Sidekicks and other unsung characters

-
I am currently reading MT Vasudevan Nair's novel Bhima Lone Warrior. How I come to buy this book is a story in itself and I will get to it later but first I want to talk about what this book made me realise. I consider myself an avid mythology fan. I have grown up listening to stories of the fantastic beasts of our Indian mythology and the whole plethora of characters that feature our 'Mythos' (Thank you Stephen Fry!)
I have been reading Bhima Lone Warrior by MT Vasudevan Nair and have been thinking about the unsung people we come across. The sidekicks and the people who came second. Remember the dialogue from the movie 3 Idiots? (No, go see the movie. Your life will change) Yes? Great!
.
There are stories about everyone in Mahabarat. Some are fascinating, some are humorous and some are huge lessons on conduct and living.
.
There is Yudhishtra, the first born who hogged the limelight in the #epic #Mahabharat and made some really poor decisions and there is Arjun on number three, who took the centrestage because his #gurus Kripacharya and Dronacharya decided that he simply had to be the best archer (Karna and Eklavya were treated unjustly so that this could come to pass). There were Nakul and Sahdev about whom popular #retelling s don't say much. But brother number 2 was Bhimasen.
.
If you look closely at the epic, you will read that Bhima, play a crucial part at every step of the way. Jarasandh vaddh, making Dushhassan's blood available for Draupadi to enable her to fulfill her vow as well as Keechak vaddh but most importantly it was Bhima who brought the great battle of Kurukshetra to it conclusion after killing Duryodhan in a mace fight. Yet, hardly every anyone thinks of Bhima first when Mahabharata is mentioned. My first thoughts invariably go to Geeta when Mahabharata is mentioned and maybe then to Krishna, Arjun, Karan and Duryodhan, in no particular order. Why even after contributing so much did Bhima not get his due and glory? What or who do you think of when Mahabharata is mentioned? Have you read it beyond popular retellings?
.
.
.
#books #bookblogging #bookstagrammers #indianbooks #mythology #myfriendalexa #aanandikareads #bhima #arjuna #characters #bookreviewer #booklover #bookreviews #blogger #kolkatabookstagrammers
.
I am taking my blog to the next level with @Blogchatter's activity #MyFriendAlexa.

Comments

Ritu said…
You have raised a valid point here. Those who wrote the epics chose to highlight one at the cost of the other. Or whitewash the characters. I am reminded of a Devdutt interview I watched a few years back. Duryodhan followed the rules of war and is considered evil. Pandavas broke a lot many rules and are considered heroes.
7:16 PM
amu said…
I don't know for sure, Ritu, if that is the case here because we largely deoend on the popular retellings. Who amongst has really read the epic or a serious translation or for that matter a proper commentary on it. Devdutt raises a lot of important points and I like how whatever he says is contextualised w.r.t our modern times.
12:09 PM
Anonymous said…
Sữa dành riêng cho ốm kể từ một tới 10 tuổi.
5:31 PM
Anonymous said…
Hi there, I enjоy reading all of yoսr article.
I wanted too write a little сօmment to support you.
7:24 PM
gresya12 said…
An avid mythology reader myself , have often found the same question lurking , infact have in deliberations looked for works that throw light on the unsung heroes but nothing much! And now i agree about Bhima aswell, infact he’s been shown mightier and often in comic light as well but not given the laurels much deserved
4:53 PM
amu said…
I agree. Even in this book, Yudhishtra often refers to him as Blockhead. Demeaning, i find it. I will definitely ping you if i found anymore works dedicated to the unsung and side heroes.
9:57 PM
amu said…
Thanks for the support! Cheers!
9:58 PM
aditi said…
There's a valid point, though I have the opinion that other characters are given more Importance because of their contribution in the narrative. #MyFriendAlexa
#AditiReads
aditikapur.com

10:09 AM
Suchita said…
A very interesting point. There is a reason they say victory belongs to the person whose story is most popular. No one knows what happens to the vanquished.
11:34 AM
Tomichan Matheikal said…
Nair's novel is considered a classic in Malayalam.

