Thenceforth, tale after tale shocks or perplexes the curious mind: How did the astute Chanakya die? Why did a talented litterateur like Gunadhya destroy thousands of verses of his own work? Would a queen exterminate her own progeny to retain power over a kingdom? What could make a king banish his own offspring forever? And who would have thought that Ashoka ‘the Great’ was not the tall, stately soldier of the comic books, but a “stunted [man], pumpkin-faced and covered in blotched, flaking skin”! A man who so revelled in cruelty that he used the descriptions of hell in Buddhist literature as a blueprint for a torture palace. The book brings together tales from all over the Indian subcontinent, from Taxila to Bengal, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and even Sri Lanka, weaving together a tapestry of passion and power, of scheming, plunder and even murder.

At first sight, such tales may not be what we would like to present to our students, especially at a younger age. ‘Chanakya-niti’ may be a common phrase in our culture, but the story of how his tactics helped Chandragupta Maurya become king is glossed over in schoolbooks and comics meant for children, and justified by painting the Nanda king decadent. Similarly, the story of Chanakya’s grandson Radhagupta and his machinations to make Ashoka king by getting rid of his own brothers (one of the tales related here) is pushed under the carpet.

The question is whether we, as teachers, want our students to learn life lessons: if yes, then these stories can serve as a great way to share insights (at middle and high school levels) into how negative emotions such as greed, jealousy, fear, anger, guilt, shame, grief and hatred lead people to behave and thus influence the course of events. Teachers can share these stories and pose a series of ‘What if?’ questions to get children to think about what they might do in such situations, and ruminate upon how the direction of history might be different with alternate choices. What’s more, we can get the children to think of current situations right from the home to the nation and thus lead up to their becoming more aware of power games, politics, and the political process.

One also comes across interesting questions on the side – does twin telepathy exist, as the story of the twin kings Hiranya and Toramana of Kashmir suggests? Do the predictions of astute astrologers and wise men really come true? Can philosophy or spirituality truly show us a way to prevail over the vagaries of the human mind? What to do when religion itself is turned against humanity? Each of the 15 stories in this collection also encourages us to delve into the complexities of human existence beyond the portals of power.

I read this book the morning after Arvind Kejriwal (the chief minister of Delhi), was arrested in what has been called the “liquorgate scam.” Since then, a host of other dark tales have been surfacing every few days – these certainly are tumultuous times…. While S V Iyer’s book pronounces no judgement on the current political scenario, it does make us aware that political machinations have always been a part of history, whether in the past or as it is being made.