Chanakya's Chant, Bharat Series 2

Witty, engaging, meticulous, comprehensive, extremely detailed, vividly described and thrillingly engaging on every page.Chanakya’s real secrets unleashed if you read it few times.

“Chanakya’s Chant” by Ashwin Sanghi is an enthralling read that seamlessly weaves together two timelines, blending ancient history with modern-day political intrigue. The plot is fascinating, offering readers a gripping journey through the cunning and strategic mind of Chanakya, while also exploring the parallels in a contemporary setting.The historical context and the clever intertwining of past and present make for an intriguing and thought-provoking narrative. However, the literary quality of the book is fairly average. The writing style, while functional, lacks the depth and polish that might elevate the story to its full potential.Despite this, Sanghi’s ability to craft a compelling and immersive plot makes “Chanakya’s Chant” a worthwhile read for anyone interested in historical fiction and political strategy. A solid 4 out of 5 stars for an engaging and enjoyable story.

This was my first time reading an Ashwin Sanghi book. I had a choice between Krishna Key and this one and I picked up this book because I was aware of Chankya's witty moves. Was curious how Chankya strategy was being interpreted in the current day world. I normally read the first chapter of the book and tend to get an idea of whats the book all about. In case of Chanakya's Chants, there are two stories, hence two opening chapters, so after reading Chapter 1 on Chanakya's story set 2300 yrs ago, I came across another story. What intrigued me is the connection between the two stories, and how each and every present day event was inspired from past strategic moves. I particularly like the format jumping from past to present in alternating chapters. In some cases it was a bit confusing because you tend to forget present day characters and their role, but Ashwin has beautiful tied in the chapters and you don’t have to wait to think whats coming next.The fast paced, thriller gets you immediately hooked on from the first chapter itself, it take you to a high and never ever lets it fall. This present day politics as depicted in the book reminds me of hind movie Raajneeti, not in terms of story but the brutal politics that is played in India. If some producer director has not noticed the potential in this story, they probably haven’t understood what Indian audiences like to see. This could definitely be a big contrast to the mindless so called action packed movies currently on.Finally, I really enjoyed the well timed punches and witty quotes added by the author to define the character and thought process of Chanakya and Gangasagar. One of my favourites include "Politicians are like diapers, they need to be changed often and for the same reasons". Ashwin – you now have a new fan, and I am now going for your other books. Please keep writing and help present day generations get a better interpretation of India's glorious past leaders and strategists.

About Amazon Service:I got a good discount and the book was delivered within 3 days of booking. However, maybe the good discount was offset by the quality of the book appearance-the quality of paper was quite poor, and was yellowish in colour- either due to poor quality paper or because of lying in the warehouse for too long. Maybe thats why they say "Cheap is not always good"...About the story: Well, this is the 1st time I have read a book of such genre from an Indian authour in recent time.The story starts off as interesting. The on and off time travel for the two interlinked stories seems quite interesting in the beginning, but may confuse the reader later as more and more characters are introduced.This story has the essential material and content to be converted into a Bollywood thriller.

I used to read many books from Mr. Yendamuri Veerendranath - Author from South and every fictional book was written after through research, it was it very interesting and gripping. After gap of long time, reading the good reviews of this book in Amazon, decided to read this book.Firstly, a good delivery in good packed condition by Amazon, without damage to any pages/ cover.This is unique idea of the author which compares the strategies of the Chankya in making the Chandragupta as Emperor and the methods of Vidyasagar in Modern day, making the Slum girl, Prime Minister of India.We all know about the chanakya's story (which of course still fascinates us) but the author has made the Modern day story of Vidyasagar is also very interesting. Author has done good research and i must say it has got lot of twists and turns resulting in a gripping story.I recommend this book for a read and finally reason for one star is less is that with my past reading history of the author which i mentioned earlier, probably my expectations are high.This book is not the one which will not make you skip your dinner or waking up entire night in order to complete the book, which i have experienced earlier. Nevertheless, it is good book to read.

Writing any book on ancient India is hard enough. The richness of her history would leave the author in a quandary as to what to include and what to omit. Add to that the difficulty of weaving in a credible story line and the issue is further compounded. On top of this, include a parallel mirroring story-line of modern India and you have your work cut out for you. Ashwin not only manages to do all the 3 above, but does it so effortlessly, you almost believe that this an autobiography and not a work of fiction. Each page and story-line grips the reader. For those who say the story-line about modern Indian politics is too contrived, it really isn't. Modern Indian politics is very much the game of roulette portrayed in the story.Iam a huge fan of Indian historical fiction, mostly because there are so few credible works on the subject. This one was an incredible treat. This was my first Ashwin Sanghi book, and I look very much forward to reading the rest of his work.If the author himself is reading this review (as unlikely as it may be) please find yourself a new editor. The book could have been edited better in far too many places to mention here.However it does not take away from Ashwin Sanghi's ability to give the reader a visual insight into India's rich and incredible past. Who knew that the Indian empire once stretched from Tajikistan to Bangladesh? Or that Magadha had the most powerful military on earth?This book is indeed a treat to the senses.

Such a wonderful book, I think everyone who is interested in politics and intriguing stories should definitely read this

Dictionary would be really handy with this book.

Pacey, flowing political thriller loosely based on the Great Chanakya. Excellent for anyone interested in Indian politics, Macchiavelli, Yes Minister and so many more themes that are meshed together in this book.

This book reads like a 12 year old's first attempt at writing fiction. The plot set in modern times misses a key element of its parallel set in 300 BCE: an overarching higher purpose. The modern day Chanakya is basically a glorified thug, willing to stoop to the deepest levels of depravity, all to make his protégé the prime minister. Unlike the mighty Chandragupta, this prime minister is always beholden to the interests of corrupt networks of bureaucrats, businessfolk, and her coalition partners. There is no greater principle. There are no higher goals. There is no bigger picture.The plot set in 300 BC is only slightly better. The book leaves one with the impression that this marginal difference in quality is owed, not to the author's literary skills, but to the brilliant popular accounts of Chanakya's life.Both plots are paper thin and do not withstand the slightest application of common sense. Even the plot of a cheap 1990s Indian movie presents more formidable obstacles to its protagonists than this book. Many of the dialogues are straight up rip-offs from "yes minister" and "yes prime minister". The sheer number of anachronisms and anatopisms in the ~300 BCE plot insults any sensible reader's intelligence. The language is intolerably crass and crude and the prose is interspersed with verbiage about irrelevant nonsense which neither advances the plot nor adds literary value. This book is an insult to the legendary Chanakya.EDIT: How can I forget to mention that all scams follow the same idiotic template.