Press Release

7th century India. An ageing Chalukya ruler. A young, vengeful Pallava king. The war between the two is imminent. Who will win?

HarperCollins India is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of

NANDI’S CHARGE: The Battle of Vathapi Book 1

by  Arun Krishnan

 

 

Paperback | 544 pp | Rs 499

Available wherever books are sold | Releasing 16 November 2023

 

‘Written with meticulous attention to detail, Nandi’s Charge is a compelling story that also doubles up as a delightful history lesson.’ – Ashwin Sanghi, bestselling author

‘A rarity to begin with—is fast-paced and evocative. It will leave you hankering for more. Cannot wait for the next two editions of this trilogy.’ – Anand Ranganathan, author and scientist

‘Well-researched and well-told, with a keen sense of the churn in India then, a story familiar in Tamil renderings now comes alive through Arun Krishnan’s pen.’ – Bibek Debroy

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK

 

An ageing Chalukya ruler. A young, vengeful Pallava king. The war between the two is imminent. Who will win?

Seventh-century India. The young Pallava king Narasimhavarman I promises his dying father that he will avenge the humiliating defeat inflicted upon their clan by the Chalukyas nearly a decade ago. Three valiant Pallava captains embark on a quest to form strategic alliances and weaken Chalukyan allies—the Pandyas, Gangas and the Lankan forces—before their fateful encounter in Vathapi. But there are obstacles aplenty in their way.

From central Lanka to Ujjain, the determined trio faces unexpected twists, dastardly plots, cunning spies and treachery and deceit at every turn. Blazing battles are fought, shocking secrets are revealed—and love blooms even amidst the chaos. Will the Pallava warriors succeed in their mission? Will Narasimhavarman fulfil his oath?

With its captivating drama and rich detailing of a glorious period of India’s history, Nandi’s Charge, the first book of an enthralling trilogy, is an irresistible page-turner.

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Talking about the book, Arun Krishnan says ‘I wanted to tell the stories that no one knows about. A story set in 7th century CE South India between two great kingdoms seemed ripe for the picking.’

Ridhima Kumar, Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins India adds ‘‘The book is well researched, gripping and fast-paced. Its captivating plot and characters keep you hooked until the last page. The majestic storytelling is reminiscent of the narratives found in Rajamouli’s Bahubali and Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan. It’s a pulse-pounding historical saga that leaves you craving more.’

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Dr Arun Krishnan has studied and lived in different cities across India, USA, Singapore and Japan, before putting down roots in Bangalore. He started off with a degree in engineering and a doctorate, and went on to work in sectors like IT, high performance computing, bioinformatics, computational biology and HR analytics. He has worked at various corporations, research institutes and also in academia as an Assistant Professor of Computational Biology. And then, just to shake things up, Arun went for an MBA and turned entrepreneur. He is a polyglot and is conversant in Tamil, English, Hindi, Bengali, Japanese and Kannada. He loves to sing and plays the guitar, keyboard and percussion instruments. He is also an amateur historian and enjoys visiting historical places. While he has over fifty articles published in journals, conferences and book chapters, this is his first work of fiction.

 

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For review copies, interviews, excerpts or more information, please write to: sohela.singh@harpercollins.co.in

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