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The Banyan Tree

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Kautilya, a teenager, is traveling alone through the dark jungles of ancient India. Suddenly he comes across a Banyan Tree that he is inexplicably drawn to.

Soon, he finds himself as Amit, an ordinary high-schooler in a present-day small town in the US. As Amit deals with the seemingly urgent decisions to be made for college and a career, flashes of memories of being Kautilya in a past life keep pulling him in. Some of the people he meets, he seems to have met before as Kautilya.

In his journey he comes across plans that can change history and also the present world as we know it. He faces the internal battle of realisation of his powers and using them for greater good.

As he struggles to understand and return to the life he knew and loved, Amit is confronted with much larger questions - who is he really? Where is he in time? Does his quest have a larger meaning?

In an enthralling journey across centuries, continents and lifetimes, the mystical journey of self-discovery becomes a race to save our future. Will he succeed?

134 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2022

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3 people want to read

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Prince Raj.
535 reviews23 followers
September 11, 2022
History has so many mystery in itself or Can I say the vice - versa.
The Banayan tree book is combination of Mystery and History.

Starting with the cover, it is showing the perfect composition as compare to it's title and content.

Now comes the story line so it is a short novel and fast pace story. The story will take you from the Maharaja's Kindom time to the present time.

I like the way author has described the old Indian kindom time and the scenes from that time. That actually have one more message that civilization has removed the forests and destroy the nature which was not done in ancient times. So I really like the message conveying by the author with the mysterious story.

Kautilya is our protagonist in this but is this his real name and identity? To solve the mystery about his own identity and to solve the time dimensions mystery. Read this book.
Profile Image for Sunshine.
244 reviews9 followers
September 5, 2022
I went in this book blind, and I ended up absolutely loving this book.

Through an extremely short and quick read, this book takes us on a journey tangled through centuries. This book is based on the belief that a soul never dies. A soul is traveling in different bodies through different centuries, and the owner of the body in which the soul resides is confused about the flashbacks he keeps having. And thus begin our story.

A prefect combination of modern world and mythology, made this book an amazing read. The transitions in the book were perfect. Not for a single minute did it feel boring or slow. Everything was to the point and kept the interest building throughout.
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I loved the reveal in the last chapter. Reading the epilogue made me feel more books in this series are on its way, and I am waiting to read them.
Profile Image for Readwithmadhu.
507 reviews23 followers
September 4, 2022
During some or the other point of time in our life, we may have come across situations wherein we might have pondered about how different the world that we live in from many years now on would be.

There are numerous predictions that are being made about what the future would hold for us, just how varied and completely distinct the overall atmosphere will be, and we often find ourselves closing our eyes and imagining us in another era.

For our main protagonist from the story, ‘The Banyan Tree’ by author Vinay Chakravarthy, this wish seems to come true when he finds himself transported in another setting within a blink of an eye.

The story begins with the introduction of Kautilya, who was strong armed by his father to travel down the lonely roads in order to fulfill a task for his family, wherein he meets an old woman.

Getting a rather strange request from the stranger, Kautilya agrees to help her, which sets him to embark on a journey which will be the one he would never have anticipated.

In a time where there are so many novels out there on mundane topics, this was such a fresh and unique topic that the author has attempted to narrate.

I really liked the rationale behind the portals and the Guardian of Time concept, as well as the exploration journey of our main lead to find answers to so many questions brewing. Hence I am going to give this FIVE STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for noorthebookworm .
820 reviews23 followers
September 5, 2022
Vinay Chakravarthy's
THE BANYAN TREE

📖Kautilya, a teenager, is traveling alone through the dark jungles of ancient India. Suddenly he comes across a Banyan Tree that he is inexplicably drawn to.

Soon, he finds himself as Amit, an ordinary high-schooler in a present-day small town in the US. As Amit deals with the seemingly urgent decisions to be made for college and a career, flashes of memories of being Kautilya in a past life keep pulling him in. Some of the people he meets, he seems to have met before as Kautilya.

As he struggles to understand and return to the life he knew and loved, Amit is confronted with much larger questions - who is he really? Where is he in time? Does his quest have a larger meaning?

In an enthralling journey across centuries, continents and lifetimes, the mystical journey of self-discovery becomes a race to save our future. Will he succeed?
___
🙋🏻
18 chapters, 115 pages.

"a tale that begins like a Chandamama story and then goes on to explore themes of life and death, birth and rebirth."

Wow what a story..it was full of surprises. The Banyan tree on the cover reminded me of Vikram & Betal & other stories i had heard as a child about huge, old trees & about "things" living on them. We were warned not to go near the tree especially during noon or late evenings.

As the story began, i felt it was a similar horror, supernatural kindof story but.. but but..i was totally awed by what followed. Spirituality & wisdom, wisdom of life & death, of body & soul.

A soul is a traveller who changes a body like one changes clothes. It's timeless. I have heard stories of rebirth, of people claiming to remember their previous birth. The story says a rare few are capable of remembering or revisiting their previous birth and Rishi munis or sadhus used to achieve this power through deep meditation, something called awakening or enlightenment. Their is also mention of portals which help in these transitions.

The story is also about fight of good v/s evil & left me enchanted & nostalgic.
Profile Image for Nilofar Yasmin.
375 reviews3 followers
September 10, 2022
"Your soul can be a part of this vehicle that is your body in this time, but have been part of another vehicle in another time. Irrespective of the vehicle the soul is the same.”
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India, as a country boasts of numerous historic events since time immemorial. The magic, mythologies and kingdoms made the country worth exploring. On one such ancient event, Kautilya was travelling through the dark forest. He happens to come across a giant Banyan Tree and decided to rest for a while. It is strange for him to meet a wrinkly old lady alone at this hour of time and place. And life isn't the same anymore for him. Everything turned to be a blurry series of illusion and reality, who knows.
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As I started the book, I find it extremely intriguing from the very first line. Since it spoken about the ancient country and the related happenings. But soon, when the story replaced Kautilya with Amit, it become a lot more of dragging. But again within few pages, it picked the initial pace of engaging the readers with its thought provoking contents.
They say, the soul is immortal while the body is of mortal entity. The soul only needs to change this mortal being to continue with the vitality. The story of Amit and Kautilya is based on the similar theme where the author tried to inculcate some deep philosophical lesson on us. The narration was beginner friendly. One needed to be extra alert with the switching of timelines and place. The characters were made to play their roles with extreme wittiness. Each one had their own unique individuality and their fare share. The role of the book title was justifiably expressed in the story. An equal mixture of ancient and modern India, the book is definitely going to make you understand their lives and the attainment of life's purpose too.
209 reviews3 followers
September 26, 2022
The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them. A beautiful soul has no other merit than its own existence.
The main protagonist of the book is
Kautilya. The story starts with him, a teenager , who was compelled by his father to go to a neighbouring town to execute a trade transaction in Kosala. On the way he found an old woman under the Banyan tree. The unexpected part starts here , the story takes a twist and something unexpected happens which keeps you hooked with the book till the end.
Kautilya thought of helping her, while helping her, he climbs the tree but slips and awakens in the body of Amit, a soul of a teenager who is travelling for centuries and now in the present day in the body of Kautilya. Ain't it something unusual and unexpected.
So now what happened?
Not remembering his past life, Kautilya started to trouble his meditation teacher, who was trying to help him.
Some people believe that we go on living in another body after death, that we lived before. They call it reincarnation. That we all lived before on the earth thousands of years ago or on some other planet. They say we have forgotten it. Some say they remember their past lives. Based on the Hindu mythology of past life and with some twist and interesting plot, the book will be an interesting read.
To know more about it just go and grab the book guys. It's really Amazing.
I definitely recommend this book.
The cover page is nice. The title is opt .
Happy reading.
Profile Image for Ruchi Patel.
1,154 reviews93 followers
August 29, 2022

