So I was stuck at an airport today for over four hours (ironically in the city where Divakaruni is based), and had this book with me. I, like most
people of Indian origin, had heard and read stories from the
Mahabharata, the epic
Hindu poem detailing the rise and the fall of the
Kaurava and
Pandava dynasties in
India.
Among the more memorable parts of the epic are the final battle between the Kaurava and Pandava armies, and the court scene with
Draupadi, which eventually leads to this war. That was probably the extent of my knowledge of Draupadi - before I opened this book. Once I started reading the book, which is written from Draupadi's viewpoint, with stories woven in as flashbacks, I found myself unable to put the book down. The way the life of Draupadi is described, from her birth from the fire, to her youth, her marriage, her longing for
Karna, to her final end - with her commentary on the events unfolding around her - is spellbinding. If you check Wikipedia, you will see that the author has taken pains to maintain the facts as stated in Mahabharata - but embellished them with magnificent detail and prose.
Some passages hinted that this book may be an allegory - " I wasn't ready to let go of my life. How amazing it seemed to me with its victories, its adventures, its moments of glory. Even the shame that had struck like hot iron, branding revenge into my brain, seemed suddenly precious in its uniqueness. I wanted to live it all again - with more wisdom this time!.."
...Are we really like
Abhimanyu, stuck in the
Chakravyuha, with no way of getting out?
Image via WikipediaA $22 Billion Question for India - What to Do With a Treasure? - NYTimes.com:
