Ramayana, through the eyes of Mandodari

Despite being a successful educationalist, Sundari Haran aspired to be many other things. She wanted to become a fire fighter, police officer, politician and even a stand-up comedian. 

“But, I always thought writing was something totally out of reach for me, until recently. I happened to be a stay-at-home mother for two years, and while going through a few books I had since childhood, I came across Amar Chitra Katha’s Ravana. It was Rs. 2.50 when I had bought it at Egmore railway station in 1980. I wanted to read more about my hero Ravana, so I started doing more research on him. I gathered lots of information about him, which inspired me to write a novel on him,” begins Sundari, whose book has been published by Notion Press. Her book talks about the “greatness” of Ravana. 

“The stories that have been written before patronise Ravana. But this book is different. This is the first text to give Mandodari’s version of Ramayana. It is from a woman’s point of view. Women are one of the strongest creations of God. I am a feminist, but not the kind that always tries to prove that they are better than men. I support confident women who realise the strength they possess. Mandodari is one such woman. She is very calm and patient like Devi, but when the situation arises, she is able to bring out the Kali in her,” she adds. The book also points out that Rama is not as perfect as he is hailed to be. 

“He was not a perfect son; he was not a perfect husband; and he was not a perfect father either. He is not perfect at all. Then, how is he accepted? Is it just to portray Ravana as a villain? This book talks about Rama as a son and husband. The sequel will talk more about other facets,” explains Sundari. The biggest challenge for Sundari was interpreting the material she had collected over two years. She says her work is not pure fiction and is based on Ramayana which can be found in over 17 versions. 

“All the main incidents are from the epic, but I have given my opinion or twist to each of them. Initially, I had to convince myself of the idea of such a contradicting story. Once I was convinced, I believed Mandodari could reach the core of the reader. She can easily make them realise and accept her Ravanayana,” says Sundari with confidence. Penning the book has also been a learning experience for Sundari herself. “There were two big revelations about Mandodari. The first big one was very appropriately timed. I had just started to learn chess, and I was researching the game when I found out that the one who invented the original version of chess was Ravana. He created it as a time-pass for Mandodari. He taught her the game, but his lady would easily defeat him each time. I have added the game in the book, but instead of 8×8 squares, I have given the 10×10 version — Dasapadha,” she adds. The second was the fact that Mandodari was the daughter of Maharishi Mayan. 

“Mayan was the first to present the Hindu version of the Big Bang Theory — the theory of how the universe originally formed. Though he is believed to be from the Asura clan, some claim he was an alien. The Mayan ruins in Mexico are also claimed to be related to him according to some material I came across,” shares Sundari.  

But how relevant is this ancient text in the present day and age? “It is, particularly now. It opens up many questions to the reader. It is not like the Ramayana that has been passed down for generations and been accepted without any questions. Mandodari’s way of thinking is very different, and today’s girls can relate to her emotions and the resulting actions. This book is for the bold and courageous who understand that they have a choice to think differently and have what it takes to realise that every story has two sides to it,” concludes Sundari.