The common saying amongst writers is that the more you read, the better your writing gets. Successful authors have always recommended reading not just in the genre one writes in, but on a wider scale as well.
When I first picked up Vritrahan, I did it with some trepidation. I know Ratul as a writer, but the thought of reading a book written completely in verse, was daunting, to say the least. I must confess here that I have never been a fan of free verse. I like my ‘love’ to rhyme with my ‘dove’ in every other sentence! How on earth was I going to make my way through 325 pages of free verse? That too, of a story that I had read in an Amar Chitra Katha all those years ago and which I knew fairly well?
I need not have worried. Vritrahan, at its surface, is the well-known story of the killing of Vritra, by Indra. For those unaware of the story, it starts with Indra’s killing of Vishwarupa, the Maker Tvashta’s son. In despair over the loss of his son and with rage at the adharmic way in which he was killed by Indra, Tvashta creates Vritra, a demon, who is unstoppable. Vritra steals the waters of the earth and turns the world into a desert.
Indra approaches Mahavishnu who advises him to seek out sage Dadichi, who, in an ultimate act of self-sacrifice for the greater good, burns himself to ashes, leaving aside his bones. Bones, that Tvashta, hit by remorse at the evil that he has unleashed, then fashions into the powerful Vajra, Indra battles Vritra and eventually manages to kill him. The river waters are released and the earth flowers again.
This is just the main story of Indra and Vritra. Ratul however, uses this as the substructure on which to expand on his worldview; an Indic worldview.
In doing so, he presents deep Upanishadic philosophies including the Purusharthas, Rta, Atman, Brahman, Karma, Dharma, and Adharma. He begins his magnificent work with creation and the oneness of everything that arises from nothingness. He channels the Nasadiya Sukta as he explores the very beginning of time and space.
As he expounds on his worldview, he relates the Vritra story to the rise and fall of societies and civilizations and then subtly weaves in the many ills plaguing our society today. The challenges arising from a blithe disregard for dharma, the breakdown of societal rules and norms, and the resultant chaos are captured evocatively in the book.
At an even deeper level, Ratul’s exploration of Indra’s trials and tribulations seems like a personal journey that every one of us undergoes in life. Indra’s fall from grace for the unjustified murder of Vishwarupa, the inevitable and inexorable outcome of karma, exemplified by his penitence for his act not resulting in his immediate redemption. Karma IS inexorable and whomsoever it might be, be he ever so exalted or humble, karma cannot be circumvented.
It is only when Indra finally finds his higher purpose, his calling, that one sees his eventual rise from the depths to which he has fallen and for his final redemption. One can see echoes of the nishkama karma philosophy from the Bhagavad Gita in those lines.
Now to the writing. As I mentioned at the start, I have always been wary of free verse. I like rhythm. I like cadence and, in my view, or at least till now, most free verses I have read lacked that.
Not Ratul’s. There is a rhythm to his words, a beat that echoes through his lines. One can almost hear Shiva’s damaru playing as he recreates the origin of our existence. The verses might not end in rhymes, but the beats are there, sometimes soft, like the beats from the smaller drum of the table, at others, deep and resounding as the situation warrants.
The rhythms accentuate the deep truths that his words are trying to bring out. I will never look at free verse the same way again. Here is a short glimpse for you of what I mean:
The world wept with Tvashta:
The Deodar trees wept
Red sap streaking its barks
The mountain stream wept
Sadness frothing over its banks
The flowers wept
Dewdrops freezing in the cold
The cows wept
Salting their milk with tears
The altar wept
Vermillion and ghee glistening on its steps
The snowflakes wept too
Finally melting in sorrow.
There are very few books that, when one is reading them, leave one speechless. This one did. Usually, these days, I find it difficult to keep the author in me aside, when I read books or watch movies.
In this case, I could. And when I had finished the book, I was awestruck at what Ratul had managed to do, both as a lay reader and as an author. Some books render one humble. This one did. I was rendered envious and humbled by what I had read.
If this book doesn’t merit a literary award, I don’t know which other recent book does.
Take a bow, Ratul Chakraborty!
Arun Krishnan is the author of Battle of Vathapi Trilogy.
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