Chanakya's Chant

Around 340 BC, a young Brahmin, scarred by the brutal killing of his father, swears to take revenge. Hardened and ruthless, he becomes a master strategist in the ancient land of Bharat. He helps unite a divided kingdom against the army of Alexander the Great and sets Chandragupta on the throne of the Mauryan empire. Later, having grown bored of kingmaking, he withdraws to write a treatise on statecraft. Two and a half thousand years later, the same mind returns in the body of a teacher in a small Indian town, who quietly pulls the strings of powerful figures. Modern India, like the ancient one, is torn by class conflict, corruption and rival politics, and this teacher finds plenty to work with. The novel is a historical thriller of manipulation and political intrigue, asking whether such a figure can once again help forge a united nation.