Many people are destined to play second fiddle...
6:32 AM
"Anny" The Anurag said…
History and mythology can be detroted can be changed By the time to time and other generation learnt only the part previous generation wanted to show.

It's a sad reality
10:35 AM
Pratibha said…
This looks like an interesting read! Will add it in the TBR list :)
#myepicareads #MyFriendAlexa
10:54 AM
Pooja Priyamvada said…
loved the graphic/picture
10:59 AM
Dipika Nath said…
The storyline seems very interesting!
11:15 AM
Supriti said…
This looks interesting. Devdutt patnaik has also raised many questions on our myhtology and he has brautifully written his view points. I havent read this book by Vasudeva but will try to grab it. :)
4:10 PM
Aanandika said…
Thanks Swarnali. Yes it is interesting though doesn't make for a pacy read.

Aanandika
4:39 PM
Aanandika said…
Thanks Pooja Priyamvada
4:40 PM
Aanandika said…
Wonderful Pratibha! I hope you enjoy it.
4:40 PM
Aanandika said…
Ok. Any The Anurag. Thanks for dropping by.
4:41 PM
Aanandika said…
Yes and Yes Tomichan. Sad but true.
4:42 PM
Aanandika said…
Yes Suchita, unfortunate but like they say no one cares about the person who c are second.
4:43 PM
amu said…
Aditi but he contributes to every twist and turn of the story!
4:44 PM
Richa Mina said…
it happens all the time no one remembers the second one or the vanquished ones only the heroes are remebered
5:20 PM
Pragnya said…
I do consider myself a enthusiastic mytho lover, I guess who is the hero and who is the side kick in this genre lies greatly in the hands of storyteller. Bhim somehow is never shown as a principle character by most of them. I like your take here.
5:30 PM
Rakhi Jayashankar said…
The most important point is that Randamoozham, the original Malayalam version was written decades back. Those days Mythological fiction itself was considered a myth not like now.
5:49 PM
Anahita Irani said…
Not a big fan of mythology, however your well written post did grab my attention.
6:48 PM
Prerna Wahi said…
You have raised a very interesting point. A fresh perspective that somehow we didn't pay much attention to. Bhima was a great warrior and his name got lost and overshadowed by the other two brothers.
7:19 PM
Narinder Bhatia said…
hi, nice post and it actually got me thinking. When we recall Mahabharat, Bheem definitely is not the first name we recall though he played such a crucial role. One reason could be that, maybe, he wasn't a part of too many emotion-evoking (melodramatic) episodes and that's how he is not emphasised upon. (That's purely my view !)

Good food for thought :)
7:52 PM
Jai said…
You are correct, sidekicks do not get their due mostly. The reason for Bhima not being so popular is perhaps due to his lack of charisma. Arjuna on the other hand is extremely charismatic. And even Draupati likes Arjuna the most. And Krishna of course is an incarnation of lord Vishnu.
8:49 PM
Dipika said…
I never liked the Pandava's elder brother Yudhishtra. He was called 'Dharamveer', who was so blindly addicted to gamble that never bothered about his reputation or wife. On the other hand, Bheem married a demon girl just because she saved them from her evil bro.
9:43 PM
Asfa said…
Thats such a nice perspective, though I don't enjoy mythology.
#millennialscribbler #myfriendalexa
10:21 PM
Nilesh Sharma said…
Hi Anu, yes a very valid point in deed. Not many remember or know that Bhima brought the Mahabharata to conclusion. Great post thanks
10:56 PM
Ruchi Mayank Verma said…
I really loved the way you have shared this topic out here!!
11:30 PM
Alpana said…
You are right. Inspire of his contribution, Bhima never got the due credit. Whenever we talk about Mahabharat, the only two people we think about is Krishna and Arjun. But the fact is there were not the only two people who gave us the Bible in the form of Geeta. Long time back, I read "Radheya" which was on Karna. And thats when I realized that how much Karna has suffered and why his anger was so very correct. I think may be someday, there will be some book on Bhima too that will strongly talks about him and his contribution.
1:17 AM
Anonymous said…
Hі friends, pleasant pіece of writing and good uгging comenteɗ herе, I aam truly enjoying bу
thesｅ.
8:45 AM
Shweta said…
I have always wanted to read this book. But for some reason I've never gotten around to reading it yet. It's sad how Bhima never gets the attention he deserves despite all his actions. This is indeed the plot of this book. You've brilliantly summarized it. 😊
11:16 PM
Priyal said…
I never knew that this movie is inspired by a novel, I like the Hindi version very much.
12:02 AM
Anonymous said…
Μy name iss Bernadette (28 yｅars οld) ɑnd my obbies arre Readinng ɑnd Association football.
8:35 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Decade of Motherhood: Give in

