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Asura:Tale of the Vanquished: The Story of Ravana and His People Paperback – 1 January 2012
by
Anand Neelakantan
(Author)
Anand Neelakantan
(Author)
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Print length504 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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Publication date1 January 2012
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Dimensions13.97 x 3.2 x 21.59 cm
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ISBN-109789381576052
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ISBN-13978-9381576052
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Product description
Review
this 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
I find it surprising that the reviews before this have not been positive about this book. Maybe it is because it challenges the accepted norms about Rama and Ravana, which is difficult for someone who has heard one version of the story from childhood to accept. Some complained that the character of Ravana did not have a consistent characterization. I think this is deliberate and what makes the book more real. Everyone is a shade of grey....and every human is a mixture of inconsistencies. A true characterization of Ravana cannot paint him consistently evil but it has to be more an internal conflict between noble intentions and wrong choices which the author has portrayed successfully. Having said that, here is my review. "Asura" is a very unique take on the Indian epic "Ramayana". While Ramayana is the story of Lord Rama's triumph over the evil demon Ravana, this book is the story from Ravana's perspective; the king who lost the war. Like every legend that grows over thousands of years, Ramayana is full of fantastic events and unrealistic occurrences (Ravana's ten heads, Hanuman's jump over the ocean etc.). However, it is obvious that these exaggerations must have had some real and fundamental truth to them which then evolved into the fantastic story that we now know as Ramayana. Anand Neelakantan does an excellent job of weaving together a very realistic picture of what might have been the actual events which now have turned into legends and myths. Ravana was a great ruler; flawed but great. Even the Ramayana acknowledges the fact that Ravana was a very learned and able ruler. The empire eventually crumbled due to infighting, betrayal and Ravana's ego, culminating in a great war precipitated by Ravana's abduction of Rama's wife, Sita --By Siby Mathew
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
I find it surprising that the reviews before this have not been positive about this book. Maybe it is because it challenges the accepted norms about Rama and Ravana, which is difficult for someone who has heard one version of the story from childhood to accept. Some complained that the character of Ravana did not have a consistent characterization. I think this is deliberate and what makes the book more real. Everyone is a shade of grey....and every human is a mixture of inconsistencies. A true characterization of Ravana cannot paint him consistently evil but it has to be more an internal conflict between noble intentions and wrong choices which the author has portrayed successfully. Having said that, here is my review. "Asura" is a very unique take on the Indian epic "Ramayana". While Ramayana is the story of Lord Rama's triumph over the evil demon Ravana, this book is the story from Ravana's perspective; the king who lost the war. Like every legend that grows over thousands of years, Ramayana is full of fantastic events and unrealistic occurrences (Ravana's ten heads, Hanuman's jump over the ocean etc.). However, it is obvious that these exaggerations must have had some real and fundamental truth to them which then evolved into the fantastic story that we now know as Ramayana. Anand Neelakantan does an excellent job of weaving together a very realistic picture of what might have been the actual events which now have turned into legends and myths. Ravana was a great ruler; flawed but great. Even the Ramayana acknowledges the fact that Ravana was a very learned and able ruler. The empire eventually crumbled due to infighting, betrayal and Ravana's ego, culminating in a great war precipitated by Ravana's abduction of Rama's wife, Sita --By Siby Mathew
About the Author
Anand Neelakantan was born in a picturesque small village Thripoonithura, on the peripheries of Cochin, Kerala. He did his Engineering and joined the Indian Oil Corporation besides moving to Bangalore. Anand Neelakantan is a famous Indian author, who rose to glory with Asura: Tale of the Vanquished, which was his debut novel. Apart from this, he also authored Ajaya: Epic of the Kaurava Clan: Roll of the Dice. DNA ranked him as one among the 6 most remarkable writers of the year 2012.
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Product details
- ASIN : 938157605X
- Publisher : Leadtsart Publishing; 1st edition (1 January 2012); Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd.Unit – 25-26, Building A/1, Near Wadala R.T.O. Wadala(E), Mumbai – 400 037.
