Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Like I’ve said before, what does it say of a story when countless people, centuries later, can continue to render it in their unique way? It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who’s completely enthralled by the phenomenon that is The Mahabharata. It’s even more heartening when renditions are such that they do justice to the epic.
This is the Mahabharata told from the viewpoint of Draupadi, and as a reader, I could easily believe this to be indeed her autobiography. I could sense the changes in Draupadi with time, not just in her behaviour, but also in her perspectives and even the words she uses. It is almost as though the author walked in her shoes! It is difficult to bring anything new to the table with regards to the basic story itself, but the author manages it with the help of at least three devices – the role of Karna in Draupadi’s life, the perspectives of a female protagonist and finally, the interpretations Draupadi draws of and from the events that happen around her. There is a fourth too, that lends a uniqueness to this retelling – the Palace of Illusions, and what it does to Draupadi’s own perspectives.
It would have been easy to go with an extreme feminist tone on this, and honestly, that is what I was dreading. But it didn’t turn out that way at all. It was almost objective, and Draupadi’s maturity in viewing situations with pragmatism also increases with time. Such is the subtlety that as a reader, I was gently persuaded to see it from a woman’s point of view. Credit to the author that I did.
What worked wonderfully for me was that, in essence, this was the life of a woman who had a myriad of experiences, and this was conveyed eloquently in some of the most wonderful prose I have read. But this was also a woman who had arguably the most eventful life ever lived and influenced her age like no other. The author does not forget that, and balances very well the story of the woman within the age and times she lived in – the lens through which we see the story, but not necessarily the epicentre of all events. The last chapter, especially, is one that captures the life and times fantastically, and its poignancy needs to be experienced first hand. Very recommended, and goes right into my favourites!
