Atisa and his Flying Machine - Review

'Atisa and his Flying Machine', by Anu Kumar, is the story of an intrepid boy Atisa, who with his wonderfully aerodynamic machine, escorts Hiuen Tsang the scholar, from Central Asia to the Buddhist centres of learning in India.


Atisa and his Flying Machine
Author: Anu Kumar
Publisher: Puffin
Price: Rs.175

Remember Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese monk who visited India centuries ago? If History is not your strong point, and all the people, places and events of the past are in a colourful, mocking blur, then we sail in the same boat.

‘Atisa and his Flying Machine’, by Anu Kumar, is the story of an intrepid boy Atisa, who with his wonderfully aerodynamic machine, escorts Hiuen Tsang the scholar, from Central Asia to the Buddhist centres of learning in India. Atisa possesses weirdly useful gadgets like the umbrella shaped sound catcher, and the lantern that dons different colours with changes in the weather.

But peril looms ahead, for there is a deadly assassin on their trail who will stop at nothing to vanquish Hiuen Tsang. Will Atisa, Hiuen Tsang and his acolytes overcome the adversity that threatens to destroy their quest, or will the sniper manage to ruin their journey?

The best part of this book is that you get to savour history at an upfront and personal level, albeit with some extra tadka!

Until then, I’d always thought of Hiuen Tsang as a vague, scholarly, stick figure cloaked in much too loose robes. Now, he is endowed with a rather endearing personality. Taxila, Bamiyan, Kannauj, Nalanda, Badami, earlier inconspicuous pinpricks on the Asian landscape, now seem like magnificent centres of art and learning tucked away in the archives of time.

In the beginning, I was confused; not having read the previous books in the series, but after the first few pages, the sheer ingenuity of the tale had me hooked. The detailed descriptions of the prevailing weather had me feeling a little impatient initially though.

This slender volume, spangled with enticingly enchanting illustrations, will ensnare you with its warm humour, rich locales, well sketched out characters and most of all, with its enjoyably imaginative plot. Don’t miss it!

Malvika Parthasarthy
Cluny Convent School