The Great Lord Ram vs The Great King Ravana.

I love reading and if given a choice I could spend my day doing nothing but just reading something of my interest till the moment I sleep. My reading interests range from sports, politics, history, current affairs to mythology, though in the last 2 years it has mostly centered around mythology. As a part of this long streak I happened to read two very contrasting but interesting books on Ramayana, Scion of Ikhsvaku by Amish Tripathi (AT) and Asura – Tale of the Vanquished by Anand Neelkantam (AN).I started with Asura and by the time I completed it, AT’s much awaited book on the Ram series was already up for grabs. So I thought it would be a great idea to start reading  Scion of Ikhsvaku right away as it would be like same story, same plot, two different perspectives, in one the hero being Ram and in the other the fearsome Ravana himself. Absolute delight for any connoisseur of mythology.

It was not the first time that I was reading the work of both these authors. I have read AT’s Ajaya earlier, which was Mahabharata from Suyodhana’s (Duryodhana’s)  perspective, a truly gripping read and also a testament of his rebel like ideology. So ever since, reading Asura was always on the cards. AT on the other hand is one of my favorite modern day authors on Indian mythology (along with Devdutt) and his debut work piece – The Shiva Trilogy is a sheer masterpiece. No wonder the nationwide anticipation for his new book was so immense. Although, Scion of Ikshvaku is just part 1 of the multi series book but AT’s stand on all the main characters is pretty much clear in it. And having read both these books back to back, I couldn’t resist comparing their individual take on the key protagonists of this epic tale. Here’s a snapshot –

Ram

·         AT - AT’s hero, the most righteous and law abiding being to have ever graced the land, a man so right that he could even go against the wishes of his loved ones to keep the sanctity of his Dharma intact. One who considers merit over the age old traditions of caste ranks. And most importantly the one who vowed to have just one wife in the age where it was a fashion to have many. A true Vishnu Avatar, one to be worshiped.

·         AN - AN on the other hand treated him as a skillful warrior who could against the popular belief of righteousness uses trickery as well as he did with Bali and on apparently several occasions to garner support to win back her wife. Someone deeply driven by the shackles of the caste system, who couldn’t even trust his wife for the sake of keeping his own name and image un-tarnished in front of his subjects. Someone popular only because he managed to behead the great and invincible Ravana. But one who let go his wife for that semblance of doubt that a commoner raised on her character.

Sita

·         AT - AT’s other hero(ine), Janaka’s adopted daughter, one who was most determinate and resolute in the worldly pursuit of life. A skillful warrior par excellence whom Ram respected not just for her beauty, simplicity but also for her valor and unmatched righteousness.

·         AN – Ravana’s daughter, the reason for the epic war, as Ravana the father couldn’t stay away from her. Righteous in her own right, one who would not sacrifice her chastity and would wait for his beloved husband till the end of the time even if that calls for suffering all the hardships of the world.

Ravana

·         AT – AT’s villain, the only warrior to have ever defeated the mighty Dasratha in the war. The proud ruler and dweller of the golden land of Lanka. One who was among the most skillful and feared warrior in his own right and who was once embarrassingly forced to go back from Sita’s swayamvar and whose arrogance and foolhardiness led to the fall of his great empire.

·         AN – AN’s hero, tad high headed, maverick but the most intelligent and valiant warrior of his times. One whose intentions were never to kidnap Sita just for his sister’s revenge but more so for the love and longing for his beloved daughter (Sita). One who was against the shackles of caste rankings and only believed in merit and who once accepted his wife despite her being raped and molested by a raging mob, unlike the supposed Vishnu Avatar of that time.

The tale itself

·         AT – AT’s weaves his tale in the traditional way, around the heroics and righteousness of Ram. And how despite all the hardships since early age, he manages to keep his dharma intact and pursues the real goal of Vishnu avatar in the most clinical manner. AT also devotes lot of airtime to Sita and her perspective to the finer details of life and beautifully exemplifies on how she was also as righteous and law abiding as her husband. With more parts of the book to follow, I am sure AT would keep it as engaging as he has always managed to.

·         AN – Being a rebel, AN focusses on Ravana’s side of story, on how he goes on to become the most successful and feared ruler of his time, rather than just bringing him into light only after Surpnakha’s episode. The manner in which AN has narrated Ravana’s daughter’s (Sita) tale and the emotional bond he had for her is truly moving. And the emphasis he has laid on Ravana’s broad minded approach in dealing with the societal nitty-gritty is worth a second read.

From the recommendation standpoint one should read both these books, though the purists would enjoy only AT’s version not just for his traditional approach of handling the epic tale but also for his more eloquent and engaging style of writing. For those with an appetite for experimentation and exploring new ideas, Asura makes for a sure shot read. In my opinion, it would be unfair to do a one on one comparison between the two books and pick one but I can say with a lot of conviction that Asura (the Ravanas version of the epic) is much more believable than AN’s other work Ajaya (Mahabharats from Suyodhana’s (Duryodhana’s) perspective).

Next up is Palace of Illusions by Divakaruni - Draupadi's version of Mahabharata. Exciting times ahead:).

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kin…

Afterthought – My father who has been a voracious reader of these mythological tales and who has also inspired and invoked my taste into this wonderful stream, finds these new age style of retelling our epics by either depicting our Gods as commoners or glorifying the anti-heroes, as objectionable, shameful and money making gimmicks, through sensationalism. I have often had this discussion with him and my point of view has always been slightly deferring. I feel these are all the interpretations of the author as much as the centuries old traditional tales have been the interpretations of the Sage Valmikis and Vyasas of the world. With all due respect to the them, as long as these epics are keeping us mesmerized and not demeaning our beliefs it shouldn’t really matter which interpretations are popular and which ones aren’t J.