-
Image
Generally age is counted according to the number of years that you have been on this planet. But then  how do you know what your age is when the role that you are accounting for is a not as old as you? The simple answer would be to say that it would be equal to the number of years you have been in the role.  So, this is one of the most important lessons that I have learnt as a decade old mum. My daughter Netra, more commonly referred to as BhindiSood on social media, was born in 2007. Ah! your eyebrows go up. She bluffs, you think, to keep up with the theme. Dear reader but that is not the case. I might be being generous with myself when I m saying that I am a decade old mummy but I am not really bluffing. I did not (and maybe even now) know how to be a mother to a child who I was desperate to get but knew nothing about raising her for all the unaccounted years in between. But then fear not, this isn't either a self pitying sort of a post nor I intend for it to be a te
Read more

To, The Enablers

-
Image
तबस्सुम कैसी हो? हम सब यहाँ बिकुल ठीक हैं।आशा है की तुम भी सही सलामत होंगी। आज मैं ये चिट्ठी इसलिए लिख रहि हूँ की तुम्हे बता सकूं की मैं अक्सर तुम्हारे बारे मैं सोचती हूँ। सोचती हूँ अब तुम क्या करती होगी, काम पे जाती हो अब भी? कोई मना तो नहीं करता? सास बच्चे संभाल लेती है तुम्हारे पीछे से? वो तो अब बड़े भी हो गए होंगे न? स्कूल जाते होंगे? मुझे अब कोलकाता मैं रहते हुए ६-७ साल हो गए  हैं। जब चंडीगढ़ से निकले थे तो उम्मीद न थी की इतना समय इस परायी नगरी में निकल जाएगा। नेत्रा को याद करती हो कभी? वो इस साल १२ की हो गयी है। उसे तो तुम्हारी याद नहीं लेकिन आज भी जब वो ज़िद्द करती है की मैं उसे खाना खिला दूँ और मैं बहुत थक गयी होती हूँ, तो झट से तुम्हारी याद आ जाती है। तुम होती तो मुझे चाय का कप पकड़ा कर उसे प्यार से फुसला के ले जाती और खुद ही खिला देती। कहती, "मेरे पास आओ नेत्रा, माँ को रहने दो। आओ मैंने तुम्हारे लिए कुछ स्पेशल रखा है।" कितने सारे अंग्रेजी के नए नए शब्द सीख गयीं थी न तुम. कुछ तो तुम्हारे ख़ास बन गए थे। जैसे बॉय, गर्ल, रेफ्रीजिरेटर, टेलीविज़न और स्पेशल जिसे त
Read more

This Pujo, things feel different

-
Image
Yesterday was Mahalaya. I have been living in Kolkata for about 7 years now and have been in the city for every single Pujo since we moved in here.  I just like the vibe of the city, the aura of this place when it is time for the Devi to descend to her parental home from the heavens above. It is a different air that the city breathes in and out. It is different colour, sometimes sharp and sometime languid in its shade that dresses the city of Kolkata when the Durga Pujo approaches. Like a veteran of sorts I know this isn't the best time to be on the roads. I know better than to plan anything because beside eateries everything is going to come to a stand still. Nothing will move and no-one will budge their stomachs filled with Biryanis, Aalooer Dums, Jalepis and Chicken Kashas. But this year things have been different. it seems as if the Pujo has just crept quietly upon us. It seems as if Maa did not come down with the usual fervour. Maybe there is a reluctance in the air that
Read more