Tales of Agnimitra and Tamana
By Amber Romasa Nagori
Lightstone Publishers
ISBN: 978-969-716-310-6
243pp.

When I picked up Tales of Agnimitra and Tamana, my first reaction was bewilderment. There was nothing in the title to give me a hint of what the book was about. The back cover, rather than elucidating the book’s content, only added to the mystery. But the conjoining of present-day Karachi with Agnimitra, an Indian prince from 151 BCE, was intriguing enough to make me read the tales. And what a delight it was to dive into them!

The author of this book, Amber Romasa Nagori, is the daughter of Professor Abdul Rahim Nagori, who is famous for his socio-political art. Coming from a background where traditions were questioned and the status quo was not taken at face value, she also tends to challenge conventional beliefs. She has a master’s in textile design from the University of Leeds and has lived, studied and worked in Pakistan, Italy and the UK. Her previous book is a biography of her father, Nagori: Voice of Conscience.

Tales of Agnimitra and Tamana, is divided into five sections called ‘Books’. The first two are exclusively about Agnimitra. In Book Three and Four, Tamana — a young woman in contemporary Karachi — and Agnimitra work in concert and the last Book is all about Tamana.

On Google, amazingly enough, Agnimitra turns out to be a real person, even though he merits only a paragraph or two. Perhaps the lack of historical details about Agnimitra’s life is why the author chooses him as a hero. A work........

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