Samsara by Saksham Garg, a debut novel, is centered around the Rig Veda where the modern world meets ancient Indian culture & traditions. The story, plot, world-building in this book is so fresh and original that it made this book a page turner. As the book progressed, many new characters (students/teachers/etc) were introduced which made it difficult to keep a tab on after a point. I personally wasn’t able to relate/connect to half of them. But given that the next part is to be followed soon, I am guessing that they might have their own share of story going ahead.
Moving on, the book specifically stood out after I finished ~60% of it. Without giving any spoilers, the book somehow offered a very different perspective. Samsara is more than just a mystical or a magical adventure. It talks about something greater.
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It makes one question the idea of God, the idea of living this life, it makes you question the creation, traditions and religions. For instance, since when did we start using ‘religion’ as a tool to validate violence and killing around the world? When did we start using the ‘God’ to validate inhumanities?
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This was a game changer for me. The book clicked for me when this perspective was forced in.
The last 70 pages were a game changer and a tear-jerker for me. Few characters felt more personal than ever. A part of me is still at Vanyasa with Aman, Idhika, and Prithivi among others souls.
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Aman Chandra, the protagonist, had a good character development from living a depressing life to living a life no one would have imagined. He had come a long way since the beginning of the book. One thing I liked about his character development is how it never felt unrealistic… the transition from one life setting to another was smooth, which is a challenging thing to do.
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As I finished reading the book, a certain type of calmness drew over. I still have many questions about characters, plots, etc, but am only hoping that the second part answers them all. I already am looking forward to read the next part of this series!