I, Duryodhana - Book Review

Book - I, Duryodhana

Author - Pradeep Govind

Through this book, the author has tried to present to us the story through Duryodhana’s side. The mythology is an interesting subject and the beautiful writing style of the author has made it more amazing. The book presents the story of Mahabharata from Duryodhana’s viewpoint. We always judge the Kauravas harshly, but never tried to look by their viewpoint.

Once I started to read the story, I was absorbed into the story. The stories, although known to everyone, felt fresh due to the change in viewpoint.

The characters were well developed and after a point, I even felt sympathy with Duryodhana. Each and every deed somehow felt natural, and the mistakes humanitarian.

The anger, the jealousy, the competition that sprang up in Duryodhana was common and could take birth in any human being. Some might criticize his actions but I don’t think like that. For me, that human did everything that the situation demanded. If not completely justified, we cannot term his actions as misdeeds. Maybe the Pandavas wouldn’t have had been successful if the people whom Duryodhana trusted wouldn’t had betrayed him.

Through the original Mahabharata, we learn about dharma but after reading Duryodhana’s side, we see reality. The reality of the world, which will leave nothing unturned to destroy you, if you resist it. There was injustice wrecked upon Duryodhana, no doubt, but the destiny chooses the winner and the winner chooses to write the history. The world gets to see only one side of the story. We need to see both the sides before arriving on any conclusion.

This book helped me in understanding the other side of the story. The words were rich and beautifully woven together. The stories which we all knew about seemed fresh and new while reading. The characters were developed well. The point that the author wanted to convey, stuck the point. I was forced to think upon the position Duryodhana was into.

The expression of emotions of love, hate, rage, guilt and even defeat seemed surreal and one can imagine the emotions. I felt the pain felt by Duryodhana and somehow I was able to relate the man from this century and the situations that arise today.

The plot was well developed and I anticipated each and every event. Also, despite knowing the whole story of Mahabharata, wanted to read this with new viewpoint. Overall, the book was intense and amazing to read and I enjoyed reading it. If you are a mythology lover, then you must give this a try.