Tejo Tungabhadra

Tejo Tungabhadra traces parallel narratives across two rivers and time periods - the Tagus River in 16th century Portugal and the Tungabhadra River in present-day Karnataka, India. The story follows Portuguese sailor João and modern-day Indian software professional Venkat. The Portuguese sections depict the era of Vasco da Gama's explorations and the beginning of Portuguese colonial expansion into India. Through João's journey, readers experience life aboard exploration vessels and in the ports of medieval Europe and India. The contemporary narrative focuses on Venkat's experiences as an IT worker in Portugal, providing a reverse cultural perspective as he navigates life as an Indian expatriate. The two storylines intersect thematically despite being separated by centuries. The novel examines colonialism, cultural identity, and human connection across vast distances of time and space. Through its mirrored structure, it reveals enduring patterns in how people and societies interact when meeting across cultural divides.

Readers appreciate the historical accuracy and parallel narratives showing life in India and Portugal during the 16th century. Many note the author's detailed research on medieval maritime trade, cultural practices, and social conditions of both regions. Specific praise focuses on the authentic portrayal of LGBTQ characters from that era and the depiction of caste dynamics. Multiple readers commend how the story illustrates colonialism's impacts through personal narratives rather than broad political events. Main criticisms target the pacing, with some readers finding the first 100 pages slow. A few reviews mention difficulty following the multiple timelines and character relationships. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (156 ratings) Amazon India: 4.4/5 (289 ratings) Sample reader comments: "The interwoven stories of Deva and Christopher felt natural rather than forced parallels" - Goodreads "Needed tighter editing in the early chapters" - Amazon review "One of the few historical novels that handles sexuality without sensationalism" - Goodreads

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🌿 Author Vasudhendra wrote this historical novel originally in Kannada, titled "Tejo Tungabhadra," before it was translated into English by Maithreyi Karnoor 🏰 The story spans two rivers and two distinct time periods - Portugal's River Tagus (Tejo) in the 16th century and India's Tungabhadra River in current times ⚔️ The novel explores the parallel lives of two protagonists: a Portuguese soldier during the Inquisition and a modern-day Indian software engineer, highlighting themes of religious persecution across centuries 🏆 The book won the Kannada Sahitya Academy Award in 2019 for its powerful narrative and intricate historical research 🌏 Vasudhendra came out as gay through his autobiographical book "Mohanaswamy" in 2013, becoming one of the first openly gay writers in Kannada literature, and continues to address LGBTQ+ themes in his work