Book Review: After Kurukshetra by Mahasweta Devi

Title: After Kurukshetra
Author: Mahasweta Devi (translated by Anjum Katyal)

Publisher: Seagull Books
Pages: 49
Price: 120
Genre: Fiction / Mythology / Women's studies
Rating: 8/10

Format: Paperback

‘After Kurukshetra’ is a collection of three short stories, originally written in Bengali by Mahasweta Devi and translated by Anjum Katyal. All of 49 pages, though a short read yet this book attempts to explore the impact of the epic war on common women. When we talk about Mahabharata, the narrative is usually about the men and women of the Kuru clan and people directly related to them; but this book actually makes us sit up and acknowledge what it meant to the common folk. Was it really a war for justice? Was this inevitable? Did this war justify the deaths of so many people, many of whom couldn’t even choose whether they wanted a war or not.

These stories are the offshoots of the main story of Mahabharata. They are born out of the author’s imagination. All the three stories are about women. Each story has ordinary women standing up to the royalty for what they think is fair and justified. All these women have been wronged in the hands of the royal folks. They felt used by them for their own greed and selfishness, in one way or another.

The first story is about five ordinary women, also widowed in the war, who have been brought into the palace to keep the pregnant and widowed Uttara (Abhimanyu’s wife) company. The story depicts the contrast in which women of royalty and common women are expected to deal with the loss of their husbands. Common womenfolk have more freedom, they will remarry and have children because that’s what nature expects of them; while royal widows will live a life of rules and regulations, there life will be spent in shadows, inside the corners of the women quarters.

These women are not of the rajavritta, women of royalty, nor are they servants or attendants. These women are from the families of the hundreds of foot soldiers – padatiks – from various other little kingdoms. They had been slaughtered every day, in their thousands, their function being to protect the chariot – mounted heroes. They were issued no armour. So they died in large numbers.

The women make no bones about questioning the need for war. When the head dasi (servant) of the royal women quarters call the war a ‘disaster’, they argue:

 ‘Disaster? What disaster? Huh, old woman? Was this some natural calamity? So many great kings join in a war between brothers. Some chose one side, some cross over to the other. It wasn’t just brother slaughtering brother. We know of quarrels – jealousies – rivalries too. But such a war for just a throne? This, a holy war?! A righteous war?! Just call it a war of greed!’

The war meant nothing to the common folks but there wasn’t a way to get away from the war. They had no choice. If they were called, they had to go.

‘This was not our dharmayuddha. Brother kills brother, uncle kills nephew, shishya kills guru. It may be your idea of dharma, it’s not ours.

It implores us to reflect on what true victory is. Was it truly a victory for Yudhishthir? The war sacrificed so many people and cost so much in terms of people and matter. The dead included farmers and traders. Their pyres burnt for several days, from which arose a sickening stench. The city was covered in gloom because of so many deaths. Who was happy? Even Pandavas lost all their children. None was left except Uttara’s unborn child.

Subhadra can’t hold back her tears. Slapping her forehead she laments, the sons are dead, their fathers are alive. Daughters-in-law have lost their husbands, while their mothers-in-law are still married.

 “So many hundreds of widows! So many homes in which mothers have lost their sons!

The second story is about Kunti. After the war, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti retreated into the forest. Karna’s death intensified Kunti’s guilt of abandonment. It gnawed at her during her last days and made her restless.   

What irony! What irony! Not one of the five Pandavas is sired by Pandu! Yet they are Pandavas. And Karna? A carpenter’s (sic) son.

While she mourned how she always failed her firstborn, a Nishadin (tribal woman) accosted her in the forest to remind about her gravest sin which she never acknowledged. She accused Kunti of abetting the deaths of a Nishadin and her five sons for her selfish interests; and that it was typical of the royalty to think nothing of the lives of common folks.

You couldn’t even remember this sin. Causing six innocent forest tribals to be burnt to death to serve your own interests. That was not even a crime in your book.

This story touches upon the conflict between the people from the royalty and common folks (specifically the tribals, in this case); what was the attitude of the kings towards ordinary people and how they only looked at them as means to their ends. The people from royalty certainly considered themselves as superior and therefore thought nothing of the sacrifice.

The third story is about a woman called Souvali, a vaishya (trader) woman, who was brought in the palace to serve Dhritarashtra while Gandhari was pregnant. She bore a son called Yuyutsu (or Souvalya). She was never accorded the respect and dignity fit for the mother of a king’s son and her son was also always considered and treated like a ‘dasiputra’ (son of a servant). And yet he was the one who did the final rites of his father Dhritarashtra as his only surviving son.

Never went near him, never called him ‘father’, and today I did the tarpan for him.

In this story also, a common woman of vaishya (trader) community, Souvali, was embittered by the injustice meted out to her and her son. She felt used and never acknowledged. She thought her son was foolish to behave like the men of royalty inspite of being the son of a common woman. She herself is not disillusioned to follow the rituals expected of the royalty.

She thinks to herself, if you must learn, learn from your mother. I was nothing but a dasi in the royal household but here, amongst the common people, I’m a free woman.

