Bhima Lone Warrior

Perennial books showcase the finest and most compelling narratives from the Indian languages, books that are timeless and stories that capture the essence of their times and the region from which they emanate. In its entirety, the Perennial library, which features over a hundred titles, presents a kaleidoscope of India as seen through the eyes of the greatest modern writers in the local languages, comprising award-winning and well-loved novels, short fiction, poetry, plays, memoirs, biographies and travelogues.

To celebrate Perennial's tenth anniversary, the editors at HarperCollins have handpicked ten of their favorite books, which are being published as special keepsake editions under the 'Perennial to' series. We hope you will enjoy these outstanding works of literature all over again in their new look.

This is the story of Bhima, the second son, always second in line - a story never adequately told until one of India's finest writers conjured him up from the silences in Vyasa's narrative.

M.T. Vasudevan Nair's Bhima is a revelation: lonely; eager to succeed; and treated with a mixture of affection and contempt by his Pandava brothers, and with scorn and hatred by his Kaurava cousins. Bhima battles incessantly with failure and disappointments. He is adept at disguising his feelings, but has an overwhelmingly intuitive understanding of everyone who crosses his path. A warrior without equal, he takes on the mighty Bakasura and Jarasandha, and ultimately Duryodhana, thus bringing the Great War to a close.

However, all of Bhima's moments of triumph remain unrecognized and unrewarded. If his mother saw glory only in the skills of Arjuna and the wisdom of Yudhishtira, his beloved Draupadi cared only for the beauteous archer husband.

Bhima: Lone Warrior is the Mahabharata as only MT could tell it. It is a masterpiece of Indian literature.

Madath Thekkeppat Vasudevan Nair was born in 1933 in the village of Kudallur in Kerala's Palakkad district. Possibly the most loved and widely read writer in Malayalam, MT, as he is affectionately known to friends and readers, has written novels, travelogues, literary criticism and books for children. He also has over twenty collections of short stories and fifty screenplays to his credit. He was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1996 and the Padma Bhushan in 2005. His award-winning novels include Nalukettu (1954), which won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award; Kalam (1969), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award; and Randamoozham (1984), which won the Vayalar and Muttathu Varkey awards.

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