Bharathaparyatanam by Kuttikrishnamarar

Yet another work related to the great epic, Mahabharatha.

This is a collection of essays based on Mahabharatha by Kuttikrishna Marar. This book is unique in the impartiality shown by the author in analyzing the different characters and situations in the epic story. Rather than reinforcing the black and white characterization that is promoted by majority of people, Marar  dares to bring out the gray shades of all the characters. He also challenges some of the common interpretations of the epic, quoting reliable sources.

The essays are typically based on different situations from Mahabharatha. The first one in the book is about Bhishma's pledge. You really get a taste of what lies ahead in the book when Marar contrasts that with Rama's pledge in Ramayana. Some of the other essays are about Amba, Krishna's attitude towards Pandavas and Kauravars, Duryodhana's sense of Dharma, the impartial Balarama, cowardice of Yudhishtira etc.

 One of the best books about Mahabharatha. 4 out of 5.

Now Let Me Sleep (Ini Njan Urangatte) by P.K Balakrishnan

Mahabharatha is undoubtedly the great epic of India.  But I would always like to see it as a great text of human psychology, strategy , politics and diplomacy. This is my second book related to Mahabharatha after this.

Kurukshetra war is over, Pandavas won the kingdom, although they lost most of their allies and relatives in the war and the post-war massacre. It is at this point that Kunthi reveals to the Pandava brothers that Karna is her eldest son. Yudhistira is devastated hearing this and decides to renounce his throne.This is a shock to Draupadi who was hoping to finally find justice after war. A sudden declaration from Kunthi is not strong enough for Draupadi to consider Karna in a new light. The way she always picturised Karna was how he sat in the Kaurava court and laughed when she was being disrobed by Dusshassana.

Now the story of Karna gradually unfolds, through Draupadi's eyes. In the words of many of her friends and relatives, including Krishna, Kunthi and Sanjaya, Draupadi starts to see the real Karna. Karna is growing now, in Draupadi's as well as readers' eyes.

Unlike Randamoozham, this work is based on well known facts. Though Karna is a much-written-about epic figure, Karna-in-Draupadi's-perspective is a refreshing take on his life.

Will not replace Randamoozham as my favourite work in this genre, but still a good work. 3.75 out of 5.

Randamoozham -(=Second turn) by M. T. Vasudevan Nair

In this masterpiece, M.T, the famous Malayalam writer, is "reading between the lines of Mahabharatha and expanding the pregnant silence." This is the story of Bhima, the second Pandava.

Here the epic is told, not as the story of supernatural heroes, but as the story of ordinary human beings. Even Krishna is not attributed with divinity, but seen in a different light. In the narrative, Bhima dismisses many events like his encounter with Hanuman while going for 'kalyanasougandhikam', defeating a whole army single handedly, breaking a rock when he was a small kid etc as exaggerations of story tellers. Even the scene where Krishna saves Droupadi while Dusshassan tries to humiliate her is missing. Yudhishtar is portrayed as a coward and a gambler . In more than one place, the book gives stress on the fact that women were considered destined to suffer, be it Gandhari, who married Dhritharashtrar without knowing about his blindness, Kunthi ,who married Pandu but was forced to conceive sons from others or Draupadi who was forced to marry the five brothers.
Bhima , who gets only second turn everywhere, is given a human light by the author and seeing the second Pandava as an ordinary human being who was forced to sail through many a oceans of tears, is touching.

An excellent work, 4 out of 5.