About The Author
Sudarshan Ray is a software developer and entrepreneur with postgraduate degrees in business administration (University of Oxford), computer science (State University of New York, Stony Brook) and operations research (The College of William and Mary, Virginia). Presently, he runs multiple businesses in healthcare, hospitality, and software across Kolkata and Bengaluru. He travels around the world with his family, and writes blogs on travel, history, and the Indian freedom struggle. Mahabharata: The Great Indian Epic is Sudarshan’s first book.
Read the review here: Explore the enduring tale of the Mahabharata – The Great Epic by Sudarshan Ray – A Book Review.
Interview
Q) Q: What inspired you to write your own rendition of the Mahabharata?
Following is the story of how what prompted me to become an author.
It was almost dark now, and the river Indus produced the only noise in an otherwise silent world. “A lifetime pursuit, but with what possible outcome?” I questioned at length.
“I thought you said that it did not matter. If you go down my course, you will discover the remains of an abandoned but unforgettable civilisation – granaries, roads and bathhouses built thousands of years ago. I preserved those ruins not only because they are an example of brilliant architecture but also because they are the results of great dedication. You described her well to me. She resembles me – born free and forever free. Turn your despair for her into words of immortal creation. I have inspired splendid architecture on my banks. She would be the lifeline of all your verses.” – Thus spoke the river Indus.
The Ladakh valley looked magical in the crimson twilight. I bade my farewell to the river Indus. After all, it had shown me the path forward. As I turned back, I observed that my footprints were deeply etched on the river bank. “Would she notice?” I wondered.
Q) How did your journey as a writer begin, transitioning from a background in software development and entrepreneurship?
Back in 2015, Jen and I were colleagues in a software company in Bangalore. Jen is an expert mountaineer, a skilled product manager, and a scholar with vast knowledge of Indian history. We quickly became very good friends. During our lunch and coffee breaks, we discussed history, literature, music and the epics. The Mahabharata was one of our favourite topics. We were both fascinated by the friendship between Duryodhan and Karna. One day, Jen asked, “Why don’t you write the Mahabharata for the present-day youth? I think everyone will read it.” That’s how I started writing. Initially, I was the writer, and Jen was my sole reader and critic. She demanded the best from me. At that time, I didn’t know when or whether I would get published. But that did not deter me from pouring my heart into my writing. So many thanks to my prompter, Jen Chocken.
In addition, I would also like to thank my publisher FingerPrints (Prakash Books) for taking such good care of my book.
Q) Do you have a favorite character in the Mahabharata, and if so, what draws you to them?
Yes, I do, and the answer might come as a surprise. Duryodhan – a loyal friend, a magnanimous king, a magnificent warrior and the first champion of meritocracy. Think of the day: a grand arena in Hastinapur where all the Kshatriya princes were displaying their military skills. Arjun was Drona’s favourite, and the Brahmin was about to declare him the greatest archer amongst his pupils when Karna entered the arena. The world then witnessed Karna’s superb archery, but the elders in Hastinapur’s court (Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, etc.) were unwilling to accept him as their equal. The Pandavas were particularly furious since Karna had stolen Arjun’s thunder. “Karna is a sutaputra,” mocked Bheem openly. That day, Karna’s mother, Kunti, was also sitting in the royal benches, basking in Arjun’s glory. She readily recognised Karna as her son, whom she had abandoned in his infancy. But she made no attempt to defend Karna. At this point, Duryodhan stepped forward. He made Karna the king of Angadesh, saying, “The right to compete in this arena is not hereditary; it’s an earned credit. My friend Karna is a great warrior, and his humble origin should not disqualify him from this contest.” Duryodhan was indeed looking for an archer who could compete with Arjun. He had a vacancy in his camp; he recognised Karna’s merit, ignored that he was a sutaputra, and welcomed him into the Kshatriya fold.
Duryodhan was thus the tragic hero of this epic, and like every tragic hero, he had a tragic flaw. Duryodhan and Karna should not have dragged Draupadi into the open court. They were great Kshatriyas, but how they humiliated the Pandava queen was indeed heinous. But, again, in the battle of Kurukshetra, we witnessed the courage and might of these two friends. After Arjun killed Karna in an unfair duel, everyone thought Duryodhan would now meekly surrender. But the Pandavas soon discovered that the Kaurava prince was anything but a coward. Once again, Bheem resorted to unfair means to defeat Duryodhan in the final mace duel. The Devtas appeared in the sky and showered flowers on Duryodhan’s broken body. “You are indeed the bravest and noblest of all Kshatriyas,” they extolled the fallen king.
