Ask any Indian about
Mahabharata, he will tell you Pandavas were the heroes and Kauravas were the
evils ones in this epic saga. That is what we have heard, seen in the
Mahabharata TV serial that was aired on Doordarshan and that is what we have always
believed. But, Ananda Neelakantan – the author of the book Ajaya – Roll of the
Dice (the epic of the Kauravas clan) has other ideas. He in his book has
switched the roles of both sides and has presented the epic Mahabharata in a
new, never-thought-of light.
I have read Anand
Neelakantan’s previous book Asura, so I thought that I had a fair idea of what to expect in
this book. But, as I turned pages after pages, the author took me by surprise.
I would not deny that the book intrigued me and kept me glued for all the time
I was reading it. But, do mark my words of caution; the book is an epitome of
radical and preposterous ideas that could even be dubbed as blasphemous by
many. So, if you read it with an open mind, you will enjoy it more. If you mind
what the author says about the heroes of the original Mahabharata in this book,
you are likely to end up irritated.
To cut the long chase short I
would quote the blurb from the book which gives an idea about the premise of
the book.
The Mahabharata endures as the great epic of
India.
But, while Jaya is the story of the Pandavas,
told from the perspective of the victors of Kurukshetra; Ajaya is the narrative
of the ‘unconquerable’ Kauravas, who were decimated to the last man.
At the heart of India’s most powerful empire, a
revolution is brewing. Bhishma, the noble patriarch of Hastinapura, is
struggling to maintain the unity of his empire. On the throne sits
Dhritarashtra, the blind King, and his foreign-born Queen – Gandhari. In the
shadow of the throne stands Kunti, the Dowager-Queen, burning with ambition to
see her firstborn become the ruler, acknowledged by all.
And in the wings:
* Parashurama, the enigmatic Guru of the
powerful Southern Confederate, bides his time to take over and impose his will
from mountains to ocean.
* Ekalavya, a young Nishada, yearns to break
free of caste restrictions and become a warrior.
* Karna, son of a humble charioteer, travels to
the South to study under the foremost Guru of the day and become the greatest
archer in the land.
* Balarama, the charismatic leader of the
Yadavas, dreams of building the perfect city by the sea and seeing his people
prosperous and proud once more.
* Takshaka, guerilla leader of the Nagas,
foments a revolution by the downtrodden as he lies in wait in the jungles of
India, where survival is the only dharma.
* Jara, the beggar, and his blind dog Dharma,
walk the dusty streets of India, witness to people and events far greater than
they, as the Pandavas and the Kauravas confront their searing destinies.
Amidst the chaos, Prince Suyodhana, heir of
Hastinapura, stands tall, determined to claim his birthright and act according
to his conscience. He is the maker of his own destiny – or so he believes.
While in the corridors of the Hastinapura palace, a foreign Prince plots to
destroy India. And the dice falls…
The writing style is good.
The plot seems well researched. However, there were points when I felt the
author is trying too hard to portray Duryodhana in good light (He is called
‘Suyodhana’ by the author in the novel). It is not retelling of Mahabharata,
rather a very different narration of the epic.
I would not want to get into the
details of how the story moves in the book; you have to read the book to know
about it. Overall, I think the author has put his arguments and point of views about
various incidents that takes place in the epic Mahabharata very deftly. That is
why I was looking forward to read how he would explain the horrendous treatment
to Draupadi after the Pandavas lose the game of dice. But, that is why the
author stops and decides to narrate the rest of the story in the next book.
After some thought, I realized he might have deliberated done so, to lure the
readers into the reading the next book.
I definitely want to read the
next half of the book – The Rise of Kali.