The title seemed unique so I picked it up. It’s a short read that can be read in few hours hence I will keep my reviews short to avoid spoilers. This is a story in India. Not modern or ancient India but when there used to be multiple kingdoms. It was tough to cross across the kingdom. This is the story of Kautilya. Kautilya had been chosen against his wishes to complete the transaction, exchanging their rubies for diamonds because his family members are successful doing that. One day when he was traveling, he came across a banyan tree that caught his attention. Something strange happened and he found him self as Amit. He found everything unusual. Like language and everything. He felt like floating out of his body. Amit is an ordinary high-schooler in a present-day small town in the US. He was 18 and his college application would start soon. Read the book to unfold further as further discussion will lead to spoilers. I loved the story. When the banyan tree incident happened, I was shocked and flipping through the pages fast as I was excited to read more. The narration style of the author is captivating. I liked the major twists. The language of the book is lucid so that everyone can read it. Overall good one. I enjoyed reading it.
Profile Image for  Dr.Naveen Kumar.
336 reviews6 followers
September 2, 2022
“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
Albert Einstein .
This very quote in the book sums up the whole story .It is a story weaved through centuries giving the protagonist a choice to use his gift for greater good.
The story starts with kautilya , a teenager in ancient India who is forced to go to a neighbouring town of Kosala by his father to finalise his trade transaction with another trader.Outside town , he finds a very old woman under The banyan tree.While trying to help her to fetch down her bundle , he climbs the tree but slips and awakens in the body of Amit ,another teenager , in present day .Amit /kautilya becomes baffled as dim memory of the past life continue to trouble him.Mr kailash , his meditation teacher tries to help him and Kautilya /Amit continues to jump from one body to another giving him a question to ponder like who is he? whether time is all illusion.Does all this has a larger meaning ?
The book , is based on a hindu thought that we all have past lives.The author has used idea to mix it with remembering and living in past lives and present by using meditation and other techniques.certainly the idea is good but it could have been executed with more fineness.
Profile Image for S.Readss.
553 reviews13 followers
September 1, 2022
This is such an interesting take on the infusion of the ancient and modern world. The plot is quite unique, I have not read anything like this ever before. It starts with Kautilya, a teenager, travelling alone through the dark jungles of ancient India. He comes across a Banyan Tree that he is inexplicably drawn towards.

Then suddenly, he finds himself as Amit, an ordinary high-schooler in a present-day small town in the US. Amit deals with the flashes of memories of being Kautilya in a past life. He faces the internal battle of realisation of his powers and using them for greater good.
As he struggles to understand and return to the life he knew and loved, Amit is confronted with much larger questions - who is he really? Where is he in time? Does his quest have a larger meaning?

Well, the book juggles between the present and the past. Many characters play an important role in Amit's life and his journey towards the ultimate truth. The book is fast paced and I was hooked from the very start. The end is quite good and I was satisfied with it. My character of Amit and even Mr Kailesh is very nicely portrayed. Overall, this is a good one-time read.
Profile Image for Dharmendra.
345 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2022
Title: The Banyan Tree
Author: Vinay Chakravarthy

Review:

“The Banyan Tree” by Vinay Chakravarthy is an absolutely riveting and intriguing work of fiction that takes readers on a monumental ride to two different worlds full of surprises and ensemble of characters that gives readers a wonderful reading experience.

Sprawled over one hundred and thirty four pages, it captures the unusual story of Kautilya whose endeavour to help an old lady transports him to a new world with a new identity of Amit. The pale watermark of Kautilya still haunts Amit in unusual ways. The battle between his past and present leads him towards his true identity and purpose. Amidst puzzles and mysteries how will he facilitate a change in the world? To know more grab a copy of 'The Banyan Tree’ and know the mystery of Banyan tree and its impact on the life of Kautilya.

Overall, written in a simple and lucid language with strong characters and engrossing plot, “The Banyan Tree” is an absolutely fascinating and refreshing read that enthuses readers and keeps them hooked till the end. A perfect read for Sunday afternoon!

Would recommend it to everyone!

