Blue: Tales of Reddumone, the Two-Faced

by M.R. Sharan

This is the tale of Reddumone, or Two-face, a Lankan spy. It is also the tale of Rama of Ayodhya.

Clever, loyal and powerful, Reddumone is the perfect spy. Noble, strong and brave, Rama is the quintessential king. Their paths cross often, over several decades and across the length of the Indian subcontinent. Against a background of civil wars and murderous coups, the two form a strange, knotty friendship. It is a bond marked by mutual respect, divided by loyalty and complicated by a seemingly impossible ideal - dharma.

The novel follows Ramas moral arc - from an unyielding adherence to dharma to a more nuanced understanding of righteousness. Reddumone too follows a similar curve, balancing loyalty and love as he finds his own moral centre.

In this self-assured and complex debut, M. R. Sharan blends mythology with philosophy and spiritual yearning with political machinations. Blue is, ultimately, a love song to Rama, the man and the idea of him. It will forever change the way you read the Ramayana.

242 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2014

Reviews

[Gayatri Khandige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from the heart and so well ,it held my attention from start to finish. I loved the character of Reddumone brought to life wonderfully..

[Akhila Ashru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue : Tale of reddumone
By M R Sharan

Have you read different versions of the epic “Ramayana”?

This book is re-telling of Ramayana in the perspective of a spy! Rama, the finest archer, humble king sticks to what is right, without compromising his dharma. Reddumone, a Lankan spy eventually starts to like the charismatic personality of Rama, appreciating his principles. The spy has to choose between right and wrong without compromising his duty. Though His thoughts are torn apart, whether he will be loyal to his king Ravana, or he will betray his master and surrender himself to Rama? The perceptive of a spy and vivid description of Rama’s calm personality makes us fall in love with the story. Though I couldn’t digest imagination of author on Lakshmana’s personality, I leave it to the readers to judge it ( I don’t want to disclose the spoilers here! ) The beautiful landscape of Lanka and childhood of the spy is well narrated. I admire the author for the spiritual content and setting up example of ideal couple through the conversation of Rama and Sita. Well, the story such as Ramayana has many variations but if you ask who is the hero in Ramayana the answer is obvious. In this book throughout the story author highlights Rama and his saga. But between the lines we can see another emerging hero in the form of spy!

For story 🌟🌟🌟✨
For writing 🌟🌟🌟🌟
For plot and idea 🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Saritha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the character of Reddumone, but little else.

Given the premise, my take is that it feels like a smaller excerpt of a bigger book. I wouldn't trade the lovely little tales of Reddumone's growing up years. But given that Reddumone is a contemporary of Rama, god/prince of Ayodhya, I thought that there would be more interesting conflicts arising with him accompanying Rama on his war against Ravana. There was simply no expanse or big enough arc befitting a character like Reddumone.

The conflict of loyalty is fleeting. We love Karna from the Mahabharata for his quality of loyalty (with the conflict of whom to be loyal to). There is no equivalent character in the Ramayana with the potential of such a story except, perhaps Vibheeshana. The fictional Reddumone was a brilliant opportunity and could have come close to Karna minus the ties of blood.

The jumping POVs in the last chapter don't help either. Either I am not very fond of disjointed narratives or there's a certain authorial impatience that kicks in from time to time that makes the book feel to me like an excellent first draft but incomplete and published in a hurry. I really, really wish the obviously talented young writer would one day do a little more justice to the premise of this novel.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This retelling of the Ramayana frames a lovely, particular, close study of the character of a friendship. Because I'm not terribly familiar with the Ramayana, my impressions of the epic are like a lovely, hazy ring helping to narrow my focus on the childhood of Reddumone and his relationship with Rama. The fine line between philosophical meaning and narrative interest is handled expertly, and as I read I kept thinking, jealously, how exactly does such a young writer learn how to have so much depth? I know that there are cultural layers in this book that are beyond me, but this book made me want to learn more about the Ramayana and come back and visit Reddumone again some day.

P.S. Something about the size/weight of this edition is also extremely pleasing. I wish more Western titles were published with this size book, this weight of paper.

[Viju · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up initially thanks to a recommendation from a person I follow on Twitter and thanks to the different cover: the title Blue written in red. I have always had issues with Ramayana portraying people as either completely good or completely bad, and I am glad Sharan picked up a grayish theme for the interpretation here. This doesn't contain the whole Ramayana. It instead has the life of a spy and how his life intersects with Rama's.

With a touch of philosophy, a touch of mythology, and a whole lot of creative imagination, this Blue is a complete delight despite it being an unconventional read.

PS: This book is what Asura by Anand Neelakantan could have been.

[Lavanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on a whim, and started it with a fair amount of prejudice - that I wasn't going to encounter anything "new", and that it was just another shot at retelling a story that's been retold only too many times now. I was however, very pleasantly surprised to see how refreshingly different this book was! Very unique take on the Ramayana, and MR Sharan's narration, although languid, never loses your attention. Recommend!

[tapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, it seemed to have the setup of a spy thriller woven into Ramayana. I was expecting a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. :) But, as the story progressed, the emphasis was less on the spying and more on the protagonist delving deep into the psyche of Rama. It is a beautifully written and captivating take on an age-old story.

[Anand Mamidipudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admit to cousinly bias, but this book is as original as they come on the subject of Rama.