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An epic triumph that shows epics need not only be read but can still be written.

Vishnupuram is an epic, that presents a slice of life, in this vibrant ancient culture, at any point in time. It's not a book one just reads, but a magnificent vision - Dharisanam, to use the author's lingo - of a long lost glorious past and a not-so-different present, and even future, all rolled into one. It'll most certainly show a mirror to the reader at some random page, which will shake the being so hard that one has to remind oneself that it's an imaginary tale in a book. Or is it a tale within a tale, which is a million tales mixed in the blender of history, resulting in a delightful yet perplexing epic tale, that makes one wonder if it's possible to roam around the ruins of Vishnupuram... and discover oneself, as a replica of a being that lived along the shores hit by reddish waves of sona and longed to know something, that we're still trying to know. It's a leap of faith that questions all kinds of faiths. It's an exploration that digs up amazing aspects of this once-great nation from the ruins of a magnificent mythical city, which may very well be relevant for a current national mission such as SkillIndia. It's a rueful reflection of why we are what we are and why we may never be what we aspire to be. It's a potent reminder of the possibility of Pralaya (ultimate natural destruction of everything in existence) that humans will unleash upon themselves, if we repeatedly use history (and pre-history) as a mere reference to a laundry list of events on a linear time line and fail to learn the life lesson 'what goes around, comes around' in the Kala Chakra (wheel of time). It's a rude awakening for the seekers of Truth (of the spiritual kind) that all the scriptures that are supposed to guide one along the path to realisation are quite possibly some other human being's subjective interpretation of something s/he may've simply heard / learned from some other human being. It's an assurance to aspiring authors (yours truly included) that one can dare to explore unchartered terrains in the vast literary space, without being worried about who will like or dislike the outcome, which could turn out to be a genre by itself.
If all the aforesaid are a bit overwhelming, simply go ahead and read Vishnupuram, keeping aside all your preconceived notions about anything. You'll be a different person (if and) when you complete it. It's that good. Pranam to Jeyamohan.