KING’S FAll
Author- Aditya Wig
Publisher- Penguin, Rs299
For a debut book, Aditya Wig manages to create a fine balance between what is real and illusionary. Revolving around different worlds, King's Fall is an interesting tale with various unique characters, writes ASTHA JOSHI
Aditya Wig’s debut King’s Fall is a fine amalgamation of fantasy which brings together the two polar worlds of Jambu and Dandakaranya, enmeshing in themselves the lives of its characters. Majorly revolving around the protagonist brothers, Arjuna and Karna, the novel weaves together the lives of normal people with those of supernatural/semi-human ones. Wig’s work is an interesting tale of warring kingdoms and warlords sprinkled with the sudden appearances (as well as disappearances) of sorcerers and sorceresses who indulge in both good and evil.
The narrative moves deftly between the two worlds of the ‘real’ Jambu and the ‘mystical’ Dandakaranya temples. Whereas the former houses numerous kingdoms with their own individual rulers who come to loggerheads at irregular intervals; the latter is the abode of men and women possessing powers whereby they become involved in the life of Jambu. Wig creates a life-like geographical world made up of the kingdoms of Morya and Magadha, among a few others. The relationships between these kingdoms is fraught with complexities ranging from attacking each other’s territories as well as forbidden marital relationships among their younger generations.
Three hundred years in to the Kali Yuga, the emperors of these kingdoms come together to shield their land Jambu from the invincible warlord of Yavanna, Sikander. The novel thus unfolds the acquaintances formed and disrupted between different royal households as they strategise and implement ways of securing peace in their kingdoms. As an interesting narrative mode, the author allows us a sneak-peak into the hearts and minds of the characters. Even though on the outside they speak in perfect accordance with their particular positions in life, what goes on silently in their minds make them real and relatable. Wig brings to life both the aspects of his characters: The outer personalities as well as the inner turmoil of a usual human. Of the many human and supernatural entities of the novel, the two which stand on the threshold of both worlds are those of Karna and Meera. The former is the younger brother of the king of Morya, Arjuna. The latter, Meera, is the princess of Magadha whose grandfather had been the cause of Karna’s parents’ untimely and brutal end. Despite this implicit hostility between the two empires, Karna and Meera spend years together at the Dandakaranya Temple to be adept in magic.
living in the temple under the guidance of lord Kashi and Janki who tutor them in the arts of the other world, the two become close friends and learn more than just magic. Their sudden transfer from the secure world of the temple into the active life of their respective kingdoms unfolds the tale in all its fullness. Whereas Karna is called upon to serve in the name of his elder brother Arjuna who goes off to war; princess Meera is forced to a svayamvar much against her wishes. The novel gives the readers a look from close quarters at the life of royalty at the same time bringing forth the extremely mundane and regular elements of lives of the royal houses. Meera and Karna are guided in their journey of adulthood by the sorcerer lord Kashi who easily enters and exits their minds at various moments of conflict. The character of lord Kashi in certain ways is the meeting point of the magical and the mundane. His presence close to his students acts as protective shadow when the latter find themselves in the midst of complicated personal, familial and political issues.
Evil and virtuous are juxtaposed not only in the physical world of Jambu but also in the supernatural realm. Whereas the two centuries old Kashi and three centuries old Janaki guide Karna and Meera in the ethical use of what Arjuna calls ‘mystical mumbo jumbo’, there are also evil spirits like sorceress Chandra and her evil brother sorcerer Kautilya who seem hell bent on creating havoc in the lives of the Jambu inhabitants. Whereas the aged Kashi and Janki take upon themselves to deal with the evil siblings, the young friends Karna and Meera try hard to make sense of and take control till a certain extent of the course their respective lives take. Karna is forced to take on the kingly duties in the absence of his elder brother and finds himself caught between his suppressed feelings for princess Meera, the pain of having lost his parents and trying to fathom the intricate workings of the kingdoms.
The princess on the other hand fails to initially make sense of the hurried arrangements of her swayamvar and then to her dismay finds out that even her marriage is a political step taken by her father to further consolidate his kingdom. It becomes obvious to a level that the lives of the yet innocent Meera and Karna get enmeshed in the politics of the royal life much against their liking. Their feelings for each other, to which at times even they both seem oblivious form an interesting backdrop to their otherwise seeming struggle of making sense of the rapidly changing mystical and physical environment. But it is not only in the characters of Meera and Karna that we find a heart touching sensitivity. We find the great warrior Arjuna feeling dejected even after emerging victorious in the bloody battle. His talk with the Buddhist monk towards the end of the novel reflects his need to find peace within himself and outside beneath all the rubble and massacre of the war.
The war seems not to have ended still as Arjuna imagines Bharam and Vakush still defending parts of Morya from the ever approaching Yavanna force. And even after sorceress Chandra offers Arjuna to join forces to rule the entire world, he refuses her as better sense prevails over him and he finds himself still in the middle of the war ground. To say that even though having tasted victory in war, Arjuna rightfully understands the futility of bloodshed but finds no way out from such a grim scenario. Refusing to join forces with Chandra to earn complete control of the world, he seems to emerge with a better sensibility and a clearer understanding of the world.
Even in his first piece, Wig well manages to create a fine balance between the real and the illusionary making King’s Fall an interesting tale.
The reviewer is a PhD Research Scholar in Contemporary Indian literature, DU