Beyond the Credence by Manhar Sharma
Publisher: Rumour Books India
Pages: 84
Price: Rs. 199 INR(Paperback), Rs. 49 INR (Kindle Edition)
ASIN: B084V73LPD
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2UfxsVB
Apeksha — young, confident, meritorious, with a liberal upbringing — is on the verge of finishing her schooling from one of the best institutes in Delhi. She wants to explore a career in the Vedas and ancient Indian literature. But, her father, a strict, high-ranking official in a Bank does not want his daughter to ruin her future. Nupur, her sister, and her friend Vikas, support her, but can’t do so all the time. But Apeksha is not the one to give up so easily, and finds ways to pursue her dreams without informing anybody initially. But with the time for her college admission drawing near, she is in a huge dilemma. She does not want to disappoint her father, yet doesn’t want to give up on her dreams. Will her conviction and hard work pay off to make some miracle happen?
About the author:
Manhar Sharma is an Software Engineer, blogger and known mythologist. Manhar has worked with some of the top MNCs like Microsoft in his IT career and holds a master’s degree in Computer Science. Manhar has a strong passion for Vedic literature and has spent a decade studying books on Indian scriptures. Manhar lives in Noida and can be reached at manharsharma@gmail.com.
My take on the book:
Apeksha wants to pursue further education in Vedic literature after passing out of school. Her decision is obviously a shock to her father and her sister, who are broad minded and liberal in their daily life but are not convinced about Apeksha’s decision about her future studies and career. Her friend Vikas though not completely convinced about her still supports as much as possible. But how far will Apeksha be able to fulfill her dream, which is unlike what 99% of people around her are aspiring forms rest of the story.
The basic theme of the book is unique as it is very rare in current times to see youngsters even aware of what Vedas are and what Vedic literature is. To imagine a story around a protagonist enthusiastic to learn Vedas is a fresh premise and risky attempt by the author. The author captures the reality of how there are not even a handful of institutes to teach Vedic literature and how girls are never taught Vedas or not expected in these schools. The society and people over the years even forgot the significance and importance of Vedic literature that anyone planning to learn these ancient scriptures are considered an aberration by their own family and friends, which is the important message conveyed by the author.
However, the author falters in effectively articulating this message in a book as the narration is slow and takes time to engage the reader. With better editing, the story could have been more engrossing as the author takes a lot of pages initially to get started with actual story. If you want to read about a different story and would not mind the slow narration, then pick this one.
My rating:
3/5.