Describing Indian readers as ideal for fantasy novels since they are bred on mythologies which are full of extraordinary things, Vadhan says, “I am not just talking about Ramayan and Mahabharat. If you take Garuda Purana, it lists out the thousands of hells for different kinds of sins committed by us. Strip it down to its bare minimum and it is nothing more than a list of all the evil we are capable of. That forms a great baseline for a fantasy story,” he states.
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Queen, the legendary music band, said it with their song, Its a kind of magic.
When I see all the magic around me, I wonder why we are so blind to it as a species. We are part of the cosmic dust. Everything on Earth is because of the Sun, from the fossil fuel we use to build our great machines of peace and war to the carrots and roses we grow in our gardens. The Earth has a magnetic field to repel external threat and an ozone layer to protect us from the very Sun that gives us life. The Sun’s Heliosphere or the solar wind, encompasses our entire solar system to repel external threat like intergalactic debris. Without it, we’d be long gone. The space debris we get in spite of the solar wind is only a tiny, minuscule portion of the intergalactic traffic.
Yet, it all hangs in delicate balance. Astrophysicists say the sphere is diminishing, leaving the solar system open to attack.
The sun’s rays on our skin gives us vitamin D. Yet, too much of the ultra violet rays will give us skin cancer. The sun gives us light, particles, everything we need to sustain life. Yet, a solar flare or a solar storm can toast the planet.
We are cocooned within the warmth and life giving embrace of our sun which is already in its mid life. One day, it will grow in size, the hydrogen in its core will burn out the helium and it will turn into a white dwarf because its too small a star to go supernova. Then, our Sun will slowly fade away and disappear into the night of space, reduced to the size of a moon. It will burn this world down before it dies. But that could be five to six billion years away.
Astrophysicists say that by then, we’d have left the planet. They reckon that we are already on our way to Jupiter and Pluto and seeing far into deep space.
Considering that we are seriously into space exploration only for the last fifty years, in billions of years, we would have spread out. If we last that long.
And yet, here we are today, basking in the Sun’s golden glory, able to enjoy the fruits of its labour, living a miracle, definitely seeing things our ancestors did not see and escaping the fate of this world a few billion years from now.
Are we enjoying this magic? Are we even aware of it? Have we not taken it for granted? Aren’t we worried about pesky little things instead of wondering, even for a moment, how it all came to be? And more importantly, how it will all turn out? Here’s what makes me jump out of bed in the morning, what’s the next chapter like? The cosmic story spins on, a never ending saga.
Wow! Its a kind of magic! Love, Vadhan
When Agni First Spoke
Author: Vadhan
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Book Blurb:
Many years ago, an extraordinary cripple disappeared from a remote village, ending a time of terror. Not many knew that he gave his life to confine a malevolence, the Sutram, to its subterranean womb or that in doing so, he had prevented the apocalypse. Deep beneath the Earth the evil has lurked, fraying its shackles and plotting its escape, all the while gathering immeasurable power. Until now. When ace lawyer, Raghuram Surya, received an order of requisition from the Government of India for his ancestral castle, he was unaware of the Sutram beneath it or his own legacy. He will have to choose between the world’s end or his own. Before long, the lawyer takes on India’s most powerful politician, Kiromal, a man utterly obsessed with power. Kiromal and his sinister Tantric advisor intend to use the evil beneath…
I saw the first Jack Reacher movie, One Shot, in which a part of Jack Reacher came to life. From the knees down. No one knows what happened to the rest of him. I walked out of the movie hall thinking I did something wrong. Something sacrilegious. Something insulting to the memory of Jack Reacher and Lee Child. Then they announced a second Jack Reacher movie with the same guy playing the evergreen hero.
I swallowed. I blanched. I wriggled. I puckered my face. I puked too. Then, like all good Indians I accepted it. I even took the effort to go see the movie. And promptly went to sleep.
Tom Cruise has a problem in life. He needs medical attention. In this old age, he think’s he’s six feet four inches. Someone must tell him he is not. He is four feet six inches…or thereabouts. He thinks he is intelligent and gritty, he’s not. He looks absurd trying to tell people twice his size and 1/3rd his age how he’s going to break them up. Importantly, I think he’s got something against Lee Child that he’s covering up with oodles of royalty.
My verdict: Are you kidding me?
Bloomsbury Publications First Fantasy Fiction By An Indian Author
Author Ashwin Sanghi, launched Author Vadhan 2ndfictional Novel AGNIPUTR – When Agni first Spoke. The book is Bloomsbury Publications (Publisher of the Harry Potter Series) first fantasy fiction by an Indian Author.
