Lapka Book Review — A Complicated Love Story Between a Tourist Guide and a European Woman at Khajuraho
Anna is not like other tourists — she didn’t just want to see the temples of
Khajuraho, she wanted to write it. Write it so well that it would seem like a film.
अनूठी मुद्राओं वाली मूर्तियों के लिए विवादित, अद्भुत सौंदर्य से भरे विश्वप्रसिद्ध खजुराहो के
मंदिर ऐसे रहस्यमय द्वार हैं, जहां हम ठिठके खड़े हैं ! इसी खजुराहो पर, इसके दर्शन के नए
आयाम खोलता प्रेम कहानियों का सौदर्य रचता, इतिहास ,कल्पना और आज के यथार्थ के बीच ताने बुनता एक अनूठा उपन्यास है :खजुराहो का लपका.
Controversial for sculptures with unique postures, the world famous Khajuraho temples are full of amazing architectural beauty! Khajuraho ka Lapka is a romance novel that opens the gateway to the beautiful Khajuraho, its love stories and its philosophy while weaving a tangle between history, imagination and today’s reality.
Khajuraho retains a very important place in the World Heritage list. It is a small town in Chhatarpur district, which is famous for its Nagara style and Panchayatan style carved temples built in the 10th-11th century. Many of you must have visited Khajuraho and seen those famous and indeed infamous temples. Whether you’re a admirer of architecture, spirituality, tantra, heritage, art or culture, you will find Khajuraho truly compelling in its beauty. And the novel ;Khajuraho Ka Lapka; has successfully captured this hypnotic nature of the place.
While writing this, it seems as if the writer Sunil Chaturvedi has gone to Khajuraho and became a Lapka himself. Lapka, in local Bundelkahndi language means an unregistered guide who tries to attract foreign tourists. In this novel, author Sunil Chaturvedi becomes a Lapka himself and picks up a mythological tale and paints a new picture of the history of Khajuraho. Or he takes us to a coffeehouse or a local guide’s home and brings to life the little stories that are happening in these tiny alleyways. Sometimes he uses the love story of Hemvati to tell the tale of the modern ‘Hemvati’ who fell in love with a local guide and left her country behind to live here. And other times, he displays such a sensitive portrayal of the budding affection between Anna and ‘BBC from Khajuraho’ that it leaves the reader spellbound. He takes us to temples built on high platforms and introduces us to the beautiful Klara who is intoxicated with the very essence of Khajuraho. ‘Khajuraho ka Lapka’ is not just an interesting novel but it’s also a guide you can read if you’re planning to visit Khajuraho. It will give you a deeper understanding of the majestic beauty of this place.
This is the fourth novel of the author Sunil Chaturvedi who has been awarded
many times for his contribution towards the Hindi literary world including the
prestigious Vagihwari Award.
This book has been published by Neolit Publication.
Pages: 169
Language: Hindi
To buy Khajuraho ka Lapka, just call +91 8236084856 or visit
https://www.neolit.in/ . This book is also available on Amazon.
