns ! The tale is feminist, in its approach.Witches are going to claim the age.Witches are better at power play.The book also states that many girls are disappearing.....as female infanticide & other crimes are making survival of women difficult.

In a nutshell,this is a very readable story, set in the present age with connections to our heritage of mudras,yoga,kundalini & the power each one of us have .That innate power, which is dormant & sleeping, needs to be awakened to claim our future, from corrupt netas & an ; inefficient bureaucracy.An inspiring read  indeed

6 comments:

Unknown said...

The review makes me curious. Next on my reading list for sure. Thank you.

vasrao@gmail.com said...

Janaki ,

That was quick ! Thank you !

Ritu said...


Thank you Vasudha, I am glad you enjoyed the book

vasrao@gmail.com said...

Ritu,

I must thank you, for giving me this opportunity !

Unknown said...

THe book sounds interesting.. seems like a must read!
risingcolors.blogspot.in

vasrao@gmail.com said...

Ritika,

This is book is a good read ...very nice...about Indian witches...interesting read !

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