Book Review: Bharat by Vineet Aggarwal

Arabs called us Hindustani. Due to geography, British called us Indians. But how did we identify ourselves? From Kashmir of Rishi Kashyap to Kanyakumari, from modern day Afghanistan to Manipur in the East we had one identity: Bhartiya. The tale behind this identity is not known by many. Dr Vineet Aggarwal’s Bharat is all about it.

Bharat tells the tale of not only Raja Bharat but also of Shakuntala and Dushyant, the king of Hastinapur. Moreover, this book gives the glimpse of stories of Vishwamitra, Parshuram and Raja Harishchandra. Bharat portrays the culture of the land we now know as Bharat. Earlier, it was known by various other names but still has one identity as a nation as told by Rohitdwa (Son of Harishchandra and King of Ayodhya at the time).

The story begins with Shakuntala already suffering from the abandonment of his parents Bhramrishi Vishwamitra and Meneka living with his adoptive father Maharishi Kanav. The story is divided into three parts. Beginning its journey from the love story of Dushyant and Shankuntala, his betrayal, Shankuntala reconciliation with her parents and Dushyant’s realization of his sin and reconciliation with Shakuntala and his son Sarvadaman (later named Bharat), it moves through life of Sarvadaman in his Kingdom of Hastinapur his schooling by his grandfather Vishwamitra to be the King of Hastinapur and finally how Bharat acquired the throne. Bharat was the most respected and powerful king who formed an alliance with the forces of Hastinapur. This step gave rise to the name, Bharat which included all the kingdoms.

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Bharat is book which tells the tale of our nation, its mistake, its journey. Every chapter takes you in a ride provoking you and the same time leaving you satisfied as you reach the ending of this book. The tale sticks to its main plot but beautifully engages you in sub-plot with lots of questions in your mind. The writer hides some facts, may be due to their irrelevance to the story but I felt were needed for the clarity.

Overall, this book is one of the best reads for a lazy reader like me. The storytelling is so compelling that I couldn’t take a break from it . After a long time, I found a book that played like a movie in my head with worthy enough scenes to give me chills.

This book is great for anyone who wants to know about the Bhartiya ithihassa and culture.

About the Author: Dr Vineet Aggarwal

Dr. Vineet Aggarwal born in a family of doctors moved into pharmaceutical management after joining his family occupation for a while is also a writer and a travel photographer. This is his third book after Bhramrishi Vishwamitra and Bhagwan Parshuraam.

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