Book Cover

The Fantasy genre has yet not become popular amongst the Indian readers. Lack of good books in this particular genre is much responsible for this declining trend. Chakra: Chronicles of the Witch Way, a book by the famous blogger Ritu Lalit, belongs to the genre of magic realism. I picked up the book expecting a lot from it, and I wasn’t disappointed.

As I started going through the pages, I was slowly engulfed into it. I started seeing a new world, where Japas predominated. The Japas are a race so secretive that their existence is dismissed as a myth is what the back cover says, but Ritu Lalit’s style of writing is so profound that Japas became a reality for me. As much as the cover enticed me, the story bowled me over too. ‘A prayer to Mother Kundalini’ right in the beginning adds to the discourse of the book and prepares the readers for the magical tale.

As kids, we all have heard some or the other stories from our grandmothers which seem unnatural now. Ritu Lalit’s Chakra is a reminder of those stories. In fact, she herself quoted in some of her interviews, that Chakra is inspired by the stories that she used to hear as kid from her grandmother. It is therefore a timeless masterpiece.

Ritu Lalit’s knowledge and flair for writing is quite evident in the folds of this story. The magical tale taking you deep within itself creates a delusional world around you which compels you to read it till the end. It is one story that engrosses you, involves you, and entertains you, all at the same time. The story started in Rajasthan on a full moon day in the month of January. Guru Tapan, a Japa was ready to conduct a Homa to the mother goddess Kundalini whom the race of Japa worshiped as their source of power. The reason of this Homa was to maintain peace and harmony among all clans of Japa. The way Ritu Lalit personified the five elements and brought them to the fore in this tale caught my attention.

All in all Ritu Lalit has managed to present a well – knit story dealing with some of the unexplored domain. This book has left me really impressed. It’s a great work done by her. The time spent on editing is visible too. Quality, both in terms of paper and content, is wonderful and remarkable.

 *This is a Guest Review by Cliche Writer