Dhruv Bhatt

"THIS BOOK IS ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF TATVAMASI, THE SAHITYA ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING GUJARATI NOVEL BY DHRUV BHATT. IT IS SURE THAT ALL THOSE WHO COULD NOT READ IT IN GUJARATI WILL ENJOY READING IT. IT WILL BE DEFINITELY APPRECIATED BY ALL THOSE WHO LOVE INDIA AND ITS GREAT ANCIENT CULTURE. SHRI DHRUV BHATT HAS WRITTEN SEVEN NOVELS SO FAR. THE THEMES OF EACH OF HIS NOVELS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL NOVELS. IN ALL THIS NOVELS THERE ARE UNDERCURRENTS SUGGESTING UNEXPRESSED TENDER FEELING BETWEEN THE HERO AND THE HEROINE, BUT THERE ARE NO LOVE-STORIES AS SUCH. AND YET, ALL HIS NOVELS HOLD THE READER'S INTEREST THROUGHOUT, WITH GRIPPING STORIES WHICH ARE BEAUTIFULLY WORDED AND THOUGHT PROVOKING. SHRI DRUV BHATT ALWAYS EMPHASISES THE BASIC DECENCY AND VALUE OF LIFE, WHICH ARE FOUND IN INDIANS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AT THE GRASS LEVEL. HE ATTRIBUTES THESE COMMENDABLE PROPERTIES NOT TO ANY RELIGION BUT TO THE DEEP-ROOTED SPIRITUALITY AMONG THE PEOPLE. "

A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE EPIC MAHABHARAT, IS BHEESHMA. PRINCE DEV-VRAT IS CALLED BHEESHMA, WHEN HE TAKES THE EXTREMELY HARSH VOW, THAT HE WILL NEVER MARRY AND WILL NEVER ASCEND THE HASTINAPUR THRONE. BADLY WOUNDED IN THE WAR, HE PREFERS TO LY ON THE BED OF ARROWS, WAITING FOR THE SUN TO CROSS OVER TO THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE TO ACCEPT DEATH. KRISHNA TELLS HIM ONE NIGHT TO REMEMBER ALL THE WOMEN TO WHOM HE DID GREAT INJUSTICE. INSPITE OF REFUSING TO DO SO, HE STARTS THINKING, AND REALIZES THAT STARTING WITH HIS MOTHER THE GANGA RIVER, HE HAS BEEN UNJUST TO SATYAVATI, AMBA, AMBALIKA, AMBIKA, GANDHARI, AND DRAUPADI THIS FASCINATING NOVEL IS THE STORY OF ALL THESE LADIES AND HOW HIS STICKING TO HIS ROW AND REMAINING LOYAL TO THE THRONE OF HASTINAPUR HAS OFTEN BEEN THEREASON FOR MANY PROBLEMS AND THAT IS WHAT, ON KRISHNAS INSISTENCE OF REMEMBERING THE PAST HE REALIZES IN THE END शरपंजरी पडलेले भीष्म आपला जीवनपट पाहत आहेत. कुरुकुलासमोर आता राजगादीला वारस कोण, असा प्रश्न उभा राहिला त्या वेळी त्यांनी प्रतिज्ञा मोडण्यास दिलेला नकार... द्रौपदीला राज्यसभेत फरपटत आणलं तो प्रसंग... कौरव-पांडव युद्ध इ. प्रसंगांना त्यांची प्रतिज्ञाबद्धता कारणीभूत होती, असा आरोप त्यांच्या जवळच्याच व्यक्तींकडून त्यांच्यावर केला गेला...हे सगळं त्यांना आठवतंय... भीष्मांवरच्या या आरोपाची आणि शरशय्येवर त्यांनी केलेल्या आत्मचिंतनाची नाट्यमय गाथा आहे 'प्रतिश्रुती स्मरणयात्रा भीष्मांची.'

