Blurb
On an amavasya night, eight-year-old Rhea mysteriously lands at the doors of Shaktidham, a Tantric house of worship, in a trance. Realizing that she is blessed with unusual faculties, the guru of Shaktidham, Satya, chooses her as a disciple over his own son, Krishnam, to carry on his lineage, a privilege previously bestowed only to males. But the lineage has been cursed for generations, and it is up to Rhea to either break the curse or perish in the attempt.
Will she succeed in her endeavour? Will her love for Krishnam become an obstacle in her path? The Tantric Curse, an unusual story set in the world of Tantra that aims to dispel most of the myths about the practice, will keep you.
My Review
Tantra and Tantrics have always be subjected to judgement. Hearing the word Tantra, the face that will come to the minds of the readers would be that of fire, blood and sex. Anupama Garg throughout her book Tantric Curse tries to break the prejudice and show the world what Tantra and Tantric practice is really about.
The book is the story of Rhea, who enters the Tantric world through destiny at the age of eight, when she lost her parents. Shaktidham, the Tantric abode of Satya and his son Krishnam becomes Rhea’s new home. Krishnam becomes her playmate who in turn becomes her soulmate. Rhea faces the judgmental attitude of the society towards the Tantrics when she goes out to the outer world form he studies. A backstory of her friends Netra, Barkha and Neel is connected to Rhea’s life. Rhea reaches a crucial stage of life when she decides to take a break from Krishnam to attain Tantric bliss. Then we see her life in London where she is uprooted from everything that she lived with. The character of Vishnu was not fitting into the whole scenario. Will she succeed? Will she rekindle her relation with Krishnam? Will her friends’ life affect her? What is the Tantric curse she is destined to break? Tantric curse gives the answer to these questions.
The book breaks the pre set notion. The storyline has got substance. Nevertheless, the chapters are not well defined. Some chapters ends abruptly giving a feel that a portion got deleted unknowingly. Characters of Rhea, Satya and Krishnam are well crafed. Rest of the characters need thorough homework.The book stands out with a strong language. The society to tends to connect Tantra with black magic. Through the book, authoress tries to enlighten the readers with the essence of Tantra. The classes Rhea give are informative.
The climax had nothing novel to contribute to the readers. The real relevance of the title is not reflected in the book except for the climax. A build up for the same should have been done.
Verdict: A different story which needed a little more developmental edit.
About the author
Anupama Garg was born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. She has studied chemistry, business management and law. She has been training under her Guru, Baba Batuk Nathji, a renowned Tantric and head of the Bhoot Nath Charitable Trust, since the last twenty-two years. Today she conducts experiential workshops for corporates, hospitals, college and schools under the name ‘Life by Choice’. She also devotes time at the ashram of her Guru, The Bhoot Nath Ashram. Anupama is married and lives with her husband and son.
