Scene from the Book

The sky was overcast and heavy, pregnant with rain. The humidity was unbearable. Not even a leaf stirred. Dark clouds swirled above her head. When she reached there, Baali had thrown Sugreeva on the ground. Baali placed his right leg on Sugreeva’s chest and roared. Chemba was growling at a tree that lay about twenty feet away. The wolf’s ears were alert, eyes squinted in concentration and tail straight. Tara looked to see whether someone was hiding behind the tree like previous day. No one was there. Tara sighed in relief. Baali roared in victory. He was alive. She could not control her tears. All her fears were unfounded. She felt guilty that she had suspected Rama to be someone who was capable of shooting in sly. She said a word of prayer.

At that moment, an arrow whooshed through the air. She turned in surprise to see a dark young man ducking behind the tree.

She watched in horror as the arrow pierced Baali’s chest. She screamed, but no sound came out. She ran to her husband. Chemba reached first. Baali fell like a huge tree struck by lightning. She went near him, beating her head, crying, but she had lost her voice. Baali saw her with pity-filled eyes. She collapsed near him and took his head on her lap. Chemba whined piteously.

It kept its head on Baali’s heaving chest and stared at his face with all the sorrow in the world.

‘As usual, you were right, Tara.’ Baali gave a sad smile and blood bubbled out through his mouth. ‘Don’t go, Baali, don’t go,’ she wanted to say, but no soundcame out. She was feeling cold. She shivered. He was dying in her arms.

Sugreeva had got up and he watched his brother dying. He collapsed on his knees and buried his head in his palms. Rama and his brother came near them. Baali saw the man who had hidden behind a tree to shoot him dead. Chemba stood up and bared his teeth. Baali patted the wolf to calm it down. It placed its head on his chest. Baali folded his hands to greet the uninvited guests. There was a derisive smile on Baali’s lips.

‘Welcome, Rama.’

Tara saw the dark man shifting his eyes, nervous, uneasy. Beside him stood a man with an angry scowl.

‘You’re unique, Rama,’ Baali said.

Rama stood watching Baali die. Lakshmana’s lips curved into a derisive smile.

‘May I know why you shot me slyly instead of facing me like a man, Lord Rama?’ Baali asked. His voice was getting weak.

‘You had done injustice to your brother.’

‘You could’ve faced me like a man,’ Baali said.

‘You stole his wife,’ Rama declared.

‘You could’ve faced me like a man,’ Baali laughed.

‘You’re evil and my dharma is to eliminate evil,’ Rama said.

‘You could’ve fought evil like a man.’ Baali laughed and vomited blood. Ignoring it, he laughed again.

‘I’m a Kshatriya and my duty is to vanquish evil,’ Rama said.

‘You could’ve faced me like a man,’ Baali said again.

‘It’s the Dharma of a Kshatriya to hunt animals. You’re not human.

You’re a Vanara. I can hunt you and kill. It’s Kshatriya dharma.’

‘Ah, we’re animals. Vanaras. Now I understand, my lord. Our lives don’t matter. We’re mere animals. Yes, my lord, we belong to the forest. We aren’t familiar with the noble ways of civilized men. In the jungle, the tiger hunts its prey by stalking, like how you did, Rama. But the tiger does it because it’s hungry. What are you hungry for, Rama?’ Baali scoffed. Rama stood without a reply.

Celebrity Speaks About Vanara

‘Anand is one of those people who has adopted the neutral storytelling style, leaving the perception to the readers. He creates the characters and lets the audience discover them. While he excels in displaying inflated heroism always, it is interesting to witness how he has put Hanuman and Baali in his book, Vanara.’—S. S. Rajamouli, film-maker

‘Like always, a very engrossing perspective on our mythology. Anand Neelakantan’s writing makes you question everything you were taught. He researches his characters and goes to a great extent to bring detail into the narrative. For me Anand now, is what Amar Chitra Katha was as a child.’—Nagarjuna Akkineni, actor

‘The grey shades are as real as they can get. You cannot put down Vanara. Anand Neelakantan makes you feel it’s all happening now and here.’ —Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, film-maker

Vanara is a politically relevant tale and should be boldly applauded. With a captivating narrative, Anand Neelakantan brings back his suave style of storytelling. A must read!’’—Ram, director