The act of concealing truth in Sanskrit is called "Aavarana" while the act of projecting lies is known as "vikshepa". The 2007 Kannada novel "Aavarana" by S.L. Bhyrappa, recently translated into English by Sandeep Balakrishna, therefore, is one of the few revolutionary novels that deals with an explosive storyline in times where political correctness dominates the public discourse. Aavarana is a compelling read, mainly due to its raw appeal that hits readers at appropriate places like a jolt.Aavarana's agenda is to restore truth, at all costs. In more ways than one, the book is like an eye-opener which shatters many of our conceived notions that we have been fed with school history textbooks. The debate of truth vs lies has been explored in detail while the objective of the book largely looks like an attempt to restore balance and also to expose historians who distort it by creating the myth that Islamic rulers were tolerant and deny that there were mass temple destruction. Aavarana does not show any sympathy to reader and is more like an assault on the reader with very thought-provoking and compelling arguments that make a reader think. Perhaps, that is where the literary merit of the book lies. Lastly, there is absolutely no doubt that such a gem of a book would have been limited to one state had it not been for the brilliant efforts of Sandeep Balakrishna. Hence, the book is a must read for anyone with some basic understanding of common sense and balance who would like to know the extent to which lies have been fed in the name of history in India. My mom got me this book and said it's an interesting one and one that created lot of debates.Honestly I had to skip few pages in the beginning coz the reality was too harsh to bear - but I caught up and now conclude that this is a great read with lot of facts for backup. The perception is thought provoking and encourages discussions (which could very well turn to arguments coz you'll find several not agreeing with the facts or conclusions here)Would look for more from the author.
What do You think about Aavarana (ಆವರಣ) (2007)?
I love Shri SL Bhyrappa books. I want read this book..
—polkadot
bhyrappa obba uttama baravanigakara i love his books
—Rebecca
