Thursday, November 21, 2013
Ajaya by Anand Neelakantan Is on Preorders at Infibeam
As somebody has rightly put that 'History is in fact His-Story'. Based on the similar lines, author Anand Neelakantan questioned the accepted notion of Ravana being a demon king in his debut book Asura: Tale Of The Vanquished, and now with his upcoming book 'Ajaya: Epic Of The Kaurava Clan: Roll Of The Dice' he is again questioning the notion of Pandavas being virtuous and Kauravas being manipulative and evil.
What inspired 'Ajaya: Epic Of The Kaurava Clan: Roll Of The Dice'?
During a visit to Malanada Temple in Kerela, the author, Anand Neelakantan discovered that the deity worshiped in this temple was Duryodhana, the ostensible villain of Mahabharata. Such an astonishing discovery prompted him to mull over the entire epic and rethink about its characters and story. This upcoming book of him is all about retelling of the Mahabharata story from the angle of Kauravas who were not as evil as shown in the conventional way. This book is all about power of perception.
About the book
The book is a compelling retelling of the famous story of Mahabharata where Duryodhan and his brothers are portrayed as villains while Pandavas as virtuous. The author starts by asking a significant question as to why would any parents give demeaning names to their sons as it is with the Kauravas, for eg. Duryodhana meaning misuser of wealth, Durshashana meaning mis-administrator, etc. Anand argues through the book that the epic was written in the favor of Pandavas. He later turns the entire story of Mahabharata topsy turvy saying that Duryodhana's actual name was Suyodhana and he was so much just that he gave away his son's inheritance to his brother's children.
Anand Neelakantan comments on this book that, “it is an attempt to revisit our mythologies with a modern view and see what the same events looks like when observed from the side of the defeated. Were these people branded villains because they were far ahead of their times? There are many books about the Pandavas, about Karna, Draupadi, Kunti and the other dramatis personae of the Mahabharata. But who speaks for Duryodhana? ”
Swarup Nanda, CEO of Leadstart Publishing said that “We are delighted to be publishing Anand Neelakantan’s Ajaya. In order to expand the reach to the maximum number of book lovers, we are launching this book in 10 different languages pan-India for the first time, these will happen post 90 days of the launch of the English version. I am personally most intrigued by the book as it gives a whole new perspective to the Mahabharata – the story we have all heard growing up. Ajaya is like reading something familiar yet entirely new….it opens the mind to possibilities we have never considered”.
The book is on preorder at one of the most preferred online shopping website, Infibeam-
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1 Responses to “Ajaya by Anand Neelakantan Is on Preorders at Infibeam”
March 26, 2014 at 11:51 AM
hi Kislay,
Thanks for the wonderful review of this book...the author has such deep insights into some of the lesser known aspects and characters of Mahabharata that he blurs the line between mythology and fiction! That said, the book is a thorough read even if is for the simple reason of knowing the 'human' aspects of the various divine characters!
My take here:
http://goanand.com/blog/?p=1460
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