Synopsisthis book is not about some tales jotted from singing bards,... this is a true perspective, of how a battle is fought between 2 and only the conqueror seems to tell the stories... Asura is definitely something you must read just to find out what the other side seems to offer. But surely its again no Whining of the loser...neither a repentance call... but a pure Journey of the greatest Villains of all time ... his reputation precedes him upto dat magnitude dat mankind wishes to eliminate him every year... "Raavan" ... no doubt we were told he was so many things we ought not be...… --Sumit Pandey Dec 31, 2012
I started reading this heavy book with little hesitancy as it was written by a debut writer. However, once I started the book, it didn't look like a book written by a new author. It is very fascinating book with good narration and correct usage of words. Mythology might not interest the current generation; however, the way this story was presented would definitely attract people of all generations. In the past a lot of people have attempted to write stories on Ravana, the villain of Ramayana, the great epic of Hindus. However, all of them have attempted to portray Ravana as a real hero … --Krishnakumar T K Jun 3, 2012
‘Asura: The Tale of the Vanquished: The Story of Ravana and His People’ is a narrative, which depicts The Ramayana focusing on the Ravana and Bhadra`s characters. The book spotlights their view points. This tale has attempted to escape from the dullness of recounting stories from the point of view of a victor.This narrative is a blend of history, religion and mythology. The book has aimed to demystify the blunders done by the Deva clan, which is represented as conventional and prejudiced. Also, it throws light on the liberation enjoyed by the Asuras.
Descriptions about Vamana and Mahabali are given along with the meeting of Jataya and Ravana. Also, described is the Agni Pareeksha underwent by Sita. An unusual angle is shown about the human emotions. A new but logical outlook is thrown at the people in regard to the varied practices that were witnessed in this epic story. Also, the book makes people consider the fact that the Brahmins, back then, followed unreasonable practices.
The book also questions the lifestyle of Ravana and the alternatives and decisions he opted for. Besides, there is also an account about Ravana`s confrontation to the Gods regarding his daughter in the book.
The book was amongst the names of toppers of the 2012 Crossword. Also, it was on the bestseller list of CNN IBN.
The book is also in the process of being translated into Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Italian.
It is available in paperback and can be directly ordered from Amazon India.
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Binding: Paperback
About the author
Anand Neelakantan is the bestselling author of Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, which told the story of the Ramayana from Ravana’s unique perspective. He followed it up with the hugely successful Ajaya series. Ajaya Book I: Roll of the Dice and Ajaya Book II: Rise of Kali narrated the Mahabharata from Duryodhana’s point of view. Both Asura: Tale of the Vanquished and Ajaya Book I: Roll of the Dice have been nominated for the Crossword Popular Choice Awards in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Anand has also written the screenplays for various popular TV shows, including Star TV’s mega series Siya Ke Ram, Sony TV’s Mahabali Hanuman and Colours TV’s Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka. He has also written for major newspapers such as The Hindu, The Times of India and The Indian Express. Besides English, he also writes in Malayalam and has published stories as well cartoons in various Malayalam magazines. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Aparna, daughter Ananya, son Abhinav, and pet dog Jackie the Blackie.