AGNIPUTR is a fusion of Indian mythology and quantum science. Set in present day India, the book’s significant attribute is its emotional connect with its readers on many levels, whether it is politics, fantasy, science, independence, freedom, second chances, sacrifices and even law.
While releasing the Book, Ashwin Sanghi India’s No. 1 historical / mythological thriller writer said “ I am delighted to be launching Vadhan’s novel Agniputr at PILF. I am sure that Vadhan’s imagination and storytelling will appeal to a wide audience.”
Audience at the launch, were given an introduction to the book through…
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Another amazing review. Thrilled!
The things that people do to get attention sometimes truly stumps me. Tom gets hired by a top notch firm. Tom wants to create a brand for himself. Tom spends the firm’s money to position himself as the firm’s face. He attends summits and conferences. The firm pays enough for Tom to be up there with the panelists and speakers. Tom’s ex-employee from a previous firm bumps into a friend at the event where Tom is part of a discussion group. A panel. The following is the exchange of emails between the two after the event.
Hi B, It was great catching up with you in Kolkata. Had a wonderful time. I learned a lot of things about compliance from your ex-boss. I would have learned more if only he had made an effort to complete at least one sentence coherently. His highly motivational question to the panel on competition law based on tourist taxis in Manali having fixed rates for driving tourists down to different places, which drove a member of the audience to commit suicide using a shoe lace as a noose, was the flash point. No one would have failed to appreciate the predicament of the hapless panelists, who, in a flash, inherited pounding headaches and bulging eyes upon hearing the query. Their agonized plea to your ex-boss to kindly and forthwith change his holiday destination was, in my humble opinion, the highlight of the summit. I must say I did not understand why he insisted that compliance managers must paint walls wearing two coats. It was beyond me. Tc, A
The reply to that email.
Dear A, It was wonderful catching up with you.
To set your mind at ease, That was an attempt by Tom at a joke which goes something like-compliance managers wear two coats while painting because it says ‘apply two coats’ on the paint box instructions. It is supposedly to prove that compliance managers take compliance literally rather than understanding the spirit of the thing. I do remember that someone from the rear of the hall threatened to turn into a serial killer and/ or suicide bomber if Tom was allowed to utter another word. In fact several outraged compliance managers tore their shirts and started to froth ferociously from the mouth while one such desperate manager flashed to the nearest high court and returned with a gag order. Tom was not asked to express his views on the subject of compliance thereafter by the moderator, who, in my opinion, wanted to get out of the place alive.
Anyway, imagine, I worked under Tom for two years before they put me in a hospital for a breakdown. If you had noticed, he was wary of me. This is because I levitated about fifteen feet from my bed with lightening crackling down my nose when Tom paid me a visit at the hospital. I threatened him with fire and brimstone if he were ever inclined to get close to me.
I am fine now.
We’ll catch up sometime soon.
Tc. B
I was in a seminar recently in New Delhi. A conglomeration of lawyers, bureaucrats, law students and academicians
I wasn’t a speaker. I was happy to be part of a dynamic audience. To me, the highlight of the event was the panel discussion of academicians on how to improve legal education. It was an important discussion with very candid revelations by the younger head honchos of top private law schools and national law schools.
The points discussed were pretty interesting. Two of the three speakers started out with apologies with one speaker calling himself a hypocrite. The brief of their speeches is as follows.
India has the largest number of law schools in the world followed by Brazil and Russia.
Except for a handful of law schools, the others across the country are hardly equipped to train lawyers for 21st century India.
This is because the Bar Council of India has grown old without growing up.
The Bar Council of India is not proactive in recognizing new disciplines in law that need to incorporated into legal studies.
The balance between teaching law and teaching skill sets needs to be brought in.
Professors of law are not allowed to practice law, their license is cancelled the moment they take up a teaching profession, thus they are unaware of the practical on-the-ground experience of lawyers. Students don’t get insight into practical implications of law.
Lawyers of big law firms are not interested in investing too much time taking up guest lectures.
A lot of other theories were promulgated.
However, at the end of the day, I, as a lawyer, was very dissatisfied with the outlook of the heads of the premier law schools, except for one. Here’s why.
They were not owning up to their own deficiencies. They were too keen on pointing fingers at the establishment. While practically, they might be facing issues, it is incumbent upon them to create an awareness of the needs and requirements of the modern day law student to the establishment.
