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.
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