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Eric Alagan’s books on Amazon. Click image.
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Mahabharata Trilogy
Click on the book images for a FREE Look Inside.
Mahabharata: The Beginning (Book 1)
Available now on Amazon
Is Yudhishthira, the first-born Pandava, the rightful heir to the Hastinapura throne?
Is Duryodhana, the first-born Kaurava, the usurper?
Forget Karna, for there is a prince born even before him!
Alagan’s first book of his Mahabharata trilogy hints of a third prince who has a solid claim to the throne; a prince who could have averted the Kurukshetra War.
Unlike the Pandavas, Kunti and Madri did not conceive the third prince, and he was not born to the gods. And unlike the Kauravas, Gandhari’s boon from Lord Shiva did not produce the third prince.
He was born to mortal parents.
Even Vyasa, author of Mahabharata, his family epic, speaks of the third prince but only in passing; ignores his right to the throne; giving credence to the claim that the victors write history.
But that does not alter the truth.
Who was the true first-born prince? There is a hint of him in Book One, Mahabharata: The Beginning. See if you can spot him.
Fans of Chitra Divakaruni’s bestselling The Palace of Illusions will enjoy Alagan’s trilogy, based on the Mahabharata, where the female characters share prominence with the men.
Click the Book Cover and embark on a breath-taking journey of discovery. Your reward—the truth regarding the third prince, the rightful heir to the Lunar Dynasty’s throne; a truth which had eluded many students and fans of this epic; a truth that hides in plain view.
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Mahabharata: Dice Game & Exile (Book 2)
Book Launched 17 April 2022
Popular culture shows Queen Panchali passively resisting, clinging to her clothes, as Dushasana rips them off in open court.
Really?
In her situation, what would you do?
Yes, that’s what Alagan portrays in his novel.
How did Duryodhana defend this heinous deed—outraging the queen’s modesty? Hear his words; they might move you. After all, the queen had married all five of the Pandava brothers and they took turns spending time with her; and this was during an age when a woman’s modesty and chastity were of paramount value.
Karna, the bosom friend of Duryodhana and anti-hero whom many of you empathize with and many women all over the world swoon over even to this day, was present during the disrobing.
What did he have to say? Hear his words. See if you can find fault with him.
Alagan renders myths and legends into believable history because recent discoveries arguably prove that Mahabharata is based on true events. The plausible plots, enigmatic characters, and realistic dialogue in his novel will leave you wondering where fiction stops and antiquity starts.
Alagan’s Dice Game & Exile is a must read if you enjoyed Chitra Divakaruni’s beautifully written The Palace of Illusions or Devdutt Pattanaik’s storytelling style.
Click on the Book Cover and enjoy Panchali floor Dushasana; listen to Duryodhana justify the outrage; and see if you still love and respect Karna.
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Mahabharata: Kurukshetra War (Book 3)
Look out for the third and last book in the Mahabharata trilogy for a dramatic conclusion to this greatest of all epics.
Book release in second half of 2022
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Puli Thevar
The legendary conflict between Puli Thevar, Indian freedom fighter, and Yusuf Khan who fought for the English East India Company.
In 18th century India, the English and French vied for supremacy. The Europeans relied on their native allies whose loyalties were transient. Anarchy prevailed.
In the south, Mohammed Ali Wallajah, aided by the English East India Company, fought Chanda Sahib and his French allies in a bloody civil war. Mohammed Ali prevailed and became the Nawab of Arcot, sovereign of the southern countries. But the war was costly, and the Nawab was deep in debt to the English.
Unable to collect taxes from the Polygar kings in the southern countries, the Nawab assigned tax collection to the English. The Company was brutal; widespread looting and slaughter followed. The Polygars fought the English and the Nawab; and their resistance lasted about fifty long years.
Foremost among the early rebels was Puli Thevar, who defeated the English in several engagements.
This is the story of Puli Thevar based on historical facts.
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One Hundred Very Short Stories
An eclectic mix of witty and amusing stories.
With his short little snapshots, Alagan takes a prod at the simmering, self-obsessed underbelly of society, not only present day but also as far back as prehistoric times. It seems that the moral fibre of humanity hasn’t travelled very far in all that time.
This diverse collection of insightful stories provides a commentary on humanity over the past few thousand years, including the young and the old, all genders, races and beliefs, and in diverse global locations, including hell itself. So, okay, there is a bit of fantasy and paranormal thrown into the mix for good measure.
Thoroughly recommended – Karen Court (Author of The Doctor), Australia. Source: Goodreads
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Vel Pari: The Tamilakam War
Click on Image to “Look Inside” book
Based on the life of the legendary Tamil king, Vel Pari.
