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The Retribution

Page 25

by Shankar Kashyap


  Cylindrical seal of Shu-ilishu, the translator has the typical humped bull on one side and cuneiform text on the other side. Archaeologists agree that he must have been a translator of Sumerian and Akkadian into Meluhhan language. He is placed to have lived in Lagash around the middle of third millennium BCE. There is archaeological evidence of Meluhhan enclaves around Lagash.

  Sargon the great who ruled most of Mesopotamia from around 2300 BCE, boasts of ships from Meluhha, Dilmun and Magan docking in the port of his capital city, Akkad. The Meluhhans obviously had marine trading links with Akkad for a long time with some of them settling down in Sumer. Despite elaborate description of the city of Akkad in several tablets in cuneiform texts, the city eludes detection.

  Epic of Gilgamesh is a well-known story with an almost entire story written and transcribed from cuneiform texts. Emperor Gilgamesh befriends an uncouth Enkidu from the deep forests and a deep friendship ensues. The epic is that of undying love, sacrifice and heroism. Enkidu is mortally injured fighting a -mythical demon and only a meluhhan sage can save him.

  The Battle of Ten Kings (Dasharajna)

  Book six of Rigveda describes a battle between King Sudas and “ten kings.” It is a confederacy of ten to twelve kings compiled by disgruntled descendants of King Yayathi’s sons who felt hard done by when the ageing king gives the central part of the great Bharatha kingdom to the youngest son, Puru over the elder four brothers – Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu and Anu. King Sudas is brought up and trained by sage Vishwamitra and Vasishta. Vishwaimtra falls out with the king and the senior sage Vasishta and joins the confederacy of ten kings. A bitter battle ensues on the banks of River Parushni (present day Ravi) between the forces of King Sudas, highly outnumbered by the huge army of “sixty six thousand” of the confederacy. God Indra intervenes and takes the side of “righteous Sudas,” and a flash flood destroys most of the army of the confederacy.

  While there is no archaeological evidence of the battle or the actors within it, there is enough evidence within the Rigveda itself to place the event around the third millennium BCE. River Parushni is easily identifiable as the present day Ravi and the kingdom to be the present day Punjab, Haryana and parts of northeast Pakistan with seven rivers. This epic is considered by many to be the third epic of India, after the great epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Descendants of king Puru for the famous Kuru dynasty who are the actors within the great battle of Mahabharata. This battle has often been used by the proponents of the Aryan Invasion theory as proof of mighty Aryans invading India and destroying the Harappan civilisation. It is claimed that they brought the horses and Iron weapons to destroy the great Harappan empire.

  A Kangaroo Court: A Triumph of Mediocrity

  When Upaashantha was appointed as an orthopaedic Surgeon, he thought his life was made. He did not realise he would come across unscrupulous people like Serpe and Pakshar. He ends up fighting incompetence and corruption among the bureaucrats to save his career and life. This book is a damning indictment on greed and treachery among the “noble” medical profession. As the story unfolds, the question of the age renowned adage of “innocent until proven guilty” is thrown to the winds and under the pretext of “patient safety,” the physician is “guilty until proven innocent.” There are further doubts about the ability of the regulatory body to conduct a fair and unbiased enquiry as stipulated in their manifesto. A simple complaint that should possibly have dealt with at a local level develops momentum that spins out control. ‘The title of the book is apt and the concerned organisation is a pack of circus clowns. A must read for the doctors of this land.’ - The Doctor.

  Books Reviews

  “I loved Shankar Kashyap’s novel, Harappa: The Lure of Soma. An epic tale of mystery, black magic, love, and adventure set in the most intriguing period of India’s ancient history, it wraps you up in the predicament of its central characters and stands as a magnificent and compelling parable of the age-old battle of good against evil.”

  Graham Hancock,

  Author of the international bestseller

  “Fingerprints of the Gods”

  “Shankar N Kashyap has created a brilliant and fascinating story about one of the most mysterious eras in human history, yet one that has implications for all humanity even today. His narrative draws us back to the ancient era of India of the Sarasvati River, long before most of what we call civilization, and sheds light upon the profound culture that existed then and its relevance for the entire world.”

  David Frawley

  Director of American Institute of Vedic Studies

  (www.vedanet.com)

  Author of “Soma in Yoga and Ayurveda”,

  and thirty other books

  SHANKAR KASHYAP is a natural story teller with a great sense of imagination which is not only vivid but also realistic in all aspects. Like a master creator, he has created a world in the ruins of Harrapa and Mohenjo daro. Once he establishes his characters – and their culture, tradition, and beliefs – they almost become alive and start behaving the way they should have done so in their lives. It is but natural to have all known human emotions and experiences in the lives of his characters, and one finds love, romance, politics, conspiracies, wars and natural disasters in his world.

  The plot has an element of suspense from the very beginning. The story opens up and tells us about the lost civilization’s culture, tradition and believe system. He goes into the geographical details of 5,000 years old territory and stays within the borders of countries with their political issues, personal jealousies, and powerful individuals who desire to change the world for better or worse. This is what exactly is happening in human societies since the age unknown and will continue to happen till the doomsday. Shankar has highlighted all these issues with great sense of imagination and background knowledge of history. More than a master creator, he acted like a god as left the world that he created in these pages on its own after creating it. He has become a historian and record keeper of that world. He writes in detail about the courts and its proceedings. He tells us about the way medicine was practiced in those days. He gives us a detailed account of war, warriors and their weapons. He also carefully describes the rituals playing important role in the lives of people living in that era.

  It is a story of love, the beauty of nature, and man’s struggle against those evil forces who are present in our lives from the first day of our self-determination.

  Dr. Shershah Syed

  Pakistan

  Author of “Vision, not just a dream” and winner of

  Clinton Global Initiative Award

  A story written after historical research into the ancient civilisation. Though it is fiction, the author leads you to visualise life as it would have realistically been in the time frame of Harappa. This has obviously been possible after extensive analysis of the evidence available from Indus Civilisation.

  One is led to believe the saga of Soma, which currently is the flavour of fiction and documentaries. I look forward to reading forthcoming sequel of this novel.

  A easily readable book though the cover does not do justice to the book- though this a personal preference.

  Dr. S. Balupuri

  Shankar is a great storyteller. He has made me live an ancient in recorded past and kept me yearning for more. An absolute Must Read. Hope there are more to come.

  Hemant Misra

  Excellent book - eagerly awaiting next instalment by this author. A must must read for anyone interested in other cultures.

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