Let’s be clear about this, by its very nature, an establishment is a sloth. That doesn’t mean a college that takes millions of rupees every year from a student should not improve its lot or offer the student a wider exposure in terms of what the student can choose to do while sticking to the curriculum dictated by the establishment. For instance, Clinical law. Environmental law. Compliance management. Contract Management. Sports law.
I will now tell you why I found that one premier college exceptional. It was because the Director of the institution owned up to his faults. He was vociferous that he was not meeting the requirements of the day. He then said that to the extent possible, he was making innovative introductions to provide students with perspectives. That’s being honest. That’s the first step forward in improving the lot of the students. But how many are doing it. In this instance, one out of four. That’s not a good average.
Another head honcho of a very expensive premier law school was lamenting on the state of teachers. He said they were a confused lot who did not know what they were teaching, why they were teaching it anyway and how to teach.
That about sums up the state of affairs.
There is a common misconception in the mind of the average Dean/ law school/ parent/ lawyer/ society that the top law schools of the country train only corporate lawyers and not litigation lawyers. They think that because students of these colleges get recruited by companies from campus and walk away the very first month after graduation ‘with more than what the Dean of a premier law school makes in a whole year’ they are ‘corporate lawyers’.
Nothing could be further away from the truth. Nothing could be more wrong about that statement. It is more than unfortunate, tragic even, that the statement was made by a well-respected Dean of a very respected and highly regarded law school in this country.
First of all, the topic is NOT ABOUT MONEY. Secondly, what in the name of heaven is a ‘corporate lawyer’?
In my view, lawyers can be segregated into two types. Litigation lawyers. Transactional lawyers. While litigation lawyers do some amount of transactional law, transactional lawyers are that breed of mavericks who look to new horizons and develop systems for societies to thrive. Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar are fine examples of transactional lawyering. They work more towards being social engineers who see a wider array of roles for lawyers than being just dispute resolvers. By that, I don’t intend all transactional lawyers to be messiahs, naysayers, peace lovers, etc. I intend them to be far more dynamic than the average litigation lawyer whose life starts and ends with dispute resolution in one form or another.
While dispute resolution is not a bad thing in itself, I detest it because in the modern day, it is a practice that feeds on the woes of others, whether they be individuals or body corporates. To me, a lawyer is about building systems and societies, not living off it in the guise of resolving disputes that arise as a result of systemic failures within society. That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be dispute resolution. What I intend is that a lawyer should be a given a choice.
Whether it is one of the many local law colleges or the premier institutions in India, no one is taught or trained to be a transactional lawyer or get to know what that term even means until its too late. They are trained to be litigators. Period. Thus, these young lawyers come into society and learn from their seniors on how to litigate. They learn their ropes, not only in law but also in handling clients. They have no clue that there is a mystical and exciting thing called transactional law. The few who ‘take a safe desk job’ as it was succinctly put by the famous Dean, are considered too weak to go to court.
I must break here to add that I was a litigator for ten years. I had the opportunity to work with the best of the best litigation lawyers in this country. I have nothing against them. I am totally against what the system makes out of a litigation lawyer. I am also pensive because litigation lawyers allow the system to mold them poorly.
To describe a litigator, He/ she is essentially a lawyer who has to do a balancing act between the needs of the client and views of the judiciary. He/ she also intends to make a living on the way. Thus, over a period of time, the litigator willbecome street smart, putting commercial and practical interests before the interests of his client.
This is clear from one simple test.
Ask a litigator if he can assure the success of the case or if his/ her fee can be based on success. The answer invariably will be in the negative to both queries. He/ she is being paid to try to win a case. TRY. Is a pilot paid to land a plane ortry to land a plane? There are very few litigators who refuse briefs and advise clients appropriately. Very few litigators. Period. I have worked with one. I have the greatest respect for them.
Ask a transactional lawyer if his solutions, whether it is audit or a legal framework or contractual negotiation or setting up a business in other geographies, will work for and add value to his client. The answer invariably will be positive. His/ her livelihood depends on the outcome of the assignment, not for trying.
Again, I don’t intend to show disrespect to a litigator. I am merely pointing out to the space that both types of lawyers occupy. I am merely trying to establish how much of a difference there is in litigation and transactional law practice. The point being that law students are totally unaware and thus unprepared to handle transactional law.
The fact that the current crop of lawyers was trained in the old school is hardly an argument because the current crop of transactional lawyers went through the excruciating pain of adapting to change. It is far more severe than the pain of getting trained to expect and anticipate change. It is far easier to go to court. But to find a path less traveled and to map it like the current crop of transactional lawyers have done, is far more exciting though painful.