Were the legends surrounding Pari true? Are there rational explanations to his outlandish deeds? Did he gift his chariot to a jasmine vine? He did not have an heir. Why did he not remarry?
Did Pari succumb to the treachery of the Cholan, Cheran and Pandyan kings? The three kings were renowned for their code of chivalry and dharma. How did Pari die? Was he murdered by his own courtiers who then blamed the three kings?
Historians found little common ground. But they agree that Pari and the influential poet, Kapilar, were fast friends.
Kapilar wrote his ground breaking work, Song of the Kurinji. What was the genesis of this work? Why did Kapilar commit suicide?
This is the story of Pari as told by Kapilar and one other, a man who lurked in the shadows; a man who did not lend his name to written history: Kachagan, Raj Guru of the Cholan Empire.
Written in the first person, Kapilar and Kachagan relate the events they witnessed and lived.
Who narrates the truer version of history? You decide.
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Note: Kapilar’s extant poetry is the primary source for information on Vel Pari. The two men were friends, and the former sang the latter’s praises.
There is at least one black & white Tamil movie that depicts Pari’s life. The movie portrays Pari as a flawless character; and the Cheran, Cholan and Pandyan as the bad guys.
Vel Pari, the Tamilakam War, a work of fiction no less than other works in popular culture, portrays believable characters on both sides of the divide; people who struggle with their internal demons. This realistic and sometimes gritty portrayal of the characters and events might not sit well with all readers.
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Song of the Ankle Rings
(Based on the Silapathikaram)
FREE Amazon Review. Click image to “Look Inside” book
If your husband cheated on you, would you wait for him for years and take him back after he quarrels with his mistress and returns to you?
That’s what Kannagi does; takes back Kovalan after Madhavi falls out with him. Popular culture hails Kannagi as an exemplary wife; would have us believe she was a woman of her times.
But was she?
If that’s true, how then does Madhavi, his courtesan mistress, challenge his morality and question his right to keep a mistress?
Was she the first recorded women’s rights activist in ancient South India?
What was Elango Adigal, who authored Silapathikaram, a renowned Tamil classic, trying to convey by portraying two women with diametrically opposite values and views regarding a woman’s place in society?
Alagan’s Song of the Ankle Rings, adapted from the Silapathikaram, delves into this dichotomy and makes sense of the relentless contradictions.
Along the way, he solves a convoluted mystery surrounding Kannagi’s ankle rings, which are primary props in the plot.
His characters are multi-layered, and the dialogue is eloquent and harks back to a time when speech and poetry merged.
He introduces the tribes of the kurinji hills; a matriarchal society where women took multiple partners; a society which practiced kalavu, indulged in pre-nuptial sex.
This co-existed with the practices of the elite and educated, townspeople like Kovalan and Kannagi, who treasured karpu, post-nuptial sex where a woman’s virginity was a highly valued virtue and the cornerstone of family honour.
This book is for you, if you like to know more of upper middle-class life in ancient South India, coupled with a slow burn mystery and tenets of ancient justice packaged in dashes of humour, and more.
Click on the Book Cover and enter the lives of two women; one high born and stifled by patriarchal norms; and another forced to eke out a living but holding fiercely independent views, harbinger of our modern society.
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Your use of the language borders on the poetic. I loved reading it as it has all the visual attributes to transport one into the scene as a silent and invisible watcher… You know how to give us the full treatment, drama, philosophy and a hint of the Kama Sutra along with very careful research – Ian Grice (Brisbane Australia)
You have very beautifully brought out the communication gap between Kannagi and Kovalan after marriage… and her trying to fit into a “chaste wife” mould are wonderful as well as the depiction of Kovalan’s character. The explanation of the ankle rings and the mystery behind them is beautifully explained – Sasi Kandasamy (Sri Lanka-Singapore)
I’m enthralled at the amount of thought you are putting into this narrative. The characters come forth as real people – Jane Stansfeld, Author (Texas, USA)
Amazing, how the author took a simple storyline and made it gripping. Love the dialogue. Authentic. Written in the first person but the characters had distinct voices – Jasey Chua (Singapore)
You have done something important and worthy of praise… you will be remembered for this work – Rasu Ramachandran (Director, Singapore Book Council)
You are such a superb story teller – Onyango Makagutu (Nairobi, Kenya)
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Performance Appraisal
A Scorecard Model
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Human Capital Growth Model
Build Best-in-Class Teams
FREE Amazon Review, click image
To see my books on Amazon, click icon. Thank you!
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