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Shubha Vilas's Blog

June 23, 2017

Article on my book "The Chronicles of Hanuman" on Times of India

If you think Shubha Vilas's The Chronicles of Hanuman is just another religion-ingraining weapon, then you are sorely mistaken. The novel is an account of the Hindu monkey god's conception, his birth, his many adventures, and his might, in the most delightful manner.

The author builds up the story of Hanuman in a lucid narrative full of mythical anecdotes that trace the mighty Maruti's journey across the earth and the godly realms. Attaining the shape of a bildungsroman, the novel projects the monkey god in both his agony and ecstasy. The book is divided into several distinct chapters, that culminate to provide a proper explanation of Hanuman's power and his deeds, thereby establishing him as one the most powerful yet grounded gods.

There are chapters dedicated to the oral dissemination of folklore that gave birth to the several Hanuman temples across the country, thereby making the book "a reader's delight." The Chronicles of Hanuman not only illustrates the Pavan Putra's exceeding strength and intelligence, but also brings the readers, especially the younger ones, closer to the Indian folkloric culture and brings to notice the fantastical magic embedded in mythology.
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Published on June 23, 2017 19:46

April 1, 2017

March 11, 2017

The Chronicles of Hanuman Review on Chevus Read

Shubha Vilas is really a wordsmith. His last book I read was self-help book Open Eyed Meditation which took a permanent place in my favourite book list. His 'The Chronicles of Hanuman", a wonderful collection of tales, could be a perfect gift for any age person. Author has magnificently bundled wit-wisdom & adventure filled stories of Hanuman with deep messages.

Blurb of the book

Lord Hanuman, the Monkey God and one of the most fascinating characters in the Ramayana, personifies the true superhero-philosopher. He is Lord Rama’s most trusted ally who embodies the virtues of a sincere devotee, the fearless fighter who sets the city of Lanka ablaze with his burning tail, the humble messenger who informs Mother Sita of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the noble fellow warrior who uproots Dronagiri, a mountain of herbs, to save Lakshmana’s life. Above all, he is a perfect blend of intelligence and humility. The Chronicles of Hanuman, an engaging and inspiring bildungsroman of the Monkey God, is also replete with interesting folk tales, local lore about Hanuman temples across India and Hanuman prayers, making this book a reader’s delight.

Well it is a collection of short stories, so I won't be able to brief about stories individually. The author has made sure to divide short stories into four sections.

Stories from Ramayana. These stories are taken from either Valamiki or Tulsi Ramayana. It's not complete Ramayana, but a collection of stories (in chronological order) where Hanuman's role or presence made difference.
Folklore from various culture of Indian states. These stories are from different ages, starting from Ramayana to Mogul times.
This part has covered famous Hanuman temples in India. It also tells story behind these temples.
The last part covers lines from various Hindu religious literature and explains meaning of each line. At last, Hanuman Chalisa with proper meaning of each stanza was given.

The best thing was the learning provided at the end of each story. Each line is candidate for a good motivational quote. Author Shubha Vilas know very well how to maintain readers interest while delivering a message. Pace of the book is smooth and fast enough to finish book in one sitting.

Talking about ratings.

Cover - 3.5 / 5
Characters - 5 / 5 (How can I judge character of Ramayana?)
Content - 3.5 / 5 (I was expecting more)
Overall - 3.75 / 5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads
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Published on March 11, 2017 19:38 • Tags: hanuman, review, thechronicles

Open Eyed Meditation Review on Chevu's Read

Author Shubha Vilas has personally sent me copy of "Open-Eyed Meditations - Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life" in exchange of unbiased review. I had mixed feelings on receiving the book, because from my past experience I have observed that if I take self-help book, there are less than 50% chance that I would be able to finish a it. But first 3 chapters of this book made me love the book. And to my surprise I finished it in 3-4 sittings.

Blurb of the book

Open-eyed Meditations is a beautiful compilation of thoughts wherein each meditation takes you on a journey to the past, bringing a secret herb to heal a problem of the present.
A true distillation of ancient wisdom tips for modern lives, this unique self-help book uses the wisdom of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to solve your everyday problems.
Beyond the storyline, something deeper is waiting to be discovered from these ancient texts. This book is an attempt to uncover the hidden layer of wealth that is cleverly packaged within the commonly known storylines.

Author has wonderfully divided thought provoking content into 64 small chapters, you can say 64 valuable diamonds. Every chapter starts with simplest but deep questions, those questions are followed by combinations of lines of explanations and example from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. At the end of every chapter author has kept summary of the chapter, even summary contains examples used in chapter.

The amazing thing about the book is the way author has put forward his ideas. He has made sure to put a limit of 4-5 pages per chapters to keep reader interested. In each chapter author has put examples at regular interval, to keep tempo up all the time. I didn't find a low / boring phase in book, which is very common in self help book. You can easily find a wonderful line or quote in each page of this book.

We all knew stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata but author knows how to combine them with a value system and fed it to readers' thought process. One should read this book every year. And as author has correctly said in introduction one should chew each and every word of these book like cow to digest its content's depth.

Talking about ratings.

Cover - 4 / 5
Language - 4 / 5 (For any age group)
Concept - 5 / 5
Content - 5 / 5
Overall - 5 / 5

Book can be found at - Amazon & Flipkart
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads
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Published on March 11, 2017 19:35 • Tags: openeyedmeditation, review

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