- Language : English
- Paperback : 504 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9789381576052
- ISBN-13 : 978-9381576052
- Item Weight : 635 g
- Dimensions : 13.97 x 3.2 x 21.59 cm
- Generic Name : Book
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Best Sellers Rank:
#2,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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- #79 in Indian Writing (Books)
- #285 in History (Books)
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Reviewed in India on 5 July 2018
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I'll be honest, it's a good to average read but there are chapters which only describes the thoughts of ravaan and bhadra's pain and fame and what not. Those were very repeatating and very boring! Almost in every chapter you'll find those long and unnecessary narrations by Raavan and Bhadra. I think that stretched the story without any reason. I loved the chapter when Ravaan came face to face with Rama in the battlefield. That was my favourite chapter. And the ending was also nice. And of course as i mentioned those boring chapters made the book thick, beyond my liking!
22 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 18 December 2017
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Wonderful narration from the view of the fallen. True, history is written by the winners. But the book is very anti brahmin. Asura and Deva are two sides of a coin. They both committed same mistakes. The author again doesn't take a neutral stand. May be he tries to over compensate for the existing mythology tales favoring the gods.
25 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 16 July 2015
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Some books do not end even when you have read the last chapter and have put it back on the shelf. The pages continue to be turned in your mind and some part of you wishes to go back again and read that particular chapter(s) or even a particular page.
And this particular narration of the Ramayana is just one of those. Ramayana has been told and retold but never from the perspective of the vanquished. And we all are aware of the fact that history is always biased, singing paeans of the victor and demonizing/denigrating the losers. So while Lord Rama is worshiped as the epitome of manhood, Ravana is degraded to the status of the evil villain who kidnapped the former's wife. Thankfully, the author has put a fresh spin on it and after reading this book, one will never look at the Ramayana is the same way as one did earlier. Meet Ravana, the complete man with his ten emotions (baser ones included) instead of the demon with ten heads .
Read more - [...]
And this particular narration of the Ramayana is just one of those. Ramayana has been told and retold but never from the perspective of the vanquished. And we all are aware of the fact that history is always biased, singing paeans of the victor and demonizing/denigrating the losers. So while Lord Rama is worshiped as the epitome of manhood, Ravana is degraded to the status of the evil villain who kidnapped the former's wife. Thankfully, the author has put a fresh spin on it and after reading this book, one will never look at the Ramayana is the same way as one did earlier. Meet Ravana, the complete man with his ten emotions (baser ones included) instead of the demon with ten heads .
Read more - [...]
47 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 28 June 2019
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Let's start with a story of Mahabharata
One fine day Krishna and all Pandavs with Draupadi were walking in jungle.. They saw a dog which is about to die.. Its limbs were out, guts were swollen.. Its smell was very unpleasant... Pandvas and Draupadi notice all the bad things in it but Krishna was intently watching the glittering white teeth of dog..
When or if you read this book you should only notice white teeth not unpleasant things...
This book is good if it is concentrating on last 500 to 1000 years of time but in context of Ramayana it is rubbish.. Yeah it evoke the emotions of readers for lower caste and tells readers that why we should take help them.. But if you add this story in Ramayana by manipulating facts then it's not gonna work out..
And in the end this book wants you to feel about poor and lower cast people which everyone should feel.. But also leave bad taste in your mouth.. And also this book is fully biased.. We all know that Deva and Asura are children of same father one don't want to share anything and other don't know how to control their hunger after acquiring everything.. So if you are telling me that Asura is native Indians and Deva is foreign invaders by applying rubbish Aryan invasion theory then many people can't digest it like me.. So all in one this book is not for everyone and if you read it don't take every info as a fact.. And sir Ramayan time Brahmans are not that bad.. And if you want to throw stones at Brahmans then plz come with some real facts and non biased attitude.
One fine day Krishna and all Pandavs with Draupadi were walking in jungle.. They saw a dog which is about to die.. Its limbs were out, guts were swollen.. Its smell was very unpleasant... Pandvas and Draupadi notice all the bad things in it but Krishna was intently watching the glittering white teeth of dog..
When or if you read this book you should only notice white teeth not unpleasant things...
This book is good if it is concentrating on last 500 to 1000 years of time but in context of Ramayana it is rubbish.. Yeah it evoke the emotions of readers for lower caste and tells readers that why we should take help them.. But if you add this story in Ramayana by manipulating facts then it's not gonna work out..
