#513 - Chanakya : The Master of Statecraft

by Deepa Agarwal

“Chanakya : The Master of Statecraft” by Deepa Agarwal. Published by Penguin. A riveting story of the legendary pioneer in the fields of political science and economics from ancient India who continues to be a source of inspiration to this day.

The  story starts at Pataliputra around the year 330 BCE. The learned Brahmin Vishnugupta Chanakya walks into the court of the arrogant Nanda King Dhana Nanda of the mighty Magadha empire. He is expecting to be honoured by the king for his wisdom and scholarly knowledge but gets humiliated instead in front of everyone present in the public gathering. He immediately swears revenge by taking a vow that he will not tie his hair until he manages to unseat him from the throne of Magadha leaving everyone stunned. While Chanakya’s temper was his biggest weakness, strategy planning was his biggest strength.

Escaping from the mighty army of the Magadha empire, Chanakya escapes to Takshashila where he is a much respected teacher. Determined to fulfil his vow, he sets out to gather an army and find a person to groom as the future king of Magadha. To his providential luck, he stumbles upon an extraordinary boy of unknown origins being raised by a hunter in a village and propels him into becoming a king in future. Read the mesmerising story to know how Chanakya not only fulfils his vow but also manages to make the empire the strongest in the region which could not be confronted even by someone like Alexander the Great.

The story of the enigmatic personality that was Chanakya left me and my 9.5 year old  son spellbound. It was hard to believe that this was not fiction. Chanakya rose from humble origins to become one of the most powerful and well known people in Indian history. It was amazing to know his story and lesser known facts about him as we read the narrative. Each chapter was peppered with snippets at the end presenting the related historical facts and sources. At no point did the narrative drag. Constant action with brilliant strategies being improvised at every step were the key highlights of the story.

The book gave us a fabulous glimpse into the intriguing world of Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya filled with luck, cunning, ruthlessness, intelligence, determination and resilience. My son was already familiar with some of the events and characters having come across them in the book “Chandragupta Maurya and the Greek Onslaught” that we had read earlier. Our current read is “The Arthashastra for Children” which is the latest book by the same author. We are also watching the old serial from the 90s on Chanakya and cherishing the experience.

PS - Another book based in the Mauryan empire that we have enjoyed reading is “A Mauryan Adventure”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 10 and above.