The thing about Amish is that he picks up characters from Indian mythology and reinvents them without holding back his imagination. Raavan is not an exception to this rule. Amish’s Raavan is brave, brilliant, cruel, passionate, and ambitious. He does not flinch at the sight of blood; in fact, his ever-curious brain examines the bleeding bodies like a riddle. His father, Guru Vishrava, was not happy with the fact that Raavan was a Naga (a person born with a deformity, considered to be a sign of bad karma). So, when his wife was pregnant with another child, Guru Vishrava ordered the child to be killed if he were born a Naga. To save his brother, Kumbhkarna, from an untimely death, Raavan assumed the role of the savior. Thus, started the fascinating journey of a man who would turn out to be the greatest villain ever known.
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The formidable presence of an unpredictable character, Raavan, hypnotized me. I could not decide whether I hated him or loved him. That is the magic of Amish’s writing. Although Raavan’s actions were cruel beyond our imagination, the reasoning behind each of those was the desire to show his father and the world that he was not a helpless man. His role of provider soon converted into his ambition to be worshipped as a God. Yet, there was a voice of reason inside of him that pushed him to be better than that. He is the man of extremes: there is no middle ground to his feelings. If his hatred releases the demons from hell, his love turns the object of his affection into a goddess. The intimidating presence of this imposing character demands to be acknowledged and rest in your heart for a long time.
The supporting characters do not hide behind our main character as well. Their political wisdom, moved by their agenda to see Vishnu transform India for good, leaves the readers in awe. Kumbhakarna’s resolve to correct his brother’s dharma establishes him as an influential character in the plot. Kubaer, whom mythology revers as a God, has been presented as the chief-trader of Lanka and a mere mortal. He dresses up in fancy, vibrant colors that disgust Raavan. If you are even remotely aware of mythological characters, you would be impressed by Amish’s talent to redefine them to blend them into the storyline.
Amish has introduced the concept of Nagas that he had founded in The Shiva Trilogy. He has an uncanny ability to define new and fresh ideas that he utilizes in the plot to justify many other deviations from the mythology. The idea of Kanyakumari is one of my many favorites in Raavan – Enemy of Aryavarta by Amish. When you open Raavan (or any other book of Amish), forget everything that you already know of the mythological plot and characters. Just sit tight and be ready to be amazed by the astounding twists in the plot. After reading Raavan by Amish, I can’t help but wonder which characters are real and which ones are purely fictitious. That’s what Amish excels in; his books would force you to know more about these larger than life characters.
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