Rewriting history: Ajaya
We all have read, heard or watched stories of Mahabharata. It is the tale of victory of dharma over adharma. 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. Ajaya, Roll Of The Dice by Anand Neelakantan is the first book in the two-part series on Mahabharata.
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 queen Gandhari. In the shadow of the throne stands Kunti, burning with ambition to see her firstborn become the ruler. Amidst the chaos, Prince Suyodhana (Duryodhan), heir of Hastinapura, stands tall, determined to claim his birthright. The book is written from a villain’s perspective, and allows him to justify his acts in the great war of Kurukshetra.
In Neelakantan’s retelling, the dharma of the Pandavas is not about ‘duty’ or ‘justice’ — it is actually about rigidly and unquestioningly following caste rules.
Revisiting history is not easy and rewriting mythology is tougher. There is no actual proof of what is written and what is being rewritten, then there are religious sentiments which can be hurt.
Neelkantan has taken up a brave subject, I wish he could have carried it with panache. The writer’s hero unfortunately, fails to gain reader’s sympathy. One wonders if Suyodhan’s justifications are actually justified. However, it is a good sketch on various characters of the epic tale.
For the young minds
Every now and then we hear someone cribbing about how the younger generation is moving away from our roots, especially the children of our age hardly know anything about our history, culture and mythology.
Warriors of Kurukshetra, written in plain and simple language, helps youngsters connect to India’s most famous war and unravel mysteries of Mahabharata. Mamta Bhatt and Tripti Sheth termed the book a gift to the child from a mother.
Bhatt decided to write the tales in the great epics in a plain a simple language as she felt that young must get an exposure to the great Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
She says she started searching the book for her son but failed to meet her requirement. It was then that she decided to pen the book. And she shared the idea with her friend Sheth who welcomed the idea and expressed the wish to co-author the book.
The duo worked tirelessly for a long time. As a result, Warriors of Kurukshetra was born. “The main idea is to introduce the young children with the evergreen tales of Mahabharata, thereby apprising them of great Indian values and sanskars,” says Bhatt
Sheth says that the book is an effort to apprise young children of the tales of great epic in a plain and simple language.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}