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Asma.
595 reviews4 followers
September 1, 2022
The title is somewhat confusing and it triggers the readers to dig deep in wondering what could actually lt means. The book has some gothic elements into it as well as some traditional folks which are continuing since our ancestors time period.

Banyan tree is known as the shelter of ghosts. People says the untouched used to roam around the tree and the tale is still relevant in today's era too no one ever asked is it to shoo away children from climbing the tree or is there any shelter for such

Coming to the character kautilya was trying to help a old lady who wanted her belongings which were on the third branch of a Banyan tree . But how come a old lady can put her things there? Well tht isn't just a tree as soon as kautilya climbed he found himself into the body of 18 years old boy Amit . Is he hallucinating or thts really happening?...thts for the readers to find out

I guess I had given enough spoiler. It's an interesting short read . Go get yourself a mug of hot coffee and indulge into the life changing journey of kautilya.
Profile Image for Periwinkle  Wisteria .
407 reviews12 followers
September 4, 2022
A very simple title yet an interesting blurb, because of which I was really drawn to this book. The cover is sober yet intriguing and that made me wonder what lay beneath. Before I was aware, I found myself delving into the depths of this story.
It's a short read, but an engaging one, spanning across centuries, continents and lifetimes.
‌A teenager, Kautilya, comes across a Banyan Tree while walking through deep jungles of ancient India. He's very much drawn to the tree and soon he finds himself as an ordinary school boy in the US, Amit. Memories of him as Kautilya keeps flashing before him and some of his encounters with people seems familiar with his past life. Welcome aboard on a journey of self realisation, self discovery and the quest for greater good.

The theme is unique and the plot is intricately woven. The unexpected twists and turns kept me glued to the book till the end. The narration is quite engaging. The language is simple and lucid. The writing style is good.

Overall I liked this book.
Profile Image for Mohini Shukla.
431 reviews4 followers
September 2, 2022
Time travelling concept always fantasized me. Being a curious human it is difficult for me to not read something related ancient times and modern time difference and time travelling. Why I am talking about this because in this book I enjoyed reading that.
This book actually gave me vibe of Ancient India which used to have kindoms and small small villages were formed in between forests. This story will take your from Ancient dense forest to present day USA. The lead character Amit will find amused by all the events happening in his life and did not understand anything. Will he ever be able to understand what he is feeling and why this is happening to him? To know more about this awesome story read this 100 pages book and give your curiosity a full stop.

**loved the concept of the book. I found this book bit similar to the Anime Movie "Your Name". If anyone has watched that movie and loved that then this is a perfect pick to read on weekends.
119 reviews1 follower
September 3, 2022
This book reminds me of the Kdrama named "Mr Queen" where a modern chef suddenly becomes trapped inside the body of a queen from the Joseon era, which causes chaos for everyone involved. Something similar happens(actually oposite) to Kautilya in this book. One day Kautilya, a teenager was traveling across the India (in ancient time) and suddenly a woman under BANYAN TREE catches his attention. He goes near the tree but he slips and soon he finds himself in the body of Amit ( in present time in USA)

What's happening with him, what will happen with him? Will the world discover something extraordinary through this?

Seems intriguing? Then you gotta read this book. Well time travelling concept never disappoint.

It gives the ancient time's vibes. Where used to be a king's kingdom, small villages, so much greenery, their dressing style and everything about them will be in fromt of your eyes and you will find yourself traveling yourself with Kautilya.
Profile Image for Rubin Arif.
192 reviews3 followers
September 9, 2022
Banyan Tree Review -

According to Hindu Mythology Banyan tree one of the holy tree which is worshioed by devotees and due to it's huge size, in ancient times Sadhus used to meditate under the Banyan tree. In old time, People used to take afternoon nap under this tree, women used to worship this tree, even now the days also these things we can see. So what's new here in this book.

This book will take you to one mystery journey which will go round and round by the banyan tree. The storyline is having narrative in both ancient time and present time but the twist is - in both times one person found himself confused or sandwiched between two different era.
To find out how a same person can be in two different era and what is the significant role of the Banyan tree in all these mystery, read this book.
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