Dashavatar with a Difference
Piyusha Vir’s Dashavatar presents the ten stories surrounding the avatars of Lord Vishnu in a modern-day, unbiased manner. Unlike many other popular retellings of mythology, Vir does not mess with the stories that we have heard from our grandmothers and cherished within the pages of Amar Chitra Katha. Instead, she narrates the stories with a fresh and unique voice.
What stood out for me was her take on how the stories fit in our contemporary society. She takes the undisputable stand that these tales are still relevant and important. While she agrees that the lessons that we take away from them could differ from individual to individual, she makes it clear that the stories will forever remain universal and relatable.
Another thing that endeared the book to me was Vir’s impartial outlook at the actions of the characters whether they were gods or demons. I love how she shatters the one-sided narrative of Sita as the subservient loyal wife. Sita was much more than that. As Vir says, ‘Sita was one feisty woman who wouldn’t let anyone treat her with disrespect.’
What is appealing about the book, apart from its gorgeous cover, is the simple writing style of the author. This book would appeal to anyone and everyone. In my house, it was my nine-year-old son who first pounced on it.
If you are a Mythology fan, this is one book you must not miss.
About the Author
Piyusha Vir is a full-time writer, some-time blogger, and part-time English Language teacher.
Her articles on various feminism related issues, have been published on various platforms like Sheroes, LBB Delhi, Readomania, Momspresso, and WomensWeb and have won her many awards, accolades and appreciation (including a Kindle and an ‘Author of the Month’ felicitation!) In 2018, she was awarded the Top 5 position in the Orange Flower Awards 2018 for the category of Writing for Social Impact. Her only credible claim as an author was with Mock, Stalk & Quarrel―a multi-author anthology of 29 satirical tales, and later an ebook of short stories, Just Another Day, published by Readomania Publishing.
Dashavatar is her second attempt at calling herself an author of a solo-authored book. After writing short stories, she is dreaming of writing a full-fledged novel which, if at all, should be out sometime within the next hundred years. When not gushing over the latest book she is reading or whining about the pile of unread books, she is found gazing out her bedroom window, day-dreaming about becoming the next JK Rowling.
