23/03/2026
A heartfelt thank you to our reader for the overwhelming response and thoughtful review of our author Gopalakrishna Kuntini’s books, especially his latest release Taliban.
Your support, encouragement, and engagement mean a great deal to us and continue to inspire meaningful books.
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Writing geopolitical books is not easy. Many people say that anyone can write them and that there is no real creativity involved. But in reality, to write a book on such a subject requires deep study and immense dedication.
I begin with this thought after reading the book on the Taliban by Gopalakrishna Kuntini, someone I have never met but have read extensively. I was truly amazed at how much he has read and researched for this book.
Kuntini is essentially a storyteller. Back when we were in school, he used to write short stories that were published in daily and weekly newspapers. We all used to read them. His language and narrative style had a certain magic that stayed with us. Then, for many years, he seemed to disappear.
In recent years, he has returned, writing and publishing stories again. After reading and appreciating his three short story collections, I had emailed him. He would reply with just a single word: “Thanks.”
So when he suddenly turned to writing on geopolitical subjects, I was surprised. I read his first geopolitical book POK and congratulated him. Then he moved towards mythology. After reading Love and War in the Mahabharata, I appreciated him again. And now, he has returned to geopolitics.
I would say Taliban is the best book of this year. In a single volume, he has portrayed all facets of our neighboring country, Afghanistan. The book poignantly and painfully explains how the poor people of Afghanistan have suffered punishment for mistakes they never made, largely due to foreign invasions. Although the title is Taliban, this is essentially a history of Afghanistan. It narrates the country’s past from the Vedic period to the present day. The book feels like the culmination of deep research. Such a detailed account of Afghanistan’s story has not appeared in Kannada before.
I must thank both the author and Sawanna Prakashana, the publisher, for bringing out this book. At this moment, this book is truly necessary for reading, reference, and study.
Gopalakrishna Kuntini
