Book Review : Ajaya - Roll Of The Dice (Anand Neelakantan)

After the enormously likable 'Asura', I could not resist myself from picking up more of Anand Neelakantan's literary works. And as I had guessed it, I loved the 'Ajaya' series which is the author's take on Mahabharata's characters. This is the first book in the series and predictably, it is written from the viewpoint of the vanquished 'Kauravas'.

It begins with the childhood days of the cousins. Suyodhan ( that is how Anand refers to Duryodhan, the eldest Kaurava ) and his siblings are depicted as carefree souls who are needlessly badgered by the Pandavas. Yudhisthira is the obsequious child who is out to please all while Bhima is shown to be a bully. In fact the only Pandav who shows some heart is Arjuna. A scheming Kunti, an indifferent Gandhari, a helpless Dhritarashtra, a vengeful Shakuni and an authoritative Bhisma are some of the prominent characters who influence their childhood.

The grooming of the young royals under the tutelage of Dronacharya is given sufficient coverage. This is the section of the book where we get to have a sneak peek of the personalities of the young Pandavas and Kauravas. The infamous Ekalavya incident is also played out in gory detail in this section. While most of us would have already heard of it but reading it in Neelakantan's language almost moves one to tears.

The introduction of Karna and his desire to break free of caste shackles is another high point of this book. His travel to South India and his grooming under Parshuram wonderfully depicted. The author also spends sufficient effort in developing the bond friendship that develops between Karna, Suyodhana and Aswathama (Drona's son) as it is quite pivotal to the climax of the epic.

The subplots are wonderfully developed and integrated in a way that is almost seamless. Despite there being too many characters in the story, one never feels a break in the narrative. There is an excess of gore in sections (which I avoided by skipping a few paragraphs and pages) of the book. The building of Indraprastha and the exploitation of Mayasura and his Naga folks is one section that almost had me choking on tears.

Apart from the central characters, the minor characters like Ekalavya, Jara and Mayasura are extremely well developed. Based on rigid caste lines, this is one take on the Mahabharata that will have the purists screaming for blood. Shunning the so called 'divine origin' of the Pandavas, the author has referred to them as 'bastards'. Kunti is shown as the power hungry widow who is out to ensure that her son 'Yudhisthira' ascends on the throne of Hastinapur at any cost. She is manipulative and merciless as she does not hesitate even for a moment before trapping the poor Nishada family in the palace of lac. The way she treats her own daughter in law is also deplorable for she uses the young woman as a pawn for furthering her own ambitions. Shunning popular folklore where she is said to have unwittingly wed Draupadi to the five Pandavas, Neelakantan paints the picture of a woman who uses cold logic to ensure that a pretty woman does not become the reason for discord among her sons. As Draupadi puts it, it is "the darkness within" her soul that speaks for her.

The climax of this book ends at the infamous dice game where the Pandavas lose everything including themselves and their common wife Draupadi .

[ Watch out this space for the next book of the series 'The Rise of Kali'. To be reviewed shortly ...]

Book Review : Karna's Wife - The Outcast's Queen ( Kavita Kane )

(Groan). Yet another Mahabharata !! Yep it is, but can it ever go out of relevance ? For the tussle between good and evil, not just the ones in the absolute sense but the ones that co-exist within each one of us. is a never-ending one. (Yet another groan). But for now, you can just put the groanfest on hold. A refreshingly new take on the epic by one of the lesser known characters, this one is sure to hold you spellbound. As I have always maintained, there can be as many versions to this epic as there were characters in what is considered as one of the holiest books of Hindu mythology. A different perspective for each character.

Coming back to the book that I am about to review, I very much thank Kavita Kane for this delightful read. The way she has portrayed Uruvi is commendable. There could have been many shades to this character like Uruvi the daughter, Uruvi the princess and Uruvi the mother . But her sole focus is on Uruvi the wife. And every chapter beautifully captures or reveals emotions that can only be witnessed by a wife/lover. Love, jealousy, hatred, insecurity and so on. The author has left no stone unturned as she explores the gamut of emotions that any wife is capable of.

Relinquishing her Kshatriya status, Uruvi follows the footsteps of the man that she has so helplessly fallen in love with. Her sense of righteousness compels her to choose him over Arjuna at the Swayamvar, a step that only serves to earns her the scorn of the people that she grew up with. As the 'Pariah's wife',she discovers a 'cruelly superficial' world that she had not been able to recognize earlier. But to her credit, she takes everything in stride and finds succor with the man she loves. Till, the disgrace of Draupadi in the royal court of Hastinapur. That moment changes her life for ever.

Apart from her regular banterings with Karna, there are two chapters on the book that I thoroughly enjoyed. One is when Uruvi seeks forgiveness from Draupadi. And the other one is a discussion between herself and Bhanumati (Duryodhan's wife). Ofcourse, there is the monologue where she vents her frustrations at Kunti. 

The battle of Kurukshetra is well depicted with the inclusion of minute details and thankfully without indulging in too much gore. However, if I had to pick a single flaw in this narration, it would be the continued maligning of Draupadi's character. Is it not bad enough that the poor female was tricked into marrying five men by a mother-in-law that she continues to be dangled as a piece of meat in front of Karna ? The insinuation of being the 'ultimate temptation' sounds rather crass when hurled at this wretched woman blessed with five spineless husbands and who ultimately loses her five children in he war. The germ of  an idea, that of Draupadi's infatuation/love with Karna, was sown by Prativa Ray in 'Yagnaseni' and I am appalled that author after author continues to nurture it. At this rate I won't be surprised if at some point in the future, an enterprising new author would come up with the idea that the battle of Kurukhetra was fought to win back Draupadi who had chosen to elope with Karna ( something on the lines of the Trojan war ).