I congratulate the author for his
brave endeavor. What he has envisaged beyond the story of Mahabharata
through the same story deserves this country’s applause!
The first part of AJAYA – Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan
is a must-read for all epic lovers. If you are a Mahabharata genius,
you are sure to enjoy the familiar plot in a different perspective. It
is as if the same story is directed with different screenplays by
different directors. On the contrary, if you are a Mahabharata
illiterate, as I was before touching the book, you are sure to get
enlightened on the country’s greatest tale. It might not be the best
pick to learn the truth of history, but for sure a great choice to take a
walk through the myriads of characters and their most significant sagas
that every Indian should know.
Certainly, full of life and Simplicity!
For years,
the mysterious, complex and confusing relationships amongst the
characters of this epic literally left me disinterested in it. Though at
some corner of my being, I bore the guilt of not having done a duty in
my life. To confess, I, in fact, was never clear before how the
Pandavas were related to the Kauravas. And today the pride and relief I
hold after placing the book down is actually a big load undone. What the
animated television serials could not do, lifeless black and white
words have achieved! Did I say lifeless? Sin on me! With every line, the
long-dead history of India shall come rolling alive scene after scene,
within your forehead! Beyond human minds, the celestial nature has been
captured remarkably too. One cannot go unnoticed of the mood of the
atmosphere around every scene. As I write this, it reminds me of one of
the strikingly impressive lines: “The sky was pregnant with clouds”.
The
conversations are simple to hear; the clarity between what’s being
thought, what’s being uttered and what’s being narrated is fantastically
achieved. And one of average vocabulary doesn’t have to refer a
dictionary throughout.
Structural Elegance
The author
has cleverly assumed that there could be people like me who have run
away from Mahabharata throughout their lives. Thoughtfully, he has begun
the book by introducing the characters and to add, a family tree of the
related lineages. For the first few chapters, I had to re-turn the
introductory pages but with the flow of the book, each character became a
live person in my life. As you know, it is a complex tale of assorted
short stories here and there. However, the author has appropriately
placed the incidents chronologically. There is no space for confusion
unlike the television version where you miss an episode; you actually
miss a few years in every character’s life. Also, the book begins with
the abduction of the Gandhari Princess by Bhisma which is as well quite
appropriate to the book’s intent instead of Lord Krishna’s birth as in
other accounts.
Hearing that
AJAYA is the other side of the story, I assumed the author would
narrate the plot through the eyes of the other men subtly such that the
readers can come to their own conclusion about what could have possibly
happened. However, it was alarming to read from page one how the entire
book has been written openly in favour of the Kauravas and his allies
whereas the Pandavas have been shunned to such a level that the ‘B……’
word has been used on them so casually in most of Duryodhana’s lines.
For a nation that has been raised up hearing the virtues of the
Pandavas, the first few pages will come as a blow on every mind. Thunder
hit my head to realize Lord Krishna was the villain after all!
Yet, after
the initial shock, if the reader would continue with an open mind, the
author’s point shall gain rapport with the reader’s mind.
Coming to the Point…
What the Pandavas and Lord Krishna called as Dharma was
that one must follow what his birth caste casted upon them. May a
Brahmin learn the Vedas and a Kshatriya learn archery! By this way
society shall be put to order. Untouchables shall know their places and
keep away from whatever is pious. Adharma peeps in when
exceptions arise. A shudra wanting to learn archery! And the
consequences are terrible.
On the other
hand, Duryodhana detests the caste system and trusts in the ability of
an individual. What’s wrong in elevating Karna, a skillful archer to
Kingship? Are all Brahmins truly noble? Is it just for the untouchables
to live in poverty their entire life? Can Dharma feed the hunger? Thus
the familiar plot unfolds from his view day by day, year after year
witnessing the atrocities done on the name of Dharma. All other characters have been dissected justly as well.
Readers’ Take Away
To accept or
not the standpoint of the author is totally up to the reader. As I
said, it requires a wide open mind to get into the shoes of Duryodhana
which, I would say, the author has skillfully done. More than
acceptance, what precisely the book intends is an understanding of how
everyone, regardless of their nature and principles, is struggling with
their own battles in life. As how Amish Tripathi made us ponder on what exactly is evil in his Shiva trilogy series,
our author brings in another important question to our society, ‘What
exactly is dharma?’. What is good to one may turn unpleasant to another.
Personally I believe this is a question that needs significant
contemplation by an individual rather than discussions and searching in
ancient texts. This argument is indeed the need-of-the-hour for our
country and for humanity as a whole. And the author has well-begun this
spark in his book!
To celebrate
his success, I would refer Duryodhana as Suyodhana henceforth (his
original name by which he is referred through all the pages). Not
because I abide by all of the author’s points but by the
benefit-of-doubt logic.
If you think
it is in the plot of Mahabharata, you will be surprised to be proved
wrong. At a deeper level, you will realize that the author has touched
two challenging curses of this country – the caste system and poverty!
At some
point in the book, you would want to eradicate all the Brahmins out of
India! Such is the fierce with which it is written. I know of my Brahmin
friends who do not mind touching meat or befriending people of other
castes. However, when it comes to marriage, they shudder at the thought
of other castes solely because not to hurt their predecessors’
orthodoxies. Yet, today there are other kind of Brahmins as well who are
boldly breaking these insanities.
Poverty –
Does it give hope for betterment which the caste system has given?
Definitely Not! The author has dived deep into the hunger in slums with
open noses and merciless eyes. I do not know if the character of Jara is
an imaginary one or not. But I dare say, at the end of the book, you
would not want anyone in this world to have lived like that except in
the latter part, for the true happiness that he finds with life. Today,
when I prepare food for my son, I pray no other young stomach goes
hungry in any part of the world. That is again a celebration for the
author’s success!
Awaiting AJAYA Part II – Rise of Kali
Part I ends
with the thrilling scene where Draupadi is ordered to be dragged to the
sabha on that fateful day of the game play. The short notes at the end
speak on polyandry which is wide prevalent in the Mahabharata. Also, a
beautiful allegory of the characters in a spiritual sense is presented
(Close to Paramahansa Yogananda’s God Talks with Arjuna). Awaiting Part II – AJAYA – Rise of Kali!
Reviewed for Leadstart Publishing
Title: AJAYA – Roll of the Dice
Author: Anand Neelakantan
This review was originally posted at my personal blog Pages from Serendipity on January 31, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment