Daitya Diaries- Questioning The Line Between Myth And Reality

Humans had been lulled into accepting any ridiculous explanation except the truth.

Midway into Daitya Dairies and this line springs up and makes you sit back and wonder. Were the myths more than just stories, were they a part of history?  Were they written as history books, but they were extraordinary, and we just couldn’t digest them? A good book makes you question your perspective, it transports you to another reality, and Daitya Diaries is that good book.

In a world riddled with easy access to information, the truth gets muddled often. Conspiracies are rife, and they make you question even the world’s most important events, which were witnessed by hundreds and millions of people. Did the events take place just as we were reported to or was there something else to it? There is no better time in India to ask these questions, in an age when we are facing a deluge of misinformation, leading to cries of jingoism.

History Repeats Itself

History repeats itself, and you will find that in the pages of Daitya Diaries. The story takes you from a small town in Telangana to the steppes of Mongolia and even down to the netherworld! The scope of the story spans across millennia and follows the journey of Vaira and Shukra, who have both lost those closest to them but have very different ways of dealing with it.

Daitya Diaries mixes fiction and mythology seamlessly, it takes inspiration from familiar characters in Indian mythology to create a fantastical universe. You will find Shukracharya, Ashwatthama, Indra, and Yama in this book. As well as beings like kinnara, yakshas, kimpurushas and kinkaras. It is why you should probably get a peek at the glossary before jumping straight into the story.

A Familiar Tale 

Yes, fantasy and mythology lovers will find traces of famous books like LOTR, Harry Potter, Mahabharata, Ramayana in the universe of Daitya Diaries, but that only adds credit to the different perspective of the same events. You might struggle with rooting for the characters from the start because you will find they are all grey characters. You sympathise for them, but you will find it difficult to empathise with them. At the end of the book, you only wish you knew more about the characters, the book feels a tad bit short, and you are left seeking answers.

The writing of Daitya Diaries is great, and you can easily get immersed in the book. However, it would be advisable to put your phone aside and give it your full attention, there is a lot of action that happens on every page, and you don’t want to miss it. Whether you are looking to pick up your first book or trying to expand your reading list, this book is a must-read. At 192 pages it’s a refreshing quick read that gives you a reprieve from the real world, even if just for a bit.