The story of Udayan belongs to the ancient Indian classic literature. In its time it was as popular as Ramayan and Mahabharat, the two epics from the ancient India but over the period, it is relegated to the recesses of the public memory. Udayan was the fifth king in the lineage of the Pandava dynasty. He was a valiant king. Kaushambi in Vatsa kingdom was the capital of Udayan's empire. The king was an ace Veena player. Apart from the musical legacy from his forefathers he was a master of the Vedas, various arts and craft, different sciences and of course, use of different arms and weapons. The empire of Udayan that stretched from the sea to the Himalayas, started deteriorating and eroding as a result. It didn't take very long for the empire so valiantly built and meticulously preserved by his forefathers to come to a sad end. While Udayan himself didn't care much about it, he was fortunate to have a head of the council of ministers, Amatya, in Yaugandharayan, who was fiercely loyal to the empire and hence, was concerned enough for its state. The empire was a matter of constant concern for the Amatya. Udayan had studied music and the Hasti Vidya (knowledge about elephants) at the Naaglok, the land of the cobras. Naaglok was the place where he received a divine Veena called Ghoshvati. This particular Veena produced divine notes when played. It became a constant companion of King Udayan. He practiced on it virtually all through the day... and night. An avid art lover that he was, Udayan loved a good life. Alas, all his qualities proved to be his undoing as far as politics was concerned. Because of them, he could hardly concentrate on the day-to-day governance of his empire. The empire that stretched from the sea to the Himalayas, started deteriorating and eroding as a result. It didn't take very long for the empire so valiantly built and meticulously preserved by his forefathers to come to a sad end. While Udayan himself didn't care much about it, he was fortunate to have a head of the council of ministers, Amatya Yaugandharayan, who was fiercely loyal to the empire and hence, was concerned enough for its state. The empire was a matter of constant concern for the Amatya. Udayan was also lucky to have a general in the form of Rumanwan, who, like Amatya Yaugandharayan, was completely dedicated and was extremely valiant. In the absence of the king's attention, these two trusted lieutenants of his took care of the affairs of the state to the best of their abilities. Sadly though, they couldn't arrest the fast deteriorating condition of the empire they held so dearly. Around that time, Udayan learned from the book 'Hastishiksha' about a mammoth, blue bodied elephant by the name Neelkuvalayatanu. No one in India had ever seen such an elephant in those days. Udayan resolved to find the elephant and tame him with his music. One fine day, Udayan left his palace with a few of his most trusted men without informing anyone and started scouring the jungles for the Neelkuvalayatanu elephant. The news of this extreme pursuit of Udayan soon reached his sworn enemy Pradyot, the king of Avanti. Pradyot's kingdom was quite large and he was a brave man himself. His enmity for Udayan was unilateral however and Udayan had largely ignored Pradyot's political advances and diplomatic games against him. . . What next? Read it in this classic novel in Marathi language: UDAYAN. (Leadstart Publishing corp. are publishing this novel in English.)
About the Author: Rajendra Kher was born in Pune, India on 3rd of January 1961. He completed his graduation from Pune University and is been writing since last 22 years. His father late Mr. B. D. Kher was also a prolific author with over a hundred books published out of which more than a couple have been garnered with awards both at National and International level. This background has helped him develop a liking for writing in the early years. He has a count of 10 works published till date, and majority of them are translated and widely accepted across languages throughout India and abroad. Mr. Kher has received 5 prestigious awards for his contribution in the field of literature so far. His novel Geetambari, based on Bhagavad-Gita, received equal response from readers and critics. English translation of this novel- The Song of Salvation published by Zumaya Publications, USA. Leadstart publishing published his book in English: EMPIRE OF THE GODS; and signed him for his other two books: 'Udayan; The Musician King of Vatsa', historical novel and 'Life After Life', a non-fiction. His work includes a novel Digvijay (The Victory), on the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, now in its fifth re-printing, 'The Silent Reformer' (detailing the life and times of revered Pandurang Shastri Athavale, founder of Swadhyay Parivar). Thanks to the tremendous audience response the Marathi version of this novel is currently in its 24th edition. Dhananjay, a novel on the life of Arjuna, in its sixth re-printing. His recent suspense-fantasy novel Bindusarovar (The Bindu Lake) became popular among the readers and appeared in TOP 5 book-list of prestigious news-paper, Devanchya Rajyaat, were Gods astronauts? It is in 5th reprinting. He has had his fare share of experience in the film business, having spent around 10 years in Indian Film Industry both for small and big screen. A notable 2 years of this journey were spent as Program Director for a renowned TV channel. He has to his credit numerous scripts, screenplays and short stories for newspapers and magazines.