An elegant historical thriller

An engrossing blend of history, mythology, and suspense, ‘The Magicians of Mazda’ by Ashwin Sanghi draws readers into a world where ancient secrets collide with modern intrigue. Rich in research and storytelling finesse, the novel offers a thrilling journey through time, faith, and mystery

In his famous work “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari,” while dwelling on the definition of a book Robin Sharma pertinently remarks that some books are meant to be tasted, some books are meant to be chewed and, finally, some books are meant to be swallowed whole. Explaining it further if you really intend to get the greatest joy out of any literary work, you must not only stay on the surface rather dive deeper into its profundity to experience its true essence and derive the real pleasure.

Here, Ashwin Sanghi’s new outpouring “The Magicians of Mazda” belongs to the class of books which is really meant to be read between the lines and relished with a voracious reader’s appetite. Undeniably, the author is endowed with an extraordinary knack and fantastic flair for infusing a new life to the ancient wisdom with his exhaustive research. Taking recourse to his fecund imagination and great ability to spin the yarn, he successfully weaves a fast-paced thriller in which facts have been so smoothly and subtlety blended with fiction. Therefore, the eminent author merits a plethora of admiration for such a deft blending.

What delightfully astounds the readers is his selection of the central them of Zoroastrian faith and its devotees around which the major part of this thriller revolves. Only a few of the mortals among us are aware of the fact that Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, the exponents of which have been brutally and barbarically persecuted by the dogmatic and savage followers of Islam. Brimming with utmost poignancy and pathos, the book chronicles the blood curdling and gruesome genocides of the devotees of this oldest religion. Their temples are razed to rubbles, the new mosques are built, forced conversions are done with the consequent painful downfall of Zoroastrianism and the ugly process of Islamization of the world picks up momentum. Had the book been created by a Parsi, it would have been a less arduous task. But here the author hails from a Hindu community which reveals the fact how sensitive and secular India as a nation is! The people of Parsi community have been living in India since time immemorial and rendering their unstinting services to elevate our nation in all of its spheres.

Undoubtedly, we profusely adulate them for their enormous contributions but we are fully oblivious of their rich cultural heritage and religious beliefs. Irrefutably, the author of this epical work plays a pivotal role and acquaints us with their rich legacy. Therefore, it would not be erroneous to state that this magnum opus is a befitting tribute of a non- Parsi Indian to his Parsi comrades who had to flee their own home and hearth to ward off the ghastly atrocities.

Abiding by the norms it will not be an appreciable move to unfold the whole storyline of a thriller. However, for its better understanding, a glimpse of it needs to offered to the prospective readers. Flipping the pages of the book we come across its chief protagonist Jim Dastoor who has an old relic of Zoroastrian community in his possession. Unaware of its importance, he keeps on leading a mundane life with his wife till the shrewd intelligence agencies from different nations begin to hound him with enormous ferocity. The man becomes all the more sought after as he is also a famous scientist by profession who has invented a miraculous drug. Therefore, he comes under the radar of a pharmaceutical company which prowls after him to extract the secret formula of that wonder drug. Soon a hot chase is initiated to ensnare him in the trap. Caught up in this traumatic state of affairs, his only prop is his loyal non-Parsi intellectual wife, a research scholar of history. But as we move ahead, we find that umpteen people are fervently aspiring to get hold of that relic which they believe retains certain magical properties called the Athravan Star. What makes us chortle here is the rib-tickling fact that most of these aspirants have no real idea about the miraculous relic but their dogged pursuit to possess the piece is still quite ardently on. Hence, we witness a thrilling game of run and seek which transports the readers in the territories of the counties of Iran, Afghanistan, America, Israel and India.

What finally lies in store for our chief protagonist should be left to readers to explore. The plot is in fact resplendent with parallel narratives in which one is purely conversational whereas the other is loaded with hair-raising action.

A major chunk of the book indubitably contains an enormous amount of historical details which teach us several lessons and we begin to give credence to the fact that countries which have ignored their history often get wrapped in the shroud of mystery. While dwelling on the historical sagas of the yore, the novel exquisitely depicts the similarities between Zoroastrian faith and Vedic religion, between Sanskrit and Avestan, the Vedas and Avesta. We really marvel at these absolute similarities which the scripture of various religions shares and how they have an essentially common message of peace and harmony for the masses hailing from varied creeds.

The concluding segment of the book is also loaded with a host of astonishing revelations which enhance and intensify the suspense quotient lending a shape of a perfect thriller to this nail-biting narrative.