The Krishna Key Reviewed



This is my first time reading a book authored by Ashwin Sanghi & now am eager to explore what his previous novels-The Rozabel Line & Chanakya’s Chant were about. A word of caution though-avid Dan Brown readers will definitely get that déjà vu feeling as the plot closely resembles that of Angels & Demons. There are striking similarities between the patterns of events, even the lead protagonists & yet Ashwin Sanghi does add his twists & turns to surprise you now and then. So do give this book a chance.

Whatever be the inspiration behind The Krishna Key, it is a thriller, one which gains momentum as you read on. At first the story lingers around the murders which happen one by one in a serial manner, committed by a man Taarak Vakil. Who is this young man who believes he is the final Kalki avatar of Vishnu? Has the tenth avatar of the Blue God finally descended on Earth or is this just a mad man, a serial killer? The Kalki avatar isn’t simply murdering the victims-leading symbolist & linguist Anil Varshney being the first, the murders take place in a special pattern, with the victim’s left ankle being stabbed & a special symbol being etched on their forehead. And from each such victim, a special seal of the Vedic Age is being stolen.

History Professor Ravi Mohan Saini is soon arrested for the murder of his friend Varshney. Shocked & confused, he finds the escape route via his doctoral student Priya & her father who’s a lawyer. He soon realises the 4 seals that exist must hold more value than just being historic in nature. Thus the quest begins with Saini & Priya trying to locate the rest of the seals & perhaps save the lives of those who hold it.

Characterisation is quite defined & we get an insight into why this particular person is this way. Priya as the 40 something dynamic student, Inspector Radhika Singh-the fiery woman you don’t want to mess with & Saini the history professor, a intelligent yet prone to traps are all well characterized. As for Taarak Vakil the devout follower of his guru Mata ji, he has been given only as much introduction as needed to explain his actions.

What I loved about the book is the short glimpses into the Vedic Age & the story of Mahabharata that is provided in each chapter. I’d read Mahabharata when I was a kid, all of 12. So these short snippets helped a lot in signifying why Krishna was most often mistaken to be a mere mythological figure & why his superhuman deeds were taken to be a figment of imagination. The Krishna Key delves deep into history & provides for a wonderful journey into the past that answer many question of today.

For the research he’s done & the story itself, I’d give The Krishna Key a 3/5. Some grammatical & typing errors could have been avoided. They always spoil the mood of an observant reader, don’t you think?




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Comments

suraj said…
sounds awfully like a dan brown book with an indian twist.. and a history profesor is as close it gets to a cryptologist in india so similarities to robert langdon. nicely written, i'll look for this book the next time I go to the bookstore.
rohit Iyer said…
Good stuff. I thought so too about the book. Somewhere down the reading path, it lost its charm.

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