MT wrote 'Randamoozham' after getting disturbed by that father's sorrow

MT Vasudevan Nair's Randamoozham is one of the most iconic novels in the history of Malayalam literature. This masterpiece reimagines the Mahabharata with Bhima as the central character—a man who waited his entire life for the second turn (Randamoozham translates to 'The Second Turn'). Bhima is a character who is always considered second to his much-celebrated brothers—Yudhishthira and Arjuna. MT once explained his motivation for choosing such a character as his protagonist.

MT's words about Randamoozham
"I have read the Mahabharata multiple times. Every time I read it, I would jot down notes. Vyasa, the great author, would conclude one segment and then begin another entirely new thread. I often wondered why there was no continuity. Perhaps he left certain things for people like us to interpret and explore.

There was a strong bond between Bhima and Abhimanyu, the son of his younger brother Arjuna. The grief Bhima experienced when Abhimanyu died on the battlefield was immense. Abhimanyu was someone who always called him 'uncle' and followed him closely. Soon after that, Bhima's own son, Ghatotkacha, was also killed in the battle. Ghatotkacha was one of the greatest warriors in the Mahabharata. He fought both in the sky and on the earth. His entry in the Mahabharata itself was thrilling. Karna killed Ghatotkacha using the divine spear meant for Arjuna.

When Ghatotkacha died, Yudhishthira mourned, calling him the eldest son of the Pandavas. Krishna, however, responded coldly, saying, 'Do not grieve. Celebrate instead. After all, he was a demon, destined to die.’ Bhima, as a father, stood there silently, hearing it all.

Such moments deeply unsettled me. This is why I decided to write Randamoozham, making Bhima the central character."

MT’s portrayal of Bhima as a complex, deeply human character made Randamoozham a literary masterpiece, offering a fresh perspective on the Mahabharata.