Randamoozham, meaning the second turn, retells the Mahabharata through Bhima, the second of the Pandava brothers. In the epic he is the muscle of the family, the eater, the fighter who keeps his vows of vengeance. In this novel he is a thinking, feeling man forever placed behind Yudhishthira in rank and behind Arjuna in Draupadi's affection.
M. T. strips away most of the supernatural. Gods become men whose origins are hinted at in earthly terms, miracles are rumours, and the great war is the outcome of human ambition, resentment and statecraft. Bhima's relationships with his mother Kunti, with Draupadi, with the forest woman Hidimbi and their son Ghatotkacha, and with his own brothers are explored with psychological depth.
Published in 1984, the novel won the Vayalar Award in 1985 and is often ranked among the finest works of Malayalam fiction. Its spare, poetic prose and its sympathy for the second-placed have made it a touchstone for later modern retellings of the epics. Gita Krishnankutty's English translation appeared as Bhima: Lone Warrior.
Book details
| Author | M. T. Vasudevan Nair |
|---|---|
| First published | 1984 |
| Original language | Malayalam |
| Translated by | Gita Krishnankutty |
| Genre | Mythology |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 300 |
| Setting | Hastinapura, the forests of exile and Kurukshetra, the age of the Mahabharata |
| Awards | Vayalar Award 1985 |
Themes
- Being second
- Brotherhood and rivalry
- Demythologised epic
- Unrequited devotion
- War and its cost
Who should read it
Readers who know the Mahabharata and want a humane, realist reading of it from a neglected hero's eyes.