A historical fiction for children that stands out because it doesn't talk about kings and queens! The author of the book is Nandini Sengupta.
Rani Durgavati, Emperor Akbar, Rana Pratap Singh, Alexander The Great. Almost everybody would have heard about these famous heroes and conquerors who have a permanent name in Indian history. Whether they are from India or not, they have special traits that make them good rulers - strength, cleverness, honesty, nobility and lots more.
But wait, if I am talking about historical rulers, then why does the heading say 'The Blue Horse and other amazing animals...'? To find out the answer, read on.
This book falls under the category of 'Historical Fiction'. But it doesn't talk about famous Kings and queens. It talks about their loyal and faithful friends who are not human but have given their lives to save their masters and lead them to victory in war. This book introduces the pets of some historical Indian rulers. And you guessed it, the Blue Horse Horse is one of them ( The blue horse is Rana Pratap Singh's horse). Most of these animals (actually every one of them) are not known to people who read about famous rulers. They have been hidden in history in the shadow of their famous masters. In this book, Nandini Sengupta, the author writes about them.
Shivaji's Shadow
I am a Marathi Mulga. And like my master, I am as much history as a story..... In death as in life, I remained my Raje's shadow. His Waghya.
One such interesting story was 'Shivaji's Shadow' which talks about the Maratha king Shivaji's dog who is known as 'Waghya', meaning 'Tiger'. Like all other stories in this book, this one is told in first person view by the pet himself. The dog Waghya narrates how he was found by the kind King Shivaji when he was abandoned as a mewling pup near a bush. He grew to become a close friend of the Maratha emperor and then later the lucky mascot of the Maratha army. But the most heart-wrenching moment was when Shivaji died, his pet Waghya jumped into the funeral pyre to be with Shivaji forever. He loved his human that much.
Besides this, there are many other tales in this book that are equally interesting. The story 'King Jayakesi's Parrot' talks about a powerful ruler from Goa on the Konkan coast. Goa was called Goapuri back then. King Jayakesi would often ask "Who is my favourite birdie?" and the parrot (who can talk, by the way) would reply, "Me!". The king and his parrot would laugh and talk together for many years until Mr.Parrot died. The king's mother had a pet cat called Rani and for many years, she was plotting to catch the parrot and kill it. She finally got an opportunity and mauled the parrot's neck. The King who had made a promise to his parrot did not want to break it. The promise was that if his parrot died, the king would join him in death. So King Jayakesi joined his precious pet parrot, even though the whole kingdom pleaded him not to do so. I wasn't expecting the king to give up his life just for a parrot.
Global heroes
The book is called The Blue Horse and other amazing animals from INDIAN history. However, the author has added an extra chapter which contains tales from across the world, not just India. The story of Genghis Khan and his falcon caught my attention.
The Unbreakable Bond
This book shows how important and strong the bond between humans and animals can be. Alexander the Great built and named two cities after his pet horse and hound - Bucephalus and Peritas respectively. Jayakesi sacrificed himself for his parrot. These tales show that even if humans and animals are from two different species, even if they are at times enemies, even though we humans destroy their habitat - they can still be close friends.
If you like animals, you would like to read my short story series - The Adventures of Sheriff McRattripper.
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