The Ramayana is an epic most Indians are familiar with. Briefly, the demon king Ravana captures Sita—the wife of Rama—and takes her to Lanka (Sri Lanka). Rama, with the help of an army of monkeys led by Hanuman, battles Ravana, kills him and rescues his wife.

Asura: Tale of the Vanquished

Asura, covers the life of Ravana, from his lowly, difficult childhood, his rise to fame as the King of Lanka and his eventual death at the hand of Rama. Asura is an epic 600 pages and is more a Ravanayana than a Ramayana. It tells the story of a man, not a demon, led as much by his heart as his head and driven by a noble cause: to unify the Asuras and conquer India and the Devas. Neelakantan does a great job of explaining how others view Ravana as a demon and a 10-headed one at that! And there’s a brilliant twist around why he steals Sita from Rama.

The book isn’t just told from Ravana’s point of view. His chapters are interspersed with those of Bhadra’s story. Bhadra and Ravana share the same humble beginnings, but their lives follow different trajectories. Ravana’s successes—and his eventual downfall—are all thanks to Bhadra, who often ends up beaten and lying in the gutter after doing Ravana a good turn. He’s a survivor and knows when to stand up for himself and when to swallow his pride and kowtow. Bhadra’s life beneath the shadow of the emperor's palace gives him a unique perspective that complements Ravana’s and makes for rich storytelling.

There are no heroes in Asura. Ravana and Bhadra are often despicable, especially in their treatment of women. And Rama—told through Bhadra’s eyes—has his own shortcomings. There are, however, moments of kindness, moments where greatness brushes a fingertip and times where the characters strive to be more despite themselves. Their shortcomings make them human and accessible although not entirely forgivable. 

If you’re interested in Indian mythology and epics, I recommend Asura.

Image: Amazon.co.uk, 04-Dec-2017

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