Author- Malathi Ramachandran
Publisher- Niyogi Books
Genre- Historical Fiction
Length- 279 pages
Format- Paperback
Year-2017
Rating- 4.5/5 stars
Author Malathi Ramachandran's 'The Legend of Kuldhara' is a tale of courage, sacrifice, honour and love. The story is based on a 19th century folk tale of Rajasthan which narrates the exodus of the paliwal brahmins of Eighty-four villages from Jaisalmer to save the honour of the village chieftain's daughter whom the Diwan of Jaisalmer wanted to showcase as his prized possession.
The author took the historical event and develop it further into a story which is absolutely amazing to read. The fact that it is a well-researched work is quite evident from the way the author has narrated each and every little details of the story with absolute perfection. With the mastery of her writing style and narration, author Ramachandran has recreated the 19th century's Rajasthan in such a vividly picturesque manner that one can actually visualize the events through their mind's eye. Whether it is the writing style, plot and character construction, narration or the overall presentation, everything is done in a detailed manner.
I loved the way the author has weaved the story together with the Rajasthani folk art, music and culture through local poetry, beautiful paintings and songs which gives the work a rare local flavour of its own.The description of the natural world with its variations and the way the inner conflict of the characters is manifested through the turmoil in natural world is absolutely brilliant. For instance, when at the middle of the night the protagonist Pari left the village with her family, the night sky was much more darker with clouds and no stars(symbolizes hope )could be seen anywhere in the sky which actually indicates the upcoming dark future. When the atmosphere in the story is festive the songs and the poems reflect it, similarly when the reader can sense that some danger is slowly approaching towards the character's life, one can observe its indication in the songs, poems and in the nature. I think it is this quality of the work which makes this novel truly phenomenal. Also, it is not an easy task to maintain the balance between fact and fiction particularly when someone is working on the genre of historical fiction, but the author has perfectly maintained the balance, keeping in mind all the inportant aspects and nowhere the story feels boring or overstretched.
Like her fourth novel 'Mandu', here too we find strong female protagonists like Pari and Parvati who, though emerges from the periphery of the circle of social structure, have established themselves at the center with their dedication and courage. The journey of the villagers has symbolic overtones as it also suggests the psychological journey of the protagonist from powerlessness to a powerful individual. I also liked the way the author has presented the female characters who, in the course of the novel have resurrected like the mythical bird pheonix from the ashes of their own imperfections.
In the National Education Policy 2020 released by the Ministry of Education, a great importance has been given to introducing the learners with their own native cultures, and I think literary works like the novel 'The Legends of Kuldhara' on the genre of historical fiction will definitely help the students and teachers to explore and learn about our own cultural heritage.
Overall, it was a fascinating experience. I give this book 4.5 stars and I would encourage you to go thorough this beautifully written work. It is truly worth reading.
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