Q) In your perspective, what distinguishes your version of the Mahabharata from other retellings?
My book is neutral; I am neither pro-Kaurava nor pro-Pandava in my retelling. Most books support Yudhisthir, but I believe that Duryodhan’s point of view should also be presented. I think the epic in its pristine form probably had no bias. Thus, the intonation of my narrative is non-partisan; it is up to my reader to choose the hero or villain of this epic. In fact, during my book signing events, my readers, especially the uninitiated who are reading the epic for the first time, pick favourites from both camps – Yudghisthir, Arjun, Krishna, Karna, Duryodhan, Ashwathama – all names come up. I am happy that I could fairly portray the Mahabharata, covering all angles and perspectives.
Q) Can you share more about your writing process and how your diverse professional experiences have influenced your storytelling? Has your background in technology and entrepreneurship influenced your storytelling style?
In 2000, I left for the United States as a young graduate student. After that, for good eighteen years, I studied and worked on three different continents with multiple software companies. Finally, in 2019, I returned to Kolkata to take charge of my family’s healthcare business. My father had just passed away, and when I arrived, the company was drowning in debt. By then, I had already started to write my Mahabharata. Thus, during the daytime, I would be battling with vendors and creditors, and after dusk, when the work day would thankfully end, I would describe the scenes from the battle of Kurukshetra. As I steered our company through this ocean of debts, I had to take many tough decisions and actions that would sometimes go against some of my close family members. For the first time, I understood Arjun’s dilemma right before the war started: “How do I fight against my own people?” But I reasoned with myself as Krishna had reasoned with Arjun: “Put yourself above personal sorrow and loss, and perform your duty. The outcome of your karma is, of course, uncertain and beyond your control. But do not fret about rewards and results.” My business turned around as I was finishing my book. But this five-year-long struggle had scarred me, and I think the lively conflicts and combats I portrayed in my book were distilled from the bitter wars I had to wage, sometimes against my nearest and dearest.
Q: What challenges did you face while retelling the Mahabharata?
Ans: To transform the epic from its rather recondite form into an account fit for popular reading, I had to adopt a style that was lucid and yet resonant with the narrative’s political intrigue and vintage flavour. For this, where could I turn other than to the troves of Oxford’s eloquence? My Thursday evenings at Oxford (where I was a graduate student in 2013 and 2014) were usually dedicated to the Oxford Union debates. Here, I would watch the Oxford scholars, British politicians and world diplomats fence and parry with words, and the fond memories of these barbed and powerful debates supplied me with the language I needed for the dialogues and depictions of my prose.
Q) How did you balance staying true to the original epic while adding your own perspective?
As I said, I intoned neutrally and left it to my readers to make up their minds. Mahabharata is a dharma-shastra (a text about justice and fairness); it is an artha-shastra (a text about politics); it is a kama-shastra (a text about love, lust and relationships); and it is a moksha-shastra (a text about spirituality). I wanted my audience to experience and appreciate the quandaries and dilemmas this epic poses. However, there were a couple of places where I abandoned neutrality.
Example: The Khandava genocide: Arjun and Krishna set the vast Khandava forest on fire and destroyed precious wildlife and ancient human settlements. Most authors portray this episode as an act of heroism. Many young readers who will read my book will one day lead the country and the world. I wanted to impress upon them the helplessness of genocide victims. Also, my descriptions of the Khandava holocaust would tell them that there is nothing heroic about burning down a pristine forest along with its innocent inhabitants.
Q) Were there any surprising discoveries or insights you gained while writing this book? What core themes of the Mahabharata resonate the most with you?
The Mahabharata offers many insights, but how both Hindu and Muslim kings have worked together to make this great epic (along with Ramayana) accessible to the public is fascinating. These days, we only hear stories about how Muslim kings have destroyed India’s temples and monuments. Well, there must have been bad Muslim kings (just as there have been bad Hindu and Christian rulers in our country). Still, it is also true that monarchs and scholars from all religions have collaborated over centuries to shape the incredible heritage of this country. Following is a good example of such collaboration that I discovered while exploring the manuscripts of the Mahabharata from the Middle Ages:
The Muslim kings of Medieval India (especially in Bengal) attempted to translate the Mahabharata and Ramayana into local languages. Paragal Khan, a military commander in the Bengal Sultanate (fifteenth and sixteenth centuries), patronised the translation of the epic into Bengali. This abridged version of the Mahabharata, written by Pargal’s court poet, Kavindra Parameshwar, became known as the Pargali-Mahabharata. There are, in fact, many such examples in Indian history where people from different religions and races (yukta-sadhana) have come together to produce excellent literature, music and art. This is one powerful insight I got while researching for my Mahabharata.
