The Sacred Sword By Hindol Sengupta
The Sacred Sword, and that sword ensured that no one could ever dare to think about annihilating the religion whose foundation was laid by Guru Nanak in the mid 15th century. A must-read book.
For the article you can visit the website-https://dontbignorant.in/the-sacred-s... Hindol Sengupta Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs has fascinated me. But, unfortunately this biographical novel does him great injustice. There are no insights, and no depth at all in this Puran style book.
Hard to believe it has been written by Hindol Sengupta and published by Penguin. Hindol Sengupta Thank you Penguin Random House India for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary - The Sacred Sword chronicles the rise of Guru Gobind Singh, a Sikh warrior to be reckoned with. At the prime age of 9 years, Gobind Rai's childhood came crashing down when his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was assassinated by the Mughals. In order to restore the Sikh faith in the minds of thousands of people, Gobind assumes the position of guru and begins to train villagers. He builds the Khalsa, a group of extraordinary warriors who mirror the values of Sikhism and fight to defend its honor. Despite all of his successes, the northern kings underestimate his power, plotting with Emperor Aurangzeb to defeat the guru. But they too learn by experience, what it is to cross Guru Gobind Singh. Hindol Sengupta's novel merges history and fiction to create an empowering tale.
Review - Historical fiction is one of my all time favourite genres. I have never read anything by Hindol Sengupta, so this one was a pleasant surprise. Even though the author forewarns us that there's a good mixture of fiction in the novel, I found myself rooted to the spot with all of the events I was learning about. I have never been exposed to stories about the Sikh community. And I felt like this book was great in conveying their values, mannerisms and other sensibilities. The fact that their sayings or proverbial phrases were even translated in English was a wonderful addition. You get to understand their religious texts and their perspective about God. Naturally, religion is a major theme in this novel. It poses quite a few questions about the clashing of two religions. In light of their outlook, you find yourself evaluating certain perspectives of yours. Further, the novel also explores elements like war, blind faith etc.
The writing style is refreshing and vivid. For a majority of the novel, I was so inspired by the portrayal of Guru Gobind Singh that I could almost imagine myself as a character in the story. Aurangzeb's depiction did him no good. I wanted to punch him every time his narcissistic persona made an appearance. The battle scenarios were invigorating to say the least. All those who aren't familiar with Hindi or Punjabi terms, fear not; there's a sizable glossary at the end. While the story reflects Guru Gobind Singh's expertise, we are not made privy to how he became so well versed. I would have liked to know about his upbringing and training. That would have made the story more realistic. Some of the poetry included is truly splendid. I really enjoyed reading The Sacred Sword because it was a worthy history lesson devoid of the monotony of textbooks. It is told from the point of view of Gobind and that makes it more special. If you enjoy historical fictions, PICK UP this novel.
What do you get out of it? Invaluable lessons about loyalty, bravery, the Sikh faith and the tyranny of the Mughals. Overall, a good update on Indian history. Hindol Sengupta Throughout my study of Indian history, vide standard text books, I have come across very few references to the Sikhs. One, Guru Nanak as a thinker of the Bhakti era. Two, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign. Other than this, the rich and inspiring history of the Sikh Gurus is all but absent from mainstream history. Hindol Da's book is a historical fiction, it is by no accounts an academic work. But this page turner (finished it in effectively one sitting) will have great appeal to the lay reader, particularly to younger readers & will help introduce readers to a fascinating facet of the nation's history. Hindol Sengupta For someone who lacks an idea about Sikh History, it is a simple and straight forward biography of the 10th Sikh Guru. Without downplaying Aurangzeb's cruelty, it highlights the courage and bravery of the Sikhs in refusing to convert and fighting for what they believed in, including the young children of Guru Gobind Singh.
The Book is a good place to begin with but definitely not recommended for those who have read/ are aware of the Sikh history! Hindol Sengupta
‘We are warriors, Painda. The Khalsa does not think of war as entertainment; death is not a joke, killing men is no festival,’ said Gobind. A boy grows up, suddenly, into adulthood when he is brought the severed head of his father. He is born to rule but never acts like a monarch. Invincible as a warrior, he has the soul of a mystic. Poetry fills his heart. Few men before or after him have used a bow as he does, few men mastered their sword like him. Guru Gobind Singh turned villagers into warriors, sent shivers up the spine of the army of Aurangzeb and set the foundation stone of the great Sikh empire. The Sacred Sword is a historical fiction based on his life and legend. The Sacred Sword
The story of the founder of Sikhism needs more volume and content. It certainly does not require mere embellishments.
Book is too short and only key stories are presented and that too are rushed through. The book although is enjoyable read. Hindol Sengupta Thrilling, with a lot of action.
I chose this rating because it tells us about the struggle of Guru Gobind Singh Ji without a Father. He formed the Khalsa and fought against the Mughal king wazir khan. He was almost killed by the filthy dogs of wazir khan.
Hindol Sengupta It's a nice book, shades ample light on all the historical events correctly, in exact order of their occurrence.
But I don't know why it is categorized as fiction, all of the events author wrote are factually true, and everybody in north India knows about them . Hindol Sengupta Detailed Review - https://www.anureviews.com/the-sacred... Hindol Sengupta A good quick read to know the story of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs... and how their religion got formed.. Hindol Sengupta
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