Bhima The Man In The Shadows by Vikas Singh : A Review

BOOK TITLE: Bhima The Man In The Shadows

AUTHOR: Vikas Singh

ISBN/ASIN: 9789385152504

GENRE: Fiction / Mythology

FORMAT: Digital

SERIES / STANDALONE: Standalone

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank Writersmelon for this review copy.

SUMMARY:

I am half-man, half-superhuman. I am the mightiest warrior of my time. I have violated my dharma and murdered a man in cold blood. I have, single-handed, wiped out a whole generation of my kinsmen. I have committed acts of unspeakable brutality on the battlefield. I have done it all for the love of one woman. A woman who loves my brother.

I am Bhima, the second Pandava. This is my story.

Possessed of amazing strength, fierce loyalty and great tenderness, Bhima as a character is almost always eclipsed by Yudhishtira and Arjuna. In spite of his many virtues, he is destined to be remembered as all brawn and biceps. Now, in Vikas Singh’s retelling of the Mahabharata, India’s greatest epic is narrated through the eyes of a hero who has never got his due. A fascinating account of a fascinating character — his extraordinary courage, his obsessive love for Draupadi, his deeply conflicted emotions about his brother, Arjun — this stunning work, written in a racy, entertaining style, provides the definitive answer to the question: What was it like to be Bhima?

FIRST IMPRESSION:

Any book on mythology captures my attention in a way many other genres don't. But of late, there have been too many books giving alternative views on some 'lesser known' characters. This made me a little ambivalent about taking this book up. But what actually convinced me was the cover. Simple, impressive and somehow saying a lot more about the story. The summary was another positive factor that piqued my curiosity enough to pick this book up. But from the prologue, there was no turning back.

REVIEW:

Bhima - little known warrior prince. 'Little known' because, even though he was famous for being a Pandava, a separate identity exclusively for him did not exist. To everyone who had read or heard about or even simply heard spin offs from the Mahabaratha, Bhima exists as a part of a whole unit. Yes he was strong and sturdy, a gluttony brute. And he killed Duryodhana, sired children with Rakshasis, and most important of all, was a simpleton, sandwiched on both ends by a righteous, goody two shoes upholder of Dharma, Yudishtra and an adventurous, talented, famous archer Arjun on the other. Beyond these obvious facts, we know very little about Bhima.

This book thankfully takes up the task of telling us readers about the little known in depth life of Bhima as an individual who had a name and heart and mind of his own. It is narrated in first person and tries (as much as possible) to narrate everything that happened in his life in a chronological order without missing many things. The book surprised me for the better. Having always read about Bhima as a strong man, I was as surprised as Draupadi to realise that he could be gentle and have a thoughtful mind too. It is not that these two qualities really do not go together, but Bhima had always been praised for his brute strength and never much for his wit and intelligence. But when he gave love advice to Draupadi after the love of her life Arjun brought home Subhadra, and when he insisted Subhadra just smile at him in welcome instead of touching his feet, we know of a Bhima who is kind, gentle and mature enough to hide the pain of his cold rejection at the hands of Draupadi and console her instead of hurting her back when he had the chance.

Not only there. In this riveting first person account, we get to know about some lesser known branching stories of the Mahabharatha - a life that was exclusively Bhima's. We know of Hidimba and Hidimbi, of his experiences in cooking, of the way he treats the women in his life and of his first ever account with a Naga. The strength of the narrative lies in the self deprecating casual tone of the character that is Bhima. If the author had tried to glorify a hidden warrior pushed to the background by his more illustrious brothers and cousins, it would not have worked well for me. But the author has managed to talk about Bhima in what are written as his own words. The honest assessments he makes about himself endear reader to the surprisingly multifaceted character that is Bhima. And yes, I still call it surprising because we have all been inadvertently conditioned to think of Bhima in a particular way. This book will surely change all that.

But the book does have its shortcomings. Even while talking about the very human emotions of lust, jealousy and envy, Bhima is made out to be someone who feels all this in excess and reminds himself to control those wayward thoughts. In the way he lusts after Draupadi and then realises his folly or in the place where he always feels jealous of Arjun but quickly chastises himself, I get a Draco Malfoy-esque feel (oh yes, in his irritation about 'Potter') without the malicious intention. But Bhima as an emotional sensitive man has many chances to explain his side of the arguments effectively. A style that was a mild irritant for me all through the book was the modern language that didn't somehow fit the mythology theme. Agreed that the book's aim was to make the character of Bhima relatable, but the usage of modern slang language did not go well with what we surely know is a story set thousands of years, even eons ago. This is not a deal breaker but might seriously offend some purists - along with the detailed description of lustful scenes.

Overall, a nicely written clear book about a man who was forced to remain in the shadows. The first person narrative did it!

WHAT I LIKED:

• The story and its perspective
• Interesting stories about Bhima's life
• His interactions with Draupadi that reveal many of his emotions. This goes to show just how strong unrequited love could be.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

• The modernised language left me feeling a little unsettled at times
• Even though the author has clearly tried to avoid it, this book inadvertently projects Bhima as a resentful, envious character. Not the best thing to happen to a book that wanted to sing about the unsung hero

VERDICT:

Bhima gets his due, finally! Go for this book if you really like mythology stories talking about the alternative perspective. But if you have read too many of them already, the contradictions might just make you pull your hair out in frustration.

This is a book I really enjoyed reading. This might not be the only 'official' version of the other side of Bhima, but it surely is one amazing read.

RATING: 3.8/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vikas Singh is a self-confessed word addict, who obsessively reads anything that comes his way, be it a newspaper or the label on a cough syrup bottle. An Army kid, he spent most of his early life moving from one place to another with books being his only constant companion. A love-affair that is on even today, with the repertoire varying from military history to cartoon histories and non-fiction to pulp fiction.

Now a senior journalist, Vikas lives in Delhi with his wife and daughter in a house that seems to have more books than furniture. Having co-authored a brief, breezy history of knowledge, 'The Know of Things', with Derek O'Brien, Jug Suraiya and Bunny Suraiya, The Big Fix is Vikas's first novel, though definitely not his last.

EDITIONS AVAILABLE: Paperback, Digital

PRICE Rs. 231 for Paperback

BOOK LINKS:  Amazon