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gpv 's review for:
Asura: Tale Of The Vanquished
by Anand Neelakantan
'A defeated race often uses its cultural supremacy to cover the shame of defeat.' - Ravana
This one has long been on my to-read list. A book written from the perspective of the vanquished. Daring to shame one of the most revered figures in Indian mythology. That is a rarity in Indian literature. Most are either banned or rarely available due to the pressures put on booksellers by fundamentalists and governments.
This book does not strictly adhere to the original story of Ramayana. What is does is take out all the divine and 'magic' elements out of the story and replaces it with real world explanations. It deals with the eventual deification of Rama after he defeats Ravana, and how it came about. Along the way, it incorporates many elements of religious malpractices that are prevalent even today in our society, and does it well without dropping the ball on storytelling. It does not shy from calling a spade a spade and calls out everything that is wrong with Ramayana (if you consider it a true story) no matter how much one may want to drape it in layers of dharma and righteousness.
The narrative is presented from the POV of two characters in alternating chapters: Ravana and Bhadra (a common Asura soldier). The author does a great job of creating an appropriate demarcation between an Asura and Rakshasa.
The books starts promisingly enough. It establishes Ravana's rise from a commoner after he is banished from Lanka by his cousin Kubera. Along the way, it also establishes the rise and fall of the Asuras, till the end of Mahabali's reign. The overall story of the rise and fall of Ravana is well covered too.
It is in the philosophical monologues that the book started to get on my nerves. Ravana, despite everything he achieves, constantly comes across as teenager with insecurity issues. While it was understandable in the beginning, it did get very tiresome as the book progressed along. The author tries to sell us the same philosophy time and again, only written in different words.
Bhadra is supposed to represent the voice of the common man in the book. And, he does it well. As a class of society repressed by the government, the common man can become irritated, depressed, and prone to complaining. However, as the book progresses, Bhadra's internal monologues tend to suffer from the same issues of being repeated over and over again. Aside from that issue, Bhadra is a fine representation of a downtrodden class who will idolize his ruler for their good deeds and will cry over his dead body, but won't hesitate to loot his dead body for self survival.
As the first quote portrays, it is quite understandable that all the Deva cities are essentially portrayed as nothing short of hovels considering that the narration is from the point of view of Ravana as he lies dying on the battlefield. However, the author frequently contradicts his own claims. Despite Ravana's claim about the superiority of the Asura civilization, we see none of the things that he claims to be true about the Asura society.
The twist with Sita's character is a nice addition as well. Some of the twists added to other characters make for an interesting reading as well.
The biggest letdown for the readers is the editing of the book. There are multiple typos scattered throughout the book. The grammar is horrible in many places. The story, despite being set in ancient times, uses many modern jargon. The author somehow seems to have let his emotions affect the flow of his narrative and ruins what could have been a great book.
I could go on and on about the deficiencies in the book. An extremely promising tale is let down by its author. I would suggest picking up this book only after you have cleared everything else on your to-read list.
This one has long been on my to-read list. A book written from the perspective of the vanquished. Daring to shame one of the most revered figures in Indian mythology. That is a rarity in Indian literature. Most are either banned or rarely available due to the pressures put on booksellers by fundamentalists and governments.
This book does not strictly adhere to the original story of Ramayana. What is does is take out all the divine and 'magic' elements out of the story and replaces it with real world explanations. It deals with the eventual deification of Rama after he defeats Ravana, and how it came about. Along the way, it incorporates many elements of religious malpractices that are prevalent even today in our society, and does it well without dropping the ball on storytelling. It does not shy from calling a spade a spade and calls out everything that is wrong with Ramayana (if you consider it a true story) no matter how much one may want to drape it in layers of dharma and righteousness.
The narrative is presented from the POV of two characters in alternating chapters: Ravana and Bhadra (a common Asura soldier). The author does a great job of creating an appropriate demarcation between an Asura and Rakshasa.
The books starts promisingly enough. It establishes Ravana's rise from a commoner after he is banished from Lanka by his cousin Kubera. Along the way, it also establishes the rise and fall of the Asuras, till the end of Mahabali's reign. The overall story of the rise and fall of Ravana is well covered too.
It is in the philosophical monologues that the book started to get on my nerves. Ravana, despite everything he achieves, constantly comes across as teenager with insecurity issues. While it was understandable in the beginning, it did get very tiresome as the book progressed along. The author tries to sell us the same philosophy time and again, only written in different words.
Bhadra is supposed to represent the voice of the common man in the book. And, he does it well. As a class of society repressed by the government, the common man can become irritated, depressed, and prone to complaining. However, as the book progresses, Bhadra's internal monologues tend to suffer from the same issues of being repeated over and over again. Aside from that issue, Bhadra is a fine representation of a downtrodden class who will idolize his ruler for their good deeds and will cry over his dead body, but won't hesitate to loot his dead body for self survival.
As the first quote portrays, it is quite understandable that all the Deva cities are essentially portrayed as nothing short of hovels considering that the narration is from the point of view of Ravana as he lies dying on the battlefield. However, the author frequently contradicts his own claims. Despite Ravana's claim about the superiority of the Asura civilization, we see none of the things that he claims to be true about the Asura society.
The twist with Sita's character is a nice addition as well. Some of the twists added to other characters make for an interesting reading as well.
The biggest letdown for the readers is the editing of the book. There are multiple typos scattered throughout the book. The grammar is horrible in many places. The story, despite being set in ancient times, uses many modern jargon. The author somehow seems to have let his emotions affect the flow of his narrative and ruins what could have been a great book.
I could go on and on about the deficiencies in the book. An extremely promising tale is let down by its author. I would suggest picking up this book only after you have cleared everything else on your to-read list.