Mohini: The Enchantress-Anuja Chandramouli

Book: Mohini-The Enchantress
Author: Anuja Chandramouli
Publisher: Rupa Publications

Do you believe that there is an untold side to every story?

Mohini: The Enchantress tells us the story of the fabled Mohini, who was distilled from the essence of Vishnu himself, like never before. The story journeys from various fables and mythological stories told from her perspective as things happened, that tell us a different side of the Gods we revere. The book explores the story of Samudramanthan and the events that led to it, and what happened after that. Mohini gets to tell her side of the story, and as we wind up, we see how an enchantress gets enchanted and brings forth a god that’s revered by all.

The story of the book is brilliantly told from a perspective that only a few would have known. The stories are commonly told tales, but Anuja has taken them to a completely new level as she gives voice to the characters who had been lost to time and storytellers. She has brought forth a characters that had been pushed into oblivion. The tale is predominantly female-oriented as well as a focus is on gender fluidity and the idea of sexual freedom of an individual. The underlying message in the story was that of being true to oneself which would be one’s liberation. The theme of forbidden love is explored in more ways than one. The author has also taken up the idea of women empowerment through the stories and how exploitation of women has occurred through the ages. In the last story of Ayyappa, Anuja has also brought up the taboo that the third gender faces in our community, and how that is a part of our culture since ages. The climax of the book was amazing and unexpected that tied the complete story with a bow.

Coming to the characters, while Mohini is the central character and we see events from her perspective, each of the other characters, be it the Trimurtis, Shastha, or Chandra, stand on their own. Anuja has painstakingly given an individuality to each character that is in no manner compromised by Mohini’s storytelling. The characters are prominent ones that have featured in multiple tales, yet the way they have been created and the way in which they live a life of their own is commendable. The character arc of Mohini from a celestial being, an enchantress to a mother and feeling emotions is a great one that is inspiring. The one thing that stands out is the powerful feminine characters that bring out a fact that these tales were always overshadowed by their masculine counterparts, and the freedom to express themselves was never there.

The language of the book deserves a special mention as this is one of the most eloquently written books I have ever come across, as it added more than a few words to my vocabulary.

Overall, the book was truly enchanting, and it takes away 4.90/5 from me.

Grab your copy of the book here.