Jivaka by Malavika Kapur: a review

Excellent, marvelous, enriching, enlightening… I don’t think I need to say more about this piece of art by Malavika Kapur. The soothing cover art adds to the effect of the book. The whole book in itself is mesmerizing.

On the back cover- Jivaka’s fifteen year old mother, Vatsayani, seduces the scholar sage Richika to father her child,. The child becomes a disciple of Kashyapa, who is a renowned healer of children. To prove his merit, the five year old Jivaka is forced by veterans to enter the River Ganga. Jivaka emerges from the water as a great healer himself. The story connects seamlessly to a modern day Jivaka who is training to be a pediatrician. The novel attempts to bring to life childcare in ancient India- developed around the Kashyapa Samhita, the only text of Ayurvedic pediatric medicine in existence today.

 To begin with, the concept of Jivaka is something that contended me to the core. The simplicity in the description style of the authoress brings to life the characters. Enlightening facts, turns every readers interest towards the book. Ayurvedic way of childcare- not many know about this branch of science.

The book does its best to enrich people with wisdom and knowledge about the same. The way the authoress has mingled 2 lives turns the reader in a state of awe. The end to the book makes anyone want more.

The birth of Jivaka, his life, pilgrimage, adversities, how people have thought him to be just a mere mortal is what the book is about. For me, the only flaw of the book were a few spelling mistakes and the fact that the initial chapters seems a bit unnecessary. Apart from that it is a fabulous book and I would love to rate it 4 out of 5.