The One Beyond Death. Review on Mritunjay - Shivaji Sawant

In its Grandeur and Glorified Bit, one thing which History has never been able to explain is the Gross Injustice which went around in all forms. Every form of wrongs have been turned into an activism, made into group calls and worked upon be it racial discrimination, caste-system, sati, jouhar and so forth. But never in its Life did any work upon the individual injustice which went around in many forms the greatest of them being- Abandonment. How an individual was easily abandoned for reasons unexplained.  Ram was abandoned because Kaikeyi wanted it, Seeta was abandoned because a washerman wanted it, Eklavya was abandoned by Dronacharya because Arjun wanted it, Karna was abandoned because Kunti wanted it.

This history has developed and continued to loom like an Evil force larger than life. The Impact of it on a normal human being - spending his/her whole life finding out the reasons, justifying the act to himself/herself and nurturing a lot of bitterness. Was it that the societal structure was such, that the circumstances were not permissible or that the person was not good enough to able to be the part of the circle where everybody belonged; or is it plain negligence?

“Mritunjay” was adopted by me (since I would not want to abandon the one already abandoned) at a point when I was in a similar state of mind. My journey through the pages was similar as the Journey of “Karn” the “Jyeshth” (eldest) putra(son) of Kunti. The life which commences from being a “Sutputra” to dying in the knowledge that he was indeed a King, and deserved all that for which he was mocked and deprived of throughout his Life! A Boy maturing much before he needs to. He realizes he is special with the “kavach” and “kundal” which stay as the second skin with him; he possesses the finer Qualities of being the Strongest warrior and a Man of Deep Compassion and Emotions. Tragically his commitment lies to the Evil and he stands against his own blood in the Battlefield. To which I wonder if Duryodhana was the real evil who stood by him, gave him all the respect and honour he deserved or his own who insulted him at every opportunity. For that matter even God would be considered as criminal as any.

Shivaji Sawant must have taken tremendous efforts to put himself in the shoes of His Protagonist and to empathize the goings of his mind. His musings on meeting Vrushali the first time, when he feels totally inappropriate- his feelings when he meets Draupadi and is made to feel inappropriate and insulted. But remarkable is the scene which depicts the dialogue between Krishn and Karn; since the book is the first person account of all main characters, Krishn muses- the Magnificence of his Dignity has no match. His account of meeting with Kunti is as heart rending. The anger, the pain and finally giving in to the recognition he needed as her child. And then the description of exchange (literally!) with Devraj Indra- as he mockingly gives away his “kavach” and “kundal”- remarking that even the King of Gods had to come begging to a mere low-caste mortal like him.

This Book was first published in Marathi and was turned into a play, and later on translated into many languages. Till date it is the most compassionate and intelligent account of the War which took place in lieu of a “Suryaputra” who lived in the sham of being “Sutputra” throughout his life.