DHRUV BHATT IS ONE OF THE FINEST, ESTABLISHED CONTEMPORARY GUJARATI WRITERS TODAY, WHO IS ENGAGED IN FICTIONALIZING THE BASIC ENVIRONMENT ISSUES, SINCE LAST THREE DECADES, OF ECOLOGY AND TRADITIONAL WISDOM OF THE PEOPLE DWELLING IN AND AROUND WILDERNESS THAT PRESENT THE ENVIRONMENT ISSUES DISCUSSED LOCALLY AS WELL AS GLOBALLY. HIS FICTIONAL WORKS INCLUDE AGNI-KANYA, A NOVEL BASED ON DRAUPADI. SAMUDRANTIKE, A NOVEL BASED ON THE STRONG BOND BETWEEN MAN AND NATURE AND TATTVAMASI SET IN THE BACKGROUND OF NARMADA RIVER WHICH WON THE SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD....तशी सकृत्दर्शनी ही दोन भावांची-कुत्र्यांची-कथा... एक भाऊ स्वतंत्र विचारांचा... त्याचं आयुष्य एक खळाळता प्रवाह असतो; नात्यांना, विकारांना न जुमानणारा. आयुष्य समरसून पण अलिप्तपणे जगणारा... दुसरा भाऊ सरळमार्गी आयुष्य जगणारा... नातेसंबंध जपणारा; रूढी, परंपरा, नीतिनियम यांचं पालन करणारा... आध्यात्मिक विचारांचा... त्या भावांचा जन्मापासून मृत्यूपर्यंतचा प्रवास ही 'अतरापी'ची कहाणी. हे भाऊ जन्माला येणा-या जीवांचं प्रातिनिधिक रूपक आहे. ओघवत्या, रसाळ शैलीतली ही 'वेगळी' कादंबरी वाचकांना अंतर्मुख व्हायला, विचार करायला प्रवृत्त करते. सृष्टिकत्र्याच्या इच्छेने जन्म घेणारा जीव असतो परका... ति-हाईत... एक अतरापी

THE BOOK IS BASED ON LIFE OF CATTLE BREEDERS; THEY ARE CALLED MALDHARIS IN GUJARATI WHO LIVES IN GIR FOREST, WHICH IS KNOWN FOR LAST SURVIVAL OF ASIATIC LION. THE AUTHOR HAS VERY WELL DESCRIBED THE LIFE AND TRADITION OF MALDHARIS. THE WAY OF CONVERSATION, PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE AND ANIMALS, ESPECIALLY WITH LION IS THOROUGHLY DESCRIBED. THE BOOK IS A GOOD EXAMPLE TO URBAN PEOPLE, HOW THESE TRIBAL TAKING UTMOSTS CARE TO PRESERVE THIS NATURE. THE AUTHOR HAS SO AUTHENTICALLY PRESENTED THE ENTIRE NOVEL IT SEEMS YOU ARE WATCHING A MOVIE. THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE BOOK IS ABOUT SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS, LIONS AND NATURE. THE PEOPLES SEE GIR AS A LIVING ENTITY THEY TALK WITH JUNGLE, GIVES NAME TO THE HILLS. ONE OF THE BEST STORIES I LIKED AMONG THE ENTIRE BOOK IS ABOUT RAILWAY STATION MANAGER FROM SOUTH INDIA WHO STAYS AT KAASIYA NES AND CONSTRUCTS CONCRETE WATER TANK FOR LEOPARD AND OTHER ANIMALS.

"THIS BOOK IS ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF TATVAMASI, THE SAHITYA ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING GUJARATI NOVEL BY DHRUV BHATT. IT IS SURE THAT ALL THOSE WHO COULD NOT READ IT IN GUJARATI WILL ENJOY READING IT. IT WILL BE DEFINITELY APPRECIATED BY ALL THOSE WHO LOVE INDIA AND ITS GREAT ANCIENT CULTURE. SHRI DHRUV BHATT HAS WRITTEN SEVEN NOVELS SO FAR. THE THEMES OF EACH OF HIS NOVELS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL NOVELS. IN ALL THIS NOVELS THERE ARE UNDERCURRENTS SUGGESTING UNEXPRESSED TENDER FEELING BETWEEN THE HERO AND THE HEROINE, BUT THERE ARE NO LOVE-STORIES AS SUCH. AND YET, ALL HIS NOVELS HOLD THE READER'S INTEREST THROUGHOUT, WITH GRIPPING STORIES WHICH ARE BEAUTIFULLY WORDED AND THOUGHT PROVOKING. SHRI DRUV BHATT ALWAYS EMPHASISES THE BASIC DECENCY AND VALUE OF LIFE, WHICH ARE FOUND IN INDIANS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AT THE GRASS LEVEL. HE ATTRIBUTES THESE COMMENDABLE PROPERTIES NOT TO ANY RELIGION BUT TO THE DEEP-ROOTED SPIRITUALITY AMONG THE PEOPLE. "