Odisha Channel Bureau
Bhubaneswar, July 30: `In the Cradle of the Seven Sisters’, a historical fiction written by noted author retired Indian Police Service officer Biswakesh Tripathy, was released at a function held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here on Wednesday evening.The book was released by eminent author and playwright J.P.Das in the presence of distinguished guests – Priyambada Mohanty Hejmadi, Himanshu S.Mohapatra, academicians and theatre personality Anant Mahapatra.
The book is a historical fiction based on the Indus Valley Civilisation, which encompassed mostly Pakistan and parts of north western India, Afghanistan, Iran extending from Baluchistan in the west to Uttar Pradesh in the east and Maharashtra in the South.One of the most advanced civilisations of the past, Indus Valley Civilisation came up around 3300 B.C.and lasted up to 1700 B.C, lasting for a period of nearly 1600 years.
The civilization was composed of and built up by migrants from Syria, Persia, Tigris Valley, Euphrates Valley and Nile Valley.They all pooled in their knowledge to build the most advanced civilization of the day. Their houses were of same pattern and built with burnt bricks of same size. Their roads were laid in perfect grid system like the present day New York.Water management and drainage system were of high order.
This book is based on the city of Sutkangen-dor and gives a glimpse into the life and times of the people of this vibrant ancient civilization.In the end, the book describes the tragic story of the fall of the civilization in the hands of the barbarous Aryans who drove them across Bindhyas.The writer weaves an interesting tale on how hordes from the north entered the Indus Valley with their fast moving horses equipped for battle. These people gave their cattle more importance than their women, who could be forced upon, raped and killed with impunity.
To escape these scathing attacks, the Indus Valley people left their hearth and home and migrated beyond Vindhya mountains to settle down in Deccan plateau.Gradually they built a rich Dravidian civilization with beautiful temples and ports as they had done in the Indus Valley.Biswakesh Tripathy has authored six books in Odia, six collections of short poems and one long sequence poem on Konark in English, besides two books on his experiences in police – ‘Terrorism and Insurgency in India’ and `My Life & Times in IPS’.