Q) How do you think the Mahabharata remains relevant in today’s world? What life lessons can readers take away from this version of the Mahabharata?
The antiquity of this brilliant classic is unfathomable. Yet, it is relevant even in the present age. The epic describes much more than a family feud. It explores the problems of social hierarchy, depicts, if not censures, the unjust entitlement of the upper caste Brahmins, and portrays the plight of the native dwellers of an invaded country (think of the Khandav holocaust, where Arjun and Krishna ruthlessly burned down the primitive settlements of the native forest dwellers). It demonstrates how excellence can be achieved through dedicated hard work, but how success may still elude the deserving.
Each episode in this epic can be treated as a life lesson. For example:
I have worked in many software companies across the globe, and everywhere I have observed that the workforce is under relentless pressure to deliver within deadlines. To impress the higher management, the middle managers sometimes commit to impossible timelines that entail inhuman working hours; the results are often counterproductive.
On the fourteenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra, Arjun, to avenge the murder of his son, Abhimanyu, vowed to kill Jayadrath (the King of Sindhu) before sunset. He swore that if he failed to kill Jayadrath before the sun set on that day, he would enter a burning pyre. Drona, the Kaurava general, had, in turn, hidden the Sindhu king behind an impregnable barricade of rathis and maharathis. Arjun fought hard to pierce through the Kuru defences, and Krishna, Arjun’s charioteer, drove the chariot at a furious pace towards their quarry – Jayadrath. Suddenly, in the middle of the hunt, Krishna stopped the carriage and unyoked the horses. “Why did we stop? Jayadrath is still far away, and the sun is about to set,” Arjun cried out in panic. “Well, your horses have become tired and need some rest,” replied Krishna calmly. Even though the sun was climbing down the western horizon, Krishna appeared unhurried and unfazed as he attended to Arjun’s mount. Krishna only allowed Arjun to resume the chase after the steeds had regained their strength. Thus, Krishna demonstrated that no matter how pressing the deadline is, the march towards any goal should be punctuated with adequate respite. This is a powerful lesson for the budding leaders of today’s corporations. Think wisely before setting ambitious targets. And, understand that tired horses can never take you to victory. Do not overwork your staff on weekends; these fatigued employees only add to the bug count (in software parlance) and undo all the good work achieved during the week.
In conclusion, I would also like to emphasise that the battle of Kurukshetra still rages between belligerent nations, hostile communities, and rival families. Thus, every young man or woman about to navigate the world of trust and treachery would find this timeless epic highly instructive.
Q) What does your writing routine look like?
I read much more than I write. Rabindranath Tagore (I am lucky that I am a Bengali and can read his works in original), Charles Dickens, Jerome K Jerome, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, O Henry, Sir Oscar Wilde, and Richard Dawkins are some of my favourite authors. I dedicate at least two hours during the day to reading. I write when the mood suites me; maybe a dark monsoon evening, a beautiful Tagore song, or a gentle admonishment from Jen (I don’t see her that much these days), and I would start writing.
Q) Do you plan to write more books in the future? If so, what topics interest you?
Presently, I am writing the Ramayana. Once again, it would be an unbiased account of the Ram-Ravan war. I am also working on a collection of short stories – Campus-Ramp-Us. I have lived on many university campuses across the world (Oxford, Stony Brook, etc). These are short stories from college and campus life – tales of friendship, rivalry, love and ambition; vignettes from peoples and homes of many lands.
Q) A Message for all your readers?
There is one point I want to drive home through my writings – Wars are cruel, and they don’t serve any purpose. I want my readers to walk alongside Gandhari as she trudges through the battlefield with Krishna and witnesses the tragedy of Kurukshetra – an endless array of chopped heads, decapitated bodies, half-eaten corpses and rotting skeletons sprawled across the vast battlefield. My readers would one day grow up to become world leaders. There is still so much hostility and belligerence around us, and I hope that my young audience, upon reading my book, will understand the futility of violence and vengeance. Strive for peace – my only appeal through this work. Having said so, Mahabharata, not unlike life, is a great dilemma; and I sought to pose this quandary truthfully before my audience. Beyond that, they are on their own to navigate this maze. I am, myself, still wandering within the ever-expanding, ever-shifting contours of this magnificent labyrinth, otherwise known as the Mahabharata, and making fresh discoveries.
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