Book review: Chhattisgarh - The Land of Hidden Mysteries

I was looking to get candid feedback on my book By Hook or By Crook from readers, and somehow connected with Ms. Muneeta Aneja who happens to be a journalist. "What better than hearing candid opinion of a journalist?" I thought, and reached out to her with a request to read my book. And in that conversation, I got to know about a book she had written on her home state of Chattisgarh. She shared glimpses of her research process for this book and it immediately intrigued me to pick the book. I ordered the book and got some amazing bookmarks and hand-written messages from her, which was a kind gesture. I took around 3-4 weeks to complete the book, and here is the review.

Bookmarks providing a glimpse of the state's cultural aspect

Chhattisgarh, the land of hidden mysteries, is everything and beyond what you expect from the title. I can safely be called a mini encyclopedia, covering almost all cultural aspects of the state. I was constantly wondering throughout the read about the effort it’d have taken Ms. Muneeta to come up with such a well and in-depth researched, yet an interesting read.

Getting into the specifics, I’d love to start with the unboxing. The book is beautifully printed on colorful glossy pages, the amusing pictures complementing the text brilliantly. I was lucky to get a signed copy along with hand-written notes and hand-made bookmarks from Muneeta, which is brag-worthy for its aesthetic sense. The blurb gives away some amusing facts about the state, but it’s just the tip of an iceberg.

Cover page of the book

The book is divided into 40 parts, with each part either touching upon a specific cultural aspect, such as pre-historic roots, tourism, etc., or covering a region in the state, such as Bilaspur, Sarguja, etc. Hailing from the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh, and carrying a keen interest in geolocations, I’d heard and read about many of these topics briefly, but reading this book made me realize how superficial my understanding was. Muneeta has poured her heart and soul into creating this book a ready reckoner for anyone who wants to know anything about the state.

And just when you start thinking that the book covers cultural aspects to the core, you start noticing the historical and economic aspects of the state. Even the issues like naxalism and red belt, as well as religious beliefs and connections with Ramayana and Mahabharata have been fairly well covered in the book. A journey into the book makes you realise that the state has something for everyone, and Muneeta’s writing does complete justice to the subject. And not to forget the amazing collection of pictures to substantiate the paragraphs.

One of the many beautiful pictures in the book

Throughout the read, I was constantly swaying between the feelings of “I want to visit this place” and “It feels I’m already in Chhattisgarh”, the book is so well written. Highly recommended to everyone, not just readers, since this has so much to offer. And if you’re ordering, I’d recommend going for the bookmarks too, you won’t regret.