Avishi: Warrior Queen from the Rig Veda- Saiswaroopa Iyer

Book: Avishi: Warrior Queen from the Rig Veda
Author: Saiswaroopa Iyer
Publisher: Bloomsbury India

Is there an unknown character from the epics that has caught your attention?

Avishi: Warrior Queen from the Rig Veda by Saiswaroopa Iyer explores the story of a relatively less known character. Brought up in the pristine forest school of Naimisha, Avishi reaches the republic of Ashtagani in search of her destiny. When Khela, the oppressive king of the neighboring Vrishabhavati, begins to overwhelm and invade Ashtagani, Avishi rises to protect her settlement but at a high cost. Separated from her love, her settlement broken, with a brutal injury needing an amputation of her leg, what can Avishi do to save herself? Will her disability let her continue to be the warrior that she was? Can she fight Khela and save everything dear to her?

The book is an excellent recollection of the story of a character from the epics that is not mentioned in detail. A very well researched story, the author has used her storytelling skills to fill in the gaps nicely to create a seamless narrative. The story of the coming of age of a warrior who overcomes the hurdles of the society, and physical constraints to rise to the occasion is told in an engaging manner. The plot moves smoothly and presents with the reader with a storyline that amazes with its simplicity yet there is a subtle complexity to the story as it is told. Saiswaroopa’s way of highlighting aspects of a story that stay with you until the very end. Secondly, the research that has gone into the story is evident and while it is primarily a fictional story, the mythological references are well woven into the plot. The climax, I felt, could have been better sketched, specially with the point she wants to put across. Another thing that didn’t work for me was that the story felt long and there were parts that seemed to be a bit stretched out, and personally, I think that a shorter version of events could have worked in some places.

The characters in the story are well crafted, and despite having diverse set of characters, the focus is not just on the titular character, but also on the other characters which have a direct bearing on the actions of that character. Be it Gautam, or Jatila, or Satya, each of them get their time in the plot and the character arc is nicely developed. Another interesting aspect of the character development in the story is that while she takes the inspiration from the epics, she gives them her personal touch to make them an authentic part of the plot.

Overall, the impression that the book gives that it is a very well researched story of a woman who braves all odds to rise to the occasion. The book scores a 4.25/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon here.