This was a long time back . Those were my schooling days . The summer vacations were going on . My Father had just brought me a Marathi novel to read . It was a bulky one and I wasn't interested in reading books in those days . I mean summer vacations are meant for playing and enjoying with friends right . My mornings and evenings were reserved for cricket and we used to play badminton at night . Afternoon was reserved for indoor games likes cards , monopoly and if someone remembers Champul . So I was so busy , there was no time to read that book . But my Father insisted and purposefully kept the book on the showcase of the living room so that I could see it all the time . 

One day I finally picked it up and started to read the first few pages . I was hooked up . The next thing I remember is my mother calling me for evening snacks . What is was evening , alreday ?? I was so engrossed in reading the book that I didn't realise time slipping by. 

After enjoying the evening refreshments I again picked up the book and delved into its magical world . This was the world of Mahabharata and our hero was not Arjuna but Karna. 

The next few days I skipped the morning and evening cricket , skipped the afternoon card games and just kept reading . It was the most amazing book I ever read. Every detail of the life of Karna was so beautifully written , I felt so emotional for him . It was as if all was happening infront of my eyes . His days as a young boy, his early struggles of not being a Kshatriya , how he meets Duryodhana and the Pandavas , how Duryodhana becomes his friend , how he supports his friend even in troubled times knowing that his friend might be wrong , his interaction with the Pandavas specially with Arjuna , the events after the humiliation of Draupadi, knowing that he too is a Pandava , the Mahabharata, his skills at war , his surya worship , his generosity and the quality to help others in need etc all is so wonderfully expressed .I was in awe of Karna . 

I vividly remember this part . I was nearing the end of the book . The battle between Karna and Arjuna was going on. The hopes of Kauravas were resting on Karna defeating Arjuna . Lord Krishna had blessed Arjuna with the Bhagwat Geeta . Intense battle  continues . The two are a match for each other . Whatever one does the other does it better and vice versa . Then there is that seen which made me Cry . The death of Karna . 

While reading it there were tears in my eyes. It's the brilliance of the author who made me fall in love with Karna and I felt the pain when he's no more . The backdrop of war is so beautifully explained and how people grieved on his demise . 

It was afternoon when I finished the book and as I was reading the final pages tears were rolling down my face . I was struggling to control them . I very vividly remember I was trying to avoid my Mom as she was cleaning the house . She would have caught me crying . 

Since that summer I have read multiple books but never ever experienced similar emotions . This was the book which made me Cry . 

The book is - "Mrutunjay - by Shivaji Sawant"