Ajaya: Epic of the Kaurava Clan, Book I, Roll of the Dice | Anand Neelakantan

Anand Neelakantan's second book: AJAYA, is the story of Duryodhana nee Suyodhana, the crown prince of Hastinapura. The oft told story of the Great War of Mahabharata is retold from a different perspective. Which in fact makes the narrative enticing and very interesting. Anand has done a lot of research and gives the readers an amazing view point from the "Villain" - Duryodhana, whose side of the story nobody bothered to understand. Generations have read the story of the Pandavas and mothers name their sons Arjun in the hope that their sons would emulate the fine qualities of the great warrior. Anand has given a different twist to the whole story. That makes these men, human and fallible. 

When you imagine a Bheema, all muscle and power, you cannot but wonder if he ever crossed the line and became a bully. The very thought that maybe Yudhistira might have been cunning is incomprehensible. AJAYA gives you a new insight, forcing you to acknowledge and even think that maybe, the Pandavas were not all good and the Kauravas all evil. The losing side never gets to share their story. AJAYA is Anand's attempt to tell the story of the losing side. 

The story begins with Bhishma razing down Gandhar and carrying off Gandhari and the little prince Shakuni to Hastinapura. Gandhari eventually weds the blind prince Dhritarashtira and begets the mighty Kauravas. 

The Pandavas and Kauravas become sworn enemies from childhood and as the story unfolds, we are told that the Pandavas have their fallacies and are as cunning and scheming as can be. The constant bullying by Bheema and the way Yudhistira plays his games make for an interesting read. 

Suyodhana is shown to be a passionate and obstinate child, gullible to the ways of his maternal uncle, Shakuni who stays back in Hastinapura to give wrong advise to his blind brother-in-law. 
The Princes grow together in the palace and their ambitious mothers egg them on for one upmanship but are bound by the strict codes of the disciplined Bhishma, the Grand Regent. 

In the book, Guru Drona, a great warrior, is seen as a person with rigid ideologies and weakness for his son. The way Drona asks for Ekalavya's thumb chills one's bones. A great Guru, Drona, sees Ekalavya simply as a hindrance to Arjun's rise as the greatest archer and nothing else. To fulfill his promise to Kunti, Drona takes Ekalavya's thumb as tutelage. 

I would consider this as pure evil, but for the great teacher Drona, pushing Arjuna to the top was the highest priority. To serve that motive, Drona was ready to do anything. The ultimate goal was to make his son, a King. This could have been possible only with the help of the mighty Kauravas. 

Anand has brought out the nuances of the caste structures and domination in the tale very well, etching out each character's foibles. Anand has very deftly interwoven stories that nobody wants to remember: Arjuna was not the only one to hit the fish's eye, Karna, at that time, King of Anga who was a competitor. But, Draupadi refuses to acknowledge Karna's feat and instead choses to wed Arjuna. Draupadi in her heart always has fondness for the man who won her hand, Arjuna, but due to circumstances and Kunti's blind dictat, is forced to marry the Pandava brothers. As per Vedic law, a woman could marry four men. 

This tale is about Shakuni and his immense hatred for the Grand Regent for having destroyed his kingdom. He plots and masterfully drives the cousins to the biggest blood tragedy. 

Anand's narrative and the fleshing out of the characters is beautiful and captures the essence of the times. The book ends with the command to bring Draupadi to the Sabha.    

This is a must read book for anybody interested in the Great War of Mahabharata and the characters that make the story unique. Especially, I would recommend this book for people who would like to know about a different view of the Crown Prince of Hastinapura: Suyodhana.