However, in the words of the self-same Dean of that premier and respected law school, transactional law is nothing at all other than mere acquisition of certain skill sets. His concept of ‘corporate law’ was to say the least, bizarre. His examples astounded me, leaving me in a place between laughter and tears. According to this esteemed and learned man, IP litigation is corporate law. Contractual litigation is corporate law. He gave other such atrocious instances.
Though I desperately want to stand outside his institution and use a megaphone while saying what I am about to say, I think this forum will do just as well.
IP litigation is a property dispute. It is an asset matter. It can be in relation to an individual as well as a body corporate. Even a rent control matter is contract litigation because it arises under a contract. There is no such practice area called ‘corporate law’ unless you want to categorize the various types of laws in India. E.g. property law, labor law, corporate law, taxation law, etc.
Transactional law is different. It is not about filing cases. It is about building robust societal frameworks and systems. To create a bedrock on which there is no encouragement to litigate but to mitigate, negotiate, mediate and settle. Where lawyers adopt practices that help clients tangibly. How difficult is that to understand?
And the larger question is, if a Dean of one of the most respected law schools in India has no clue what is happening around him, what is the future of legal studies in India?
It’s the end of our days. Our reality will be shattered. The foundations of the universe are set to be destroyed.
A demon is unleashed from the underbelly of nature- To take a father from a son, Kill a mother protecting her child, Destroy a world to kill one boy, Make a lover betray her man.
Even the Gods are powerless.
Vengeance will rise, Worlds will fall, Evil will ascend… …Shatru will oppose it.
If he does not, the one person who means the world to him will die..
MY REVIEW –
Yesterday I started reading this series. Only the the first part is out in the stores now, the rest will come soon (as told by the author)
Nishtha — This story is great…I am on the sixth chapter and I just…
Sex. A wonderful word. It instigates a quickening of breath, a restlessness, an anticipation unlike any other in the world. Its not like buying your dream car or your dream house, its not like getting a promotion at work or getting an award. Those are great moments but the anticipation of a sexual encounter is a million times multiplied. Especially if it is a secretive liaison. The more you think of sex, the more you feel alive. Honestly, excitement is what everyone wants in life. A little excitement, a flirty look by a beautiful girl sets your heart souring. A smile, a perfume, all these make you want for that something more than the mundane. That friend who’s a lover, the sweet stolen kiss. These things don’t happen to everyone. For those to whom it happens, it is only with devastating long term effects on relationships. Yet, the majority of us yearn for it. We want it. We don’t have the guts to go for it or the heart to hurt our loved ones. And thus we like to read about it. The hero of the book becomes our alter ego, sometimes even the villain. (Depending on who’s having most fun!) The human mind always wants out from a mundane existence. Going the mercenary way works for a few, the rest go for a thai massage. Well, its the rule of the majority that always matters. Game of Thrones for instance as all the slutty ingredients of a depraved social order. Look at how successful the epic is. Imagine one woman wedding and bedding five men. Mahabharat is an epic. Imagine a man abducting another man’s wife. Ramayan is an epic. Sex. It makes the world go around. Yet, we wear the garb of righteousness and speak of tenets of virtue and sin. The Mahabharat and the Ramayan surely see the righteous rise out of the debris of sin. Changing social demands do question the concept of righteousness and therefore you have Ramayan being written from Sita’s point of view and Mahabharat from Draupadi’s. But I am sure that both the off shoots hinge on the sexual context. Amazing that even the ten commandments speak of what not to do. It is an advice about exception rather than the rule. We are not animals, they are not as depraved as some humans though they may be as noble as others. We are something more sometimes, and something less at other times. What we are unable to do is come to terms with what we are. We refuse to see the man in the mirror unless we see him in ‘good’ light. even the worst villain is a ‘good’ man in the mirror. That is our way. That is what self-awareness did to us. From subtle suggestions, our sexual content in books has become so explicit that for instance, in fantasy fiction, we have a sub-genre called ‘Adult fantasy’! You must read one of those books. Boy, it’ll set your heart raising. A story, at the end of the day, is something that you, as a reader, are part of without the emotional entanglement, physical hurt and mental strain that the characters go through. A story is what you would like your life to feel like. Us story tellers must understand that before we write stories for you. Thus, sex is a very important part of story telling. Hey, the world would not be what it is today if not for sex. Let’s celebrate it!
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Vadhan
Author Of Best Selling Fantasy Books
