The Dance of Durga

Loved it, specially the imagery of rural Punjab. The descriptive writing about the landscapes and the food, (jalebi! Gur!) really brought it all alive for me. Enjoyed perceiving the greys in the female protagonist s character, unapologetic. I like that it's open ended

Captivating from the word go! Keeps you engrossed right till the end. A must read.

I love the way the writer Kanika Dhillon have potraid the characters in her novel . I liked the story, nicely plotted. Good job 👍🏻👍🏻

Is the cover supposed to be glossy? It looks a bit fake, please let me know?

An intense story. A tragic story. A story which unmasks the rotten world of God-men/women and then sheds a silent light on the inner lives and tribulations of the people within the folds.Kanika has created an intense as well as deep character in Durga, the protagonist. She is complex. She is driven by a deep desire which you might feel is unguided at times. For her, there is complete focus. For you, she is lost.I would easily given it a 5 star but somehow I did not like the way the climax arrived. Nothing wrong with it. just not to my own liking. You might very well like it ... its just personal.Kanika leaves a LOT for our imagination ... the reader needs to do a lot of story writing/thinking to paint the complete picture and that is where the story you read will be slightly different from the story i read. She often leaves the deep rooted inner feelings of the characters to the reader ... you imagine what they meant and you have your own version of reality.Excellent writing...

The Dance of Durga is a novel with its plot set in India. Its appeal, though, is universal. The present body of Indian English Literature is mostly set in urban centers. This trend has set in motion a new feel to the Indian English literature, a new set of vocabulary too. The Dance of Durga is different in that this novel overcomes the obsession of the writers in India writing in English to downplay Indian-ness for a sweeping monolithic urban aesthetics.The protagonist, Durga aka Rajjo, is not a usual heroine who is all good at heart. The Commentator observed streaks of grey in her persona. She is adamant in fulfilling her personal ambition. Her desire to replace Rani Maa, the godwoman is the driving force that transforms her life. However, the business of the godwoman is not all too spiritual. Observing Rajjo without her desire to achieve higher realms of power and possibilities would take us back to the village girl that she used to be. She suffered bitterly in love as a teenager. Although she is born with the gift of seeing future, she does not see the course her own life was about to take when she fell for Kashi.After aborting the baby she was pregnant with in Kashi, her family marries her off to a wealthy old man. It’s imperative to question such a ridiculous system. This, though, is the Indian reality. Kanika K. Dhillon uses the machinations of realism in order to create the fantastic journey of Rajjo. The Commentator also noticed that the author used significant sensory details in this novel. As a reader, one could see, hear, and smell the background of the story. The innocence of childhood and village-life is followed by the thunderous catastrophe of Rajjo’s life with the abusive Sethji. The Dance of Durga is a monsoon of a novel.The novel has two parts named Rajjo and Durga respectively. The first part is Rajjo’s struggle for recognition, the fulfillment of her desire, and survival. The second part is her life as the powerful Durga. Kanika Dhillon has worked previously for movies such as Ra.One by Red Chillies Entertainment Company, and the South Indian movie Size Zero. “She has written the hugely successful TV show for Disney called Ishaan” [Wikipedia]. Kanika’s career started out as “an assistant director to Farah Khan, on Om Shanti Om, and then moved on to Red Chillies's Billu Barber, which was directed by Priyadarshan”[IMDb]. Her skill as a screen writer has been evident in the genuine dialogues that appear in The Dance of Durga.Kanika Dhillon is also the author of the bestseller Bombay Duck is a Fish (2011).For more: The Indian CommentatorbyAnu Lal, author or Mount Sermon

I am one of some lucky few who could get an advanced copy of this book by Kanika Dhillon. Kanika grew up in the Amritsar region of India and her novel begins in one of the villages from that area.The Dance of Durga!!! What a dance it is! Right from the start, the plot had me surrendering to its events, characters and environments. The narrative opens up like a shawl woven with many colorful characters, each color holding a story and sensibility of its own. Some sad, some funny, some ambitious, some dangerous, some religious, some rebellious'..A baby girl is born, yet again, to a family in a village of India. Her gifted sixth sense paves way for a distinct disposition. She dreams of flying free. And, as she grows and makes bold choices, life unleashes its wrath via lessons, opportunities, friends, lovers and villains.She accepts what is dished out to her but seeks something. Maybe retribution! She uses irony and cynicism to wreak devotion and bends herself backwards to reach her goals. She may even come across sometimes as 'unbreakable'. But she is a woman, after all, with a heart, and does succumb to love's goosebumps.Her life comes full circle when strength, fame, fortune, treachery, jealousy and vulnerabilities become tangled together. Extricating herself from this mess does not look easy, to say the least.Intrigue factor: The heroine manipulates the concept of her faith in God or rather her loss of faith in God.Interest factor: Story feels like a staircase with suspense building at every other step.Great job Kanika Dhillon! I am a great fan of Indian writers who weave stories around our villages, our numerous cultures, faiths, consistencies and inconsistencies. This book is a proud moment for me.Beware Readers: Editing could have been better!This article was posted previously mocktalessite.wordpress.com

This book is a perfect joy to read. Thrill, romance, drama and best of all heaps of action ensures you keep turning page after page to know what happens. Beware you might just fall in love with Rajjo just the way I did.She is a firecracker of a woman and this book is a dynamite! Read it to know the harsh realities of our society closely. Read it to try to demystify the mystery called woman.