Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels:

Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels: Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara by Anupama Jain is an enthralling retelling of tales from the Kathā-saritsāgara. One of India’s oldest classics, the Kathā-saritsāgara, is a well-known collection of stories from the 11^th century, retold in Sanskrit by Somadeva, a Brahmin Sanskrit scholar from Kashmir. The stories might be eons old, but the pearls of wisdom conveyed by them are still relevant to date.

Before I describe my reading experience, I have to mention how much I love the cover picture. I could not stop gushing over it and spent quite some time admiring it! It has a mystical appeal to it, and is intriguing and mesmerizing at the same time.

As I read the stories, I was transported to my childhood days, which were spent reading tales from Panchatantra and Chandamama. A few stories made me nostalgic as I relived the magical experience of these simple yet profound tales.

There are 41 tales in this book; with a mix of both famous and rarely known stories. In the first story, The Genesis, Anupama shares the story behind the origin of Katha Sarita Sagara. All the stories are engaging and easy to read. Most of the stories end with a moral message. The author conveys the message in a straight-forward manner, without sounding preachy at all.

Another highlight of this book is the beautiful illustrations made by the author. I especially liked the Ganesha illustration, and the author’s tribute to the Almighty is both inspiring and soothing.

Retelling of classics is always tricky. Kudos to the author, for she has done a wonderful job in not only keeping the essence of the original stories intact but also in narrating these timeless tales in a manner that the current generation of young readers can relate to them.

I highly recommend Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels: Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara to all. I am sure both the young and the young at heart will enjoy this collection.

This is my first book of 2022, and I am glad I picked up this book to begin my reading journey this year.

Wordsopedia Rating 4/5

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About the author

Anupama Jain is a writer and teacher based out of Gurgaon, India. She is the founding member of Senior School Moms and a blogger. She is the author of the novel, When Padma Bani Paula.