Asura- Tale of the Vanquished

 Asura- Tale of the Vanquished

For millions of years, we all grew up listening to one of the greatest stories of IndianMythology- The Ramayana. The Story of Ram (the incarnation of God) who wins over Ravana (the Evil) to establish the righteous path – the Dharma. But, what if, Ravana and his people had a different story to tell us? As it happens every single time, the pages of History belong to those who are victorious. And the voice of the vanquished gets lost in silence. But perhaps the time is now for the dead and the defeated to speak.

This book, Asura is one such masterpiece written by Anand Neelakantan where he depicts the story of Ravana. It’s a different perspective of Ramayana, told from the view of Ravana and can also be called Ravanayana. The story moves with Badra, Ravana's trustworthy soldier who shares his views on Ravana and Ram's reign. The plot starts with how the ancient Asura Emperor was shattered into pieces and lay under the heel of Devas Kingdom. The Asuras were in desperation and finally, they found their savior, Ravana.

Ravana dealt with poverty, during his growing up years. He struggled so hard even for a single meal per day. He was in Srilanka with his mother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. He was completely opposite to the blind religious beliefs even though his father, a Brahmin saint. He was so depressed about the caste system in their society and how the lower caste people were treated as slaves by the dominant society (especially by the Devas). He wants to eradicate this complete system and was determined to give a prosperous life to all his people. The Story, thus moving forward tells about how Ravana achieves this feat.

The most exciting part of this book is Ravana's care for his daughter, Sita. Yes, you have read it correctly. It was explained in this book that Sita was Ravana's daughter and because of his love towards his daughter, Ravana has taken Sita back to his place. It is this one action by Ravana, which paved the way for the destruction of his entire kingdom. The author also adds how Ravana's reign was so prosperous and his vision towards the future of his people. Most of the Indian subcontinent was under his territory. Technological advancement and architectural developments were at their top. He was a man who was completely against superstition belief.

This book also clearly depicts how the love for his daughter and the betrayal by his own brother and by his friend destroyed him. This book further explains, what happened after Ravana’s death? What happened to the Asuras? What happened to Sita and Ram? How history was changed? And so on. There are numerous points that are shocking, and each chapter is a complete contradiction to the one which we have been listening to ever since.

So, who is this book for?

For those who are open to reading a new perspective of history! And for those who want to understand how the ancient society was made-off. This book can give an in-depth insight.

Happy reading!