Rise of Dharma (Samrat Yudhishthira Trilogy Book 1)-Semanti Chakraborty

Book: Rise of Dharma (Samrat Yudhishthira Trilogy Book 1)
Author: Semanti Chakraborty
Publisher: Self Published

Do you believe each character in a story has a unique perspective of the story?

Rise of Dharma (Samrat Yudhishthira Trilogy Book 1) by Semanti Chakraborty tells us the story of the great epic, Mahabharata as it happened, albeit from the eyes of Yudhishthira. The book 1 of the trilogy starts from the moment the Pandavas arrive in Hastinapur after the death of Pandu and tells us the story till the point the Rajasuya yagya is conducted by Yudhishthira in Indraprastha. This is the story which has been told and retold since time immemorial through various prisms, and in this book we see it from one of the most pivotal characters.

The story of the book has been well researched, and the author has taken her time to collect the ideas from multiple sources as duly referenced in the book. since it draws itself from multiple sources, it gives an interesting perspective to the story that essentially all of us know. With Yudhishthira as the narrator, there are many scenes that gain a completely new angle in the story. Despite being a known story, Semanti has made it quite interesting and engaging. From the story of the rivalry of the two clans and the scene with Shishupala in the court of Indraprastha, each of them was amazingly written. The language is east to understand and Semanti has focused on the story, rather than use complex words and this is another charm of the story. The one thing that stood out for me was that the references were given at the end and I did check out a couple of them as well!

Semanti has given a strong character to Yudhishthira as we go through the story. it is not about copying that the scriptures say about him, but she has developed his persona in the book, which is quite commendable. She has sketched the characters of the rest of the people in as amazing manner as Yudhishthira. There is a thought process behind the actions of the characters and sometimes it is shown literally, which makes it even more interesting.   

The book gets a 4/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.