And in the end this book wants you to feel about poor and lower cast people which everyone should feel.. But also leave bad taste in your mouth.. And also this book is fully biased.. We all know that Deva and Asura are children of same father one don't want to share anything and other don't know how to control their hunger after acquiring everything.. So if you are telling me that Asura is native Indians and Deva is foreign invaders by applying rubbish Aryan invasion theory then many people can't digest it like me.. So all in one this book is not for everyone and if you read it don't take every info as a fact.. And sir Ramayan time Brahmans are not that bad.. And if you want to throw stones at Brahmans then plz come with some real facts and non biased attitude.
11 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 13 March 2020
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Author started well with this book in initial chapters. I thought it would be great going. But he rapidly lost way and it became unclear what does he want to convey. Cooking up entirely arbitrary and offensive narratives without any historical backing at all - like Angad raped Mandodari and Rama/Lakshman as cowards ! Author started by saying he was fascinated with Ravana and hence wrote this book. But has portrayed him as ultimate opportunity seeking coward.
Writing is a good hobby, but don't use your writing skills to spread unsubstantiated falsehoods.
Writing is a good hobby, but don't use your writing skills to spread unsubstantiated falsehoods.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in India on 31 December 2019
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The main attraction of the book is the manner in which, a mythology story is depicted in a humane manner, rather than in divine light. It shows what Ravana was a human like any of us who was tumbled throughout his life by the twisted nature of his fate. Also the author has done a fabulous job by connecting various mythological races to actual human races in the backdrop of the assumed political environment of that time(for keeping the readers interested).
Even though we might actually be misguided to feel that, the author was trying to glorify Ravana, it is quite evident that the author is actually sympathizing with Ravana. At the same time he is also portraying ugly side of the characters of the so called good men like Rama, Lakshmana, Vibhishana, Sugreeva etc in a different context. It is certain that the interpretation of Ramayana will not be the same after reading this book. The main attraction is the certain comments/ dialogues expressed between Ravana and other characters (especially the one between him and Mahabali, before both part ways).
The certain drawbacks of the book are the follows. 1) The author tries to infuse his political ideology surreptitiously (through the main protagonist, who is not actually Ravana) and fails to cover his tracks in doing so. 2) The time line between various events are fuzzy like mythology.
Even though we might actually be misguided to feel that, the author was trying to glorify Ravana, it is quite evident that the author is actually sympathizing with Ravana. At the same time he is also portraying ugly side of the characters of the so called good men like Rama, Lakshmana, Vibhishana, Sugreeva etc in a different context. It is certain that the interpretation of Ramayana will not be the same after reading this book. The main attraction is the certain comments/ dialogues expressed between Ravana and other characters (especially the one between him and Mahabali, before both part ways).
The certain drawbacks of the book are the follows. 1) The author tries to infuse his political ideology surreptitiously (through the main protagonist, who is not actually Ravana) and fails to cover his tracks in doing so. 2) The time line between various events are fuzzy like mythology.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jehangir
4.0 out of 5 stars
More a Ravanayana than a Ramayana
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2017Verified Purchase
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 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.
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.
One person found this helpful
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Arora
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2018Verified Purchase
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. In fact it was a much better read than Amish’s Ram and Sita books. It got quite dark at times with dark humour. Raavan and all the characters are well developed especially Bhadra and Mala. I reduced 1 star because I feel it was too long, the first few chapters are stretched out too much. Definitely a good read

Karthik
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent and thought provoking..
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2017Verified Purchase
Though the book seems similar to other anti-brahminic literature.. I feel it does not solely blame brahmins for the caste problems of india..
I cant fault the logical assumptions in the stories.. especially Mahabali..
I cant fault the logical assumptions in the stories.. especially Mahabali..

Mrs. V. Kololgi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eye opener
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 June 2018Verified Purchase
True eye opener giving a totally different perception of Ramayana. Made me think and question everything I have read about Ramayana

Ameet
2.0 out of 5 stars
Two Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2018Verified Purchase
poorly written and does not do justice to Raavan's character
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