Title: Ajaya: Roll of the Dice (Epic of the Kaurava clan, #1)

Author: Anand Neelakantan

Price: Rs. 299/-

Rating: 4/5

About the Author (From the Book’s Cover):

I WAS BORN IN A QUAINT little village called Thripoonithura, on the outskirts of Cochin, Kerala. Located east of mainland Ernakulam, across Vembanad Lake, this village had the distinction of being the seat of the Cochin royal family. However, it was more famous for its 100-odd temples, the various classical artists it produced, and its school of music. I remember many an evening listening to the faint rhythm of the chendas coming from the temples, and the notes of the flute escaping over the rugged walls of the music school. However, Gulf money and the rapidly expanding city of Cochin, have wiped away all remaining vestiges of that old-world charm. The village has evolved into the usual, unremarkable, suburban hellhole clones of which dot India. Growing up in a village with more temples than was necessary, it was little wonder that mythology fascinated me. Ironically, I was drawn to the anti-heroes. My own life went on… I became an engineer, joined the Indian Oil Corporation, moved to Bangalore, married Aparna, and welcomed my daughter Ananya, and son, Abhinav. However, the voices of yore refused to be silenced in my mind. I felt impelled to narrate the stories of the vanquished and the damned; and give life to those silent heroes who have been overlooked in our uncritical acceptance of conventional renderings of our epics. This is Anand s second book and follows the outstanding success of his national #1 bestseller, ASURA Tale Of The Vanquished (Platinum Press 2012). AJAYA Book II, Rise Of Kali, is due for release later in 2014. Anand can be reached at: mail@asura.co.in

About the Book (From the Cover):

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…

Now for my view:

I’m really loving (well almost) the Me-Time that I have had in abundance for the past month or so. Why? Well because I have read so many books in this period that I almost feel a gleeful sense of accomplishment, one I can’t even begin to explain. But keeping that aside let’s come back to Ajaya. I received the book a week back while I was in the midst of reviewing a couple others. So I promptly kept it on my book shelf to pick up when its turn came in queue. But the very next day, I saw a colleague of mine reading Ajaya in the Office Bus. He was lost in it, reading it with such rapt attention that I almost felt like a hungry child looking at another taking a bite out of a yummy burger. Weird analogy I know! But what I mean to say is that he was so much into the book that he almost tripped and fell while getting off the bus. That did it, how could I not enjoy the book like him when I had it with me! So that evening after reaching home I headed straight to my book shelf and picked up Ajaya and here I am two days later penning the review.

I have never read Mahabharata or even Ramayana for that matter. Of course I’ve heard stories from my parents and my grandmother about the same, in fact even my husband. So I do know the popular anecdotes but not the whole of it. Let’s just say I have a low mythological awareness quotient. So I really had no preconceived notions when I went into reading this book except the need to decipher the secret behind my colleague’s undivided attention to the book.

If you have read the blurb above you would know what the book is about. It is the tale of another perspective, a new way of looking onto Mahabharata through Suyodhana’s (Duryodhana) Eyes.

What I liked most about the book was the way Anand Neelakantan wrote it. I could picture all the characters and the settings lucidly, so much so that I felt as one of the characters in the book. While all books have that quality, the gift of taking you to a different dimension with the characters and the story, Ajaya is one of those few books which lets you visualize effortlessly.

As you read you’ll realize how much research Anand Neelakantan must have put in. Writing a book is in itself a herculean task but then doing the home work is another feat altogether. The author has beautifully blended his imagination and historical facts to give us a piece of fiction, each page of which is worth savoring.

And need I say that it’s absolutely un-put-down-able? I wanted to keep reading come sleep or work. I wanted to know what would happen next. I now realize why my colleague was so enthralled by it.

As you read this book you’ll feel empathy for Duryodhana, for I felt it. This book gives you a glimpse into the alternate reality, another view of Bhishma or delves a tad bit more about Karna. It makes you realize that indeed a story has two sides and it depends on the narrator. Mahabharata was one side of the coin and Ajaya is another. I think that about sums it all up.

Grab a copy and read it. You’ll not regret!