Ajaya: Roll of the Dice by Anand Neelakantan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second book of the famous Indian author, who also brought “Asura, the Tale of the Vanquished”.

Another great experience of the other side of Indian Mythology. The author seems to have been a born rebel as I see a kind of great zeal in him to investigate and bring to light the aspects that would have been hidden in the great epics of Hinduism on which the entire ideology of the religion is based upon.

This is the story of Suyodhana, the great king of the Kuru clan, who is said to be the reason for the great Kurukshethra war and the greatest villain of the Indian mythology after Ravana of Ramayana. In this book, the author has made great effort to reverse the image of Suyodhana and his clan who were pictured and framed as villains against the good Pandavas, who have a common wife Draupadi. Suyodhana’s kind heartedness and his rebellious nature towards the vehement Brahmin dominated caste system in the then India probably has made him a villain and social disgrace to many vernacular kingdoms of India at that time. His affiliation towards the poor and needy made the higher castemen of the society turn against him and befriend the Pandavas, who were more inclined towards usurping the throne rather than being interested in the welfare of the downtrodden of the vast and powerful Hastinapura kingdom. Taking this as an opportunity, Suyodhana was cleverly dragged into a dispute with his cousins (Pandavas) by his cunning uncle Shakuni, who vowed to destroy India as a vengeance for the destruction of his Gandhara kingdom and assassination of his father by the Grand Regent of the Kurus, Bhishma. The book ends at the point where Pandavas lose their entire kingdom along with their wife in a clever game of dice, planned by Shakuni in revenge for Suyodhana’s insult in Pandava capital, Indraprastha, after umpteen number of twists and turns in the tussle for upper hand between Suyodhana and the Pandava brothers. The story is to be continued in the sequel “AJAYA II”

Pros: The best part of the author is that he always sees good in bad and a possible bad in good. The genetic lineage presented in a diagrammatic form at the beginning shows the effort the author has put in to create this book. The story of Suyodhana, just like Ravana, in the author’s previous blockbuster, reveals so many hidden and twisted facts that every Indian grows up to listen as bed time stories from their parents and grandparents. Every minute story of great characters of Mahabharata epic like Suyodhana, Sushashana, Aswathama, Ekalavya, Karna, Takshaka, Guru Drona, Guru Kripa, Parashurama, Lord Krishna, Balarama, Jarasandha, Subhadra, Draupadi, Kunti etc have been exquisitely captured from Kaurava side, rather than the usual Pandava side which almost every Indian heard right from his/her childhood. The author’s ability to create an unparalleled fiction without disturbing the true meaning, from Kaurava point of view is highly commendable, and requires a standing ovation. At the same time, the high handed approach of Brahmins and Kshatriyas in those days over the downtrodden Shudras is well criticized and tactfully opposed. The reader would be highly mesmerized over the facts produced by the author through his extensive research of various books. One would get kindled and angered by the atrocities and inhumane behaviour of the upper castes on the lower castes just to protect their identities and lifestyle, in the name of ‘Dharma’. Even the beloved God of the Hindus, Lord Krishna was not spared for his cunning and tricky methods of proclaiming himself as an Avatar of Vishnu, and favoring the caste system through Pandava affiliation. I really felt glad for having not being born in those days of Mahabharata, described by the author in this wonderful book….that was the kind of effect this book brought upon me. The scientific explanation of the birth of hundred and one Kauravas to a single couple in connection with modern science is mind boggling.

Cons: I bet that there will be scores of young minds that imbibe the author’s books seriously and develop a kind of hatred towards their deep-rooted beliefs on the ideology itself. I also have a feeling that any foreigner who gets a hand on Ajaya and Asura will start mocking at the great Indian culture and tradition, which is greatly influenced by its epics.
Coming to the story, there seems to have been some characters that disappeared suddenly in between, like Guru Drona and no mention of him in the later stages also. The violation of some of the codes of conduct by pious women in Hinduism had been brought out in a raw and unacceptable form, like Kunti bearing one child before marriage and three children through some other men after marriage, whatever may be the reasons, underlying.

My rating is 4.5 out of 5

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