Showing results by author "Anand Neelakantan" in All Categories

Audible presents Ramayana: Anek Kathayein Aur Sandarbh, an Audible Original. Written by best-selling writer Anand Neelkanthan. The show is in Hindi.

Audible presents Many Ramayana, Many Lessons, an Audible Original. Written by best-selling writer Anand Neelkanthan.

The Mahabharata endures as the great epic of India. But while Jaya is the story of the Pandavas, told from the perspective of the victors of Kurukshetra, Ajaya is the narrative of the ‘unconquerable’ Kauravas, who were decimated to the last man. At the heart of India’s most powerful empire, a revolution is brewing. Bhishma, the noble patriarch of Hastinapura, is struggling to maintain the unity of his empire. On the throne sits Dhritarashtra, the blind King, and his foreign-born Queen - Gandhari.

At the heart of India’s most powerful empire, a revolution is brewing. Bhishma, the noble patriarch of Hastinapura, is struggling to maintain the unity of his empire. On the throne sits Dhritarashtra, the blind King, and his foreign-born Queen - Gandhari. In the shadow of the throne stands Kunti, the Dowager-Queen, burning with ambition to see her firstborn become the ruler, acknowledged by all. And in the wings: Parashurama, the enigmatic Guru of the powerful Southern Confederate, bides his time to take over and impose his will from mountains to ocean.

The story of Ravana and his people has been told innumerable times. This is the Hindi translation of the number one national best seller. This saga is of victory and defeat - a story that has been tainted by India's oppressed and exploited caste for 3,000 years. Unlike the Ramayana, the story of Ravana has never been told so far. But now it's time to speak for the dead and the defeated. 

Would King Dasharatha even have his coveted sons were it not for the sacrifice of his daughter Shanta? Was Manthara an evil, conniving handmaid to the queen or a loving mother who tried to protect her ward from palace intrigues? How did Meenakshi of the beautiful eyes transform into the embodiment of ugliness and immoral lust? In an epic that revolves around the life of a righteous prince, what role do the women play?

The second book in the Ajaya series, Kali ka Uday tells the story of the vanquished in the epic war Mahabharata. The book narrates the story from the point of view of the Kauravas. The story starts with the Kaurava prince Duryodhana challenging Krishna before the apocalyptic war breaks out. The author describes a city waiting with bated breadth for the outcome of the war. While women, noblemen, priests and humble beings helplessly watch the war and its consequences unfold in front of them, the greedy traders circle the skies in anticipation of what's to come next.

Baali and Sugreeva of the Vana Nara tribe were orphan brothers who were born in abject poverty and grew up as slaves like most of their fellow tribesmen. They were often mocked as the vanaras, the monkey men. Sandwiched between the never-ending war between the Deva tribes in the north and the Asura tribes in the south, the Vana Naras seemed to have lost all hope. But Baali was determined not to die a slave. Aided by his beloved brother, Sugreeva, Baali built a country for his people.  

The dark age of Kali is rising, and every man and woman must choose between duty and conscience, honour and shame, life and death.... The Pandavas, banished to the forest following the disastrous games of dice, return to Hastinapura. Draupadi has vowed not to bind her hair till she washes it in the blood of the Kauravas. Karna must choose between loyalty and gratitude, friend and Guru. Aswathama undertakes a perilous mission to the mountains of Gandhara, in search of the Evil One. Kunti must decide between her firstborn and her other sons.

The story of the Ramayana had been told innumerable times. The enthralling story of Rama, the incarnation of God, who slew Ravana, the evil demon of darkness, is known to every Indian. And in the pages of history, as always, it is the version told by the victors that lives on. The voice of the vanquished remains lost in silence. But what if Ravana and his people had a different story to tell? The story of the Ravanayana had never been told. Asura is the epic tale of the vanquished Asura people, a story that has been cherished by the oppressed outcastes of India for 3,000 years.

All little asura kids are naughty and troublesome and always up to something! Little will you know when you land in a muddy puddle or your long hair gets chopped off into a bob. They will prod, pull and tug you till you yell—just like the gods in the heavens, especially Vishnu and Shiva who are simply fed up! 

It might sound ridiculous, but it’s true! Himavan, the lord of the mountains, indeed had glorious wings under his grand snowy cloak. But thanks to the mischief-maker Narada, chaos ensued and the rest, well . . . went downhill! Narayana, Narayana!