Book Reviews - Tarot goes Indian

by Nipun A Jacob

The tarot is increasingly becoming the divination tool of choice among seekers. But the book under consideration is no ordinary tome. The author has put together an Indian deck of 22 unique hand-painted cards, replacing the classic tarot archetypes with Indian figures, culture and symbolism. For instance, the high priestess, second trump or major Arcana card has been represented by an Indian prototype, Shakti. Likewise, Yama represents Death. The book comes complete with 22 eye-catching cards.

The book talks about the universality of the tarot, how to read tarot cards, what the pictures stand for, and the reversed meaning on the cards. The table of correspondence crisply explains the card, the Nordic name, Indian name and the meaning. The interpretation of the image on the cards and the explanation of the saga could have been in a larger font. Otherwise this is an interesting indigenous adaptation which is likely to warm the hearts of the thousands of tarot enthusiasts in the country.