Solving A Crime In Ancient Times: Book Review Of The Thief of Taxila by Veena Muthuraman

An intelligently written mystery for young adults, The Thief of Taxilais is set in the Kushan empire. Kanishka is on the throne, and Taxila is where all the trade routes merge, making it a place of importance dominated by caravans, runners and taxes as merchants make their way down the Silk Route to the West and Rome. To Taxila from the Middle Kingdom comes Xuan and his master, the pilgrim Fa Li, who wants to learn about the ways and teachings of Sakyamuni.

Xuan finds himself in the middle of a theft. Although the actual stolen item remains a secret, the scheme has several layers of complexity. Caste-ridden, Taxila is full of corruption and despite Xuan finding friends in the General’s feisty daughter Anahita and the brilliant archer Ekla whose father makes chariots and is promptly accused of theft life gets no easier for an outsider from the Middle Kingdom – he finds himself at one with a banished herbalist who cures with her nostrums but is shunned by the Medical School of Taxila and proscribed as a witch. For all its so-called wisdom, the University Town is full of prejudices against outsiders. Her daughter, Nelli, joins the group of investigators as they attempt to save Elka’s father and find out who actually stole what.

Veena Muthuraman creates a world peopled with fragments of history and archaeological knowledge. Taxila has hamlets and forbidden forests ringing it round, with a market town and a fortress as its nerve centres. Some villagers are constantly threatened by the soldiers of the Governor. Life is a clash of interests of different kinds, all of which can hark back to today’s times, proving that the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Anahita and Nelli demonstrate that in the ancient world, some girls managed to make an impact despite the prevailing patriarchy. There are Alexander’s descendants floating around and speaking different dialects – all of which are new and intriguing to Xuan, who has a gift for languages. He is apparently a slave to his master, but at the same time, he owes him a debt, and everything is not what it seems. Muthuraman unfolds a story of mystery within mystery, which goes in rings like the concentric fortress at Taxila’s heart. Xuan is an intelligent investigator and a coward at the same time, but this is the first of the stories, and it serves as an introduction to his life and his new friends. 

Certain things could have been avoided, like the visit to the banker with Ekla in tow, which was bound to result in disaster. Still, Xuan manages to escape in one way or another from catastrophes – though mainly through the influence of the General’s daughter. The focus on the characters is generic, so they add to the narrative through their actions without bogging it down with unnecessary layers, except for Xuan, who we realise is probably the thinker among the friends. Presumably, of course, as the mysteries from Muthuraman’s pen traverse the Silk Road, there will be more insight into each of the characters.

For young adults, this will be an introduction to a world of which they are probably vaguely aware - Taxila, its royal language of Kharoshti, and Kanishka have mainly been confined to history books and not delved into with much depth. Muthuram’s book will possibly add new colour to the teachings of early Indian history and the coming of Chinese pilgrims from Chan’gan to learn teachings and the Indian way of life.