CHARACTERS: 4/5
WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5
CLIMAX: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5
“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.” – Mark Twain
These beautiful words written by Mark Twain very effectively summarises the greatness of our beloved country and its prodigious legacy.
Unfortunately, though, the India we live in today and the Indians we have become, have forgotten what wonderful legacy our forefathers have left us.
This book, true to its name is a small but humble step dedicated to the legacy of our beloved motherland.
“Legacy” is a story of two teenagers from rural Bihar Darshan and Anita, their life, their choices, their beliefs, their revolutions and ultimately their legacy.
Both are distraught and distressed by the decaying politics which plagues most part of the post-independence India.
Both are idealistic and visionaries and both want to change the nation, specifically their region of rural Bihar which is all the more adversely affected by the ignorant and negligent politicians.
Both set out to educate themselves by travelling extensively throughout the length and breadth of their state but unfortunately despite the irrevocable love between them, both develop separate paths – one of a healer and peacemaker and the other of an aggressive revolutionary.
So will their paths ever coincide? Will they be able to succeed in what they set out to achieve in the first place? Where will their ideals and visions lead them?
Know this and much more about the life journey of these two estranged lovers in this thought-provoking book today!
If I have to sum up the book in just one word, it will be – thought-provoking.
The book indeed makes the reader think and reflect on many aspects of our lives and history. It makes you question and seek answers often providing them later to help knowledge building and cogitation.
The author’s note at the end beautifully explains what the author had in mind while penning this book – “I found a deplorable gap in the knowledge of Indian history in our generation… history generates future, and if we forget it, we will do a great disservice to the future generation, and ourselves; thus marring the positive growth of the nation.”
After reading this wonderful work I can unquestionably state that the author has undoubtedly achieved what he intended to achieve in the first place.
“Legacy” is a beautiful blend of fiction and fact, knowledgeable and entertaining at the same time being insightful and thought-provoking.
Both the lead characters are charming and charismatic and though they lead separate paths, they are bound by one single motive – service and devotion to their nation and countrymen.
They are inspirations at their best.
The story is well developed and mostly progresses at a steady pace, switching between past and present as the plot demands. My only qualm with the book is a little lack of entertainment which might keep the hardcore action and adventure-seeking fast-paced novel lovers away from this beautiful work.
“Legacy” is an exceptional piece of work, very informative and educative in its own humble way and I recommend it to all my readers.