Raavanputr Meghnad — by Kevin Missal
Publisher: Simon & Schuster India
Pages: 304
Price: Rs. 250 INR(Paperback), Rs. 155 INR(Kindle Edition)
ISBN: 978–9386797735
Buy here: https://amzn.to/2PUiL9l
A STAND ALONE KEVIN MISSAL BLOCK BUSTER
This is the story of the greatest warrior in the Ramayana.
Meghnad was the perfect son of the tyrannical king — Raavan. Ever since his childhood, he was taught one thing: to be ruthless.
Honed by the greatest gurus, Meghnad grew up to be the conqueror of Amravati, the capital of the Devas.
He battled Lord Indra.
He defeated Lord Ram.
But then … he fell in love.
Her name was Prameela and she was a Naga princess. And she knew something that no one did: the truth behind Lady Sita’s abduction.
But this story is not about the Ramayana. This is about the greatest warrior of all time who learned the truth behind the war he was fighting …
And gave up.
The question is — what was that truth?
Bestselling author Kevin Missal brings to you an unforgettable saga about Raavan’s oldest son — the Prince of Lanka — Raavanputr Meghnad!!!
About the author:
Kevin Missal is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi. His first book of the Kalki Trilogy, Dharmayoddha Kalki: Avatar of Vishnu, became a national best-seller and received praise from newspapers such as Millennium Post and Sunday Guardian and was termed as “2017’s mythological phenomenon”. The second book in that series Satyayoddha Kalki: Eye of Brahma released in November 2018 to great praise as well, and has been steadily climbing the charts. The third and final book in the trilogy is due later this year. Kevin loves reading, watching films, and building stories in his mind. He lives in New Delhi.
My take on the book:
Raavanputr Meghnad is the retelling of the life and times of Meghnad the eldest son of Raavan, starting from the time he defeats the King of Indralok and hence hailed as Indrajit to his encounter with Raghav and Laxman in war. The story runs till pre-climax in parallel threads – one thread narrating Meghnad’s life while the other revolving around the situations that lead to the abduction of Lady Sita by Dashanan, and her husband Raghav reaching Lanka in search of her. Meghnad’s thread traces him defeating Lord of Indralok to bring back his father, meeting his ladylove Prameela in Nagalok, while the other thread is about his aunt Meenakshi and her involvement in indirectly changing Meghnad’s destiny.
From the beginning of the story, the reader can gauge that this story is not the exact retelling of Ramayana that is popularly known, but the author’s own imagination of certain scenarios while retaining some known incidents. Hence, it is suggested for the reader to treat this as a new story and not confuse or compare unintentionally. The story starts with a bang introducing the ruthless side of Meghnad, his inclination towards science, his love for his family and younger brothers. The vulnerable side of Meghnad is brought out during his visit to Nagalok to meet Prameela.
The author succeeds in building a strong character sketch for Meghnad, a character not many would have read as part of the epic Ramayana. Instead of believing all that Rakshas did was magic, author weaves awesome imagination around the usage of science in building Vimanas and astras. The action sequences are so well narrated that the reader can visualize their grandeur. However, in trying to narrate the parallel story of Sita abduction, the narration moves towards Meenkashi and her past, to an extent that the second half doesn’t seem to do enough justice to Meghnad and Prameela. After a brilliant first half, the story kind of fizzles in the second part towards the end.
If mythology and fantasy intrigues you, pick this story of Meghnad, and not once did I feel he is an anti-hero and thoroughly enjoyed reading his story. However, keep your expectations low so as not to be disappointed.
My rating:
3.5/5.