Book Review - Randamoozham

 

Author: M T Vasudevan Nair

Language: Malayalam

Publishing year: 1984

Central Character: Bhima

Rating: 4.5/5

              Randamoozham (The second chance) is a malayalam novel by M T Vasudevan Nair, which won Vayalar Award in 1985. The book retelling the epic Mahabharata from the view of Bhima, the second pandava. Randamoozham starts with the Kunthi reached Hastinapura with her kids and ends with the Kurukshetra war. All major incidents from Mahabharata included in Randamoozham. In this book the entire events of Mahabharata is described by Bhima. In this novel the author tries to reveals the hardships and effort of Bhima which are unnoticed especially in Kurukshetra war against their cousins Kauravas. In every story the one who kill the villain is the hero but in Mahabharata Bhima the one who kill the villain Duryodhana is not given a heroistic image. Arjuna is treated as hero in Kurukshetra war. The book explores the emotion of Bhima as a son, husband, brother and father. The book also speaks about Bhima's love towards Draupadi and how his love remains unnoticed. We all are familiar with the story of kalyanasougandhikam flower. Sougandhikam is the biggest and most fragrant flower in the world .Once ,Draupadi express her wish to Bhima to get the same . Then Bhima starts his journey to collect the flower. During his journey ,he meet many obstacles first ,he meet with some dancing girls called 'Apsaras' and then he was blocked by an old monkey. Bhima tries to remove the monkey but he can't . Finally Bhima accept failure and ask the monkey to reveal his real image. Monkey reveals his real image and the monkey was Hanuman, Bhima's elder brother . Thus Hanuman put an end to the ego of Bhima and after he continue his journey for the flower and gets it. Like this there are so many situations which reveals Bhima's love towards Draupadi . Towards the end Bhima is the only husband who is with Draupadi at her last moment during their pilgrimage.

                            The story also discuss about the love of Bhima and Hidumbi. Actually Hidumbi is a forgotten wife. Draupadi is the chief wife of pandavas but they have other wife's too. When they married Draupadi they give a promise to her , that is she would be the sole queen of the kingdom and they not bring any other wife to their palace. But Bhima married to Hidumbi before Bhima and other pandavas married to Draupadi. Hidumbi and her brother Hidumba lived in a forest . Once pandavas crossed the forest the forest they lived. Hidumba told Hidumbi to trap Bhima, so he could eat him. But Hidumbi fell in love with him and Hidumba was killed by Bhima. On approval of his mother Kunthi, Bhima married to Hidumbi. Bhima not stay a long with Hidumbi and moved their journey. Hidumbi gave birth to a son ,they named him Ghatotkacha. Not much written about Hidumbi in Mhabharata after this . Even Bhima forgotten about Hidumbi and the son. Bhima meet Ghatotkacha after so many years in Kurukshetra war and Krishna is the one who reminds Bhima about his rakshesa wife and son. Ghatotkacha is lead to death in war by sacrificing his life to save Arjuna. The book ends with the Kurukshetra war. All characters in the book are human without any divine power even Krishna is described as a yadhava king. similarly  all other characters have human touch. 'Randamoozham' the title apts the novel becacuse it shows how Bhima is always a second preference.