Asura: Story of Ravana and His People  (English, Paperback, Neelakantan Anand)

Asura: Tale Of The Vanquished is a retelling of the famous Indian epic, Ramayana, from the villain's point of view.

Summary Of The Book

In this bestseller, Neelakantan tries to break the age old tradition where history is always narrated by the victors. Asura: Tale Of The Vanquished dares to narrate the tale of the Asura people. Blending mythology, religion and history, the book narrates the tale from Ravana and Bhadra's perspective.

The book talks about how the Asura community is more liberal than the orthodox Deva clan, which was highly biased. It also attacks the evil practices of the Brahmin caste. From the tale of Mahabali, Vamana, and Sita’s Agni-Pareeksha, to Jatayu’s meeting with Ravana, the author reveals the many human emotions behind these stories and logically presents a new perspective for the readers.

How wrong was Ravana to challenge the mighty gods for his daughter's sake? Was he evil for deciding to lead life in his own terms? Was he wrong for freeing the people from the caste-cased Deva reign? The author takes the readers on an enthralling journey and poses many such complex questions.

Bhadra is a creative character who gives voice to the common man, who is lost amidst the villains and heroes. The author has been appreciated for his eye for detail, which gives life to his work. The right blend of good language and interesting twists keeps the book engaging.

Published in 2012, the book has topped many bestseller lists including the 2012 Crossword and the bestseller list of CNN IBN.

About Anand Neelakantan

Anand Neelakantan is a talented narrator from India. Asura: The Tale of the Vanquished is Neelakantan’s debut novel. He is currently working on another mythological tale that details the Kaurava’s version of the Mahabharata. He has a few satirical short stories to his credit.

Born in Kerala, Anand has been fascinated with mythology since his childhood. He is married to Aparna, and has two children, Abhinav and Ananya. Besides writing, Anand enjoys oil painting, reading, and drawing cartoons.