Ep 11: Anand Neelakantan: Ravana as 'Sita’s father'
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Nov 12, 2023 ·
28m 58s
Did Ravana abduct his “daughter” Sita to save her from a life of struggle with Ram? In this chat, https://www.facebook.com/itsanandneel, author of ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ talks of the...
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Did Ravana abduct his “daughter” Sita to save her from a life of struggle with Ram? In this chat, Anand Neelakantan, author of ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ talks of the many tellings of the Ramayana that follow this narrative. He speaks of Ravana as the “complete man”, full of flaws as well as goodness, which acts as a foil to “maryada Purushottam” Ram. Ravana is also believed to be an incarnation of Jaya, Lord Vishnu’s loyal gatekeeper, who awaits liberation from a curse. Neelakantan, through his writing, pays tribute to the classical Indian way of storytelling with all its complex layers and emotions taking readers beyond the trope of good vs evil, prevalent since the Bhakti era. Tune in to listen!
(Apologies for the audio quality issues!)
The bestselling author’s books include the ‘Bahubali’ trilogy; ‘Nala Damyanti’; ‘Vanara - The Legend of Bali, Sugreeva and Tara’; ‘Ajay - Duryodhana's Mahabharata’ series; ‘Valmiki's Women’. ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ was his debut novel. His upcoming works include ‘How to Live Life the Ravana Way’, ‘Devi’ and a ‘Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons’ series (on Audible).
Chapters
01:00 On Ramayana as a nuanced story, telling Ravan’s side
03:17 Heaven-hell vs Karma and the cyclical nature of time
05:30 Jain version of Ramayana & 32 versions where Sita is Ravana’s daughter
06:58 Pre-Bhakti era and later Ramayanas
08:50 Asuras vs Devas: The code of conduct
11:00 Ravana as the complete man
13:50 Ravana’s early family life; half-brother Kuber
14:50 Ravana as a tragic hero; no fatal flaw
16:50 Bhadra as co-narrator in his book ‘Asura’
18:24 Is there a message in Ravana’s life? A beautiful, complicated life
21:36 On Sita; limitations of writing for television
22:49 Sita’s abandonment through her viewpoint
24:00 Recommended books
26:50 Current projects
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.
show less
(Apologies for the audio quality issues!)
The bestselling author’s books include the ‘Bahubali’ trilogy; ‘Nala Damyanti’; ‘Vanara - The Legend of Bali, Sugreeva and Tara’; ‘Ajay - Duryodhana's Mahabharata’ series; ‘Valmiki's Women’. ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ was his debut novel. His upcoming works include ‘How to Live Life the Ravana Way’, ‘Devi’ and a ‘Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons’ series (on Audible).
Chapters
01:00 On Ramayana as a nuanced story, telling Ravan’s side
03:17 Heaven-hell vs Karma and the cyclical nature of time
05:30 Jain version of Ramayana & 32 versions where Sita is Ravana’s daughter
06:58 Pre-Bhakti era and later Ramayanas
08:50 Asuras vs Devas: The code of conduct
11:00 Ravana as the complete man
13:50 Ravana’s early family life; half-brother Kuber
14:50 Ravana as a tragic hero; no fatal flaw
16:50 Bhadra as co-narrator in his book ‘Asura’
18:24 Is there a message in Ravana’s life? A beautiful, complicated life
21:36 On Sita; limitations of writing for television
22:49 Sita’s abandonment through her viewpoint
24:00 Recommended books
26:50 Current projects
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.
Information
| Author | Anuradha Varma |
| Website | - |
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