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| About the book | |
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Author |
Manreet Sodhi Someshwar |
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Picture of the Author |
 |
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ISBN |
9789381626139 |
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Price [INR] |
250.00 |
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Pages |
192 |
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Main Plot given |
Mughal scholar Mehrunisa Khosa stumbles on a conspiracy to destroy the Taj Mahal when she discovers the murder of the Taj supervisor, and the Quranic calligraphy on the tomb of Queen Mumtaz altered to suggest a Hindu origin of the Taj Mahal.That urban legend had always existed. Now, though, someone was conspiring to make it come true.In the case of the famed marble monument, all was not on the surface. A vast labyrinth ran underneath closed to visitors where Mehrunisa was trapped once. In a series of suspenseful twists and turns, the action traverses from the serene splendour of Taj Mahal to the virulent warrens of Taj Ganj, from intrigue-laden corridors of Delhi to snowy Himalayan hideoutsAs a right-wing Hindu party ratchets up its communal agenda and Islamic militants plot a terror attack, in the dark corners of his devious mind a behrupiya, a shapeshifter, is conniving to divide the nation in two. To save the Taj Mahal, Mehrunisa must overcome a prejudiced police and battle her inner demons as she sifts the multiple strands that lead to the conspirator. |
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No. of Characters |
Heroine: Mehrunisa Khosa, a diverse person from birth. Half Indian cum Persian. She is alos a Mughal scholar. ( how much I wish I could be that). She think she herself is reflection of mixed culture and heritage. She accidently finds a dead body , which is next to Mumtaz cenotaph, and also finds the calligraphy altered, which says, Taj has a Hindu origin. She is also a part of the crime investigation happening around there. To save the Taj Mahal, Mehrunnisa must overcome a prejudiced police and battle her inner demons as she sifts the multiple strands that lead to the conspirator.Shri Kripalaniwho heads the Hindutva revivalist party, a politician. Hindu party ratchets up its communal agenda and Islamic militants plot a terror attack, in the dark corners of his devious mind a behrupiya, a shapeshifter, is conniving to divide the nation in twoProfessor Kaul, an expert in Mughal art and architecture, mehrunisa’s grandfather.SSP Raghav and R.P. Singh : CBI and police officer, who investigates the case. |
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Tone of writing is |
Straight and simple |
| My take on the book | |
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Do I recommend the book? |
Yes, for one time reading, and history lovers. |
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The reasons I liked the book |
> The author is adept at sketching interesting characters and keeps the proceedings gripping with a twists and turns at regular intervals.> author merges history, crime and contemporary Indian politics. It’s a perfect gel with the story line.> At times the details given in the book, makes us also question the origin of TAJ, the details are yet to confirmed, but changed the perspective of the monument, it is just opposite to what I studied as part of Mughal architecture. Manreet has put in years of research to come up with accurate facts of the Taj Mahal. The facts are inspiring. There are so many quotes from Mahabharata. For me it is just not a book, but there so much of research done on each explanation, and it is evident.>The narrative is gripping with lots of twist. I liked the way the characters of Mehrunisa and cops SSP Raghav and R.P Singh are etched, their dedication to find the conspirator behind this evil plan to destroy India’s most famous monument.( you get the patriotic feel)
>its a strong female protagonists write up. |
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On the other hand |
> The book is a Indian mystery, at times reminded you of the “Da vinci code”, talks around the famous “ Taj”, our nations pride.> The climax – although tense – is a major letdown. It’s a pity that a story with such unambitious and believable build-up, melted into a disappointment.my rating: 2.5/5. |
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