Though quite a thin book, it sparks a lot of thoughts. For a book that has to offer interesting facets of the war, the editing was a dampener. I have already written a lot about the stories. I do think that reading the original would make a bigger impact, so if you know Bengali, please read the original.  

Undoubtedly, it is a must-read for Mahabharata enthusiasts.

Check out my compilation of Books on Mahabharata here.  

Text in italics have been quoted from the book. 
Image credit

Book Review: The Mahabharatha - a child's view by Samhita Arni

Title: The Mahabharatha - a child's view
Author: Samhita Arni

Publisher: Tara Books
Pages: 288
Price: Rs 650
Genre: Children's books / Mythology / Religion
Rating: 10/10

Format: Paperback

This book has been with me for a really long time. I bought it before my son was born, may be even before I was married. At that time, I bought this book for myself. 

Recently, we (I and my 6.5 year old) were discussing about Ramayana and the conversation veered off to Mahabharata. Mahabharata is so exhaustive and full of so many characters that I could not decide where to begin. The next day, I chanced upon this book in my collection and thought it was a perfect time to introduce him to this book.

According to her website, Samhita Arni started writing this when she was 8 and it got published first when she was 12.  This assured me that the story will not be complex and, moreover, when the book is written by a child it will strike the right chord with children. I also did not worry about what kind of details the story would have captured about adult relationships.

He took to it immediately. When he likes a book, he gets possessed by it. He would read it every waking minute.  It has been over 2 weeks. He has already read it twice. Mahabharata is a story that deserves to be read again and again. It always opens up multiple dimensions to the story or you start thinking about some different character every time. I am personally a Mahabharata fan too and I know my Mahabharata and Ramayana collection will be the last to go (considering I am no longer the hoarder I used to be).

No doubt, this is a fantastic book for kids who have started showing interest in Mahabharata. The best aspect of this book is its ability to narrate a complex story in a simple way. 

Samhita Arni writes in her foreword:  "There is much that we lose in growing up.As one grows up, we feel a little less strongly about things. Sensations are blunted. We develop a terrible habit of refashioning the world around as we want to see it, and ignoring that which makes us uncomfortable. There is a freshness in the way children see things, in the instinctive, individualistic reactions they have.Unfortunately, many think that the best way to instruct children is mot to encourage them to reveal their own, innate reactions and thoughts, but to teach them the right (and only) way to think, to see, to respond. This seems to be the goal of education - not to allow children to ask questions but to indoctrinate them; to let them learn by rote. I think there is much e, adults, can learn from talking to children, from their own, strongly individual reactions ad perspectives."

There are many things which work in this book:
- The pictorial family tree at the beginning helps in understanding the relationships between all the characters. Especially, in a story like Mahabharata, it is very important. Naturally, it came extremely handy to my son while reading the book. 
- The neat pictorial layout at the end captures 'Pandava Alliance' and 'Kaurava Alliance'. This was also very useful in understanding who supported whom in the battlefield.
- The illustrations, created when the author was a child, capture the essence of the story beautifully. A child reading the book identifies with it and it certainly aids understanding. 
- Spread over 55 Chapters, the story captures everything from Santanu to Janamejaya and everyone in between. 

Sometimes children point out such simple and obvious things which we unknowingly overlook. My son pointed out that Hidimbi wasn't shown in the layout showing Alliances; even Draupadi wasn't shown. I had to finally explain that during those times women did not enter battlefields. He found Amba's story quite interesting. He also asked if Ghatokacha looked the way he was shown; I said it was the author's imagination. Nobody has seen him! 


These days, we are having such discussions all the time since we have also added few more books to our collection. It is interesting how both of us are reading different versions simultaneously and even fighting to read the same book. 

This book certainly worked for us as the first book on Mahabharata for my 6.5 year old, and I highly recommend this book to the enthusiasts of Mahabharata - young or old. As someone rightly said 'a children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.' 

Note: Here is the link to the page on Mahabharata inspired books. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list.

Image credit (except the page on Alliances): Author website

Book Review: Kaurava by Krishna Udayasankar

Title: Kaurava

Author: Krishna Udayasankar

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages: 384
Price: Rs 350

Genre: Fiction / Indian mythology / Alternative history

Rating: 7/10

Format: Paperback

About the book [from the Blurb]

Nothing left to fight for is nothing left to lose...

Emperor Dharma Yudhisthir of the Kauravas and Empress Panchali Draupadi rule over the unified realm of Aryavarta, an empire built for them by Govinda Shauri with the blessings of the Firstborn and by the might of those whom everyone believes long gone – the Firewrights.

Now the Firewrights rise from the ashes of the past, divided as before in purpose and allegiance, and no one, it seems, can stand in the way of the chaos about to be unleashed on the land – not the Firstborn, not the kings of Aryavarta, and not Govinda Shauri.

As sinister plans are put in play and treacherous alliances emerge, Aryavarta transforms into its own worst enemy. Dharma Yudhisthir gambles away his empire, the tormented empress is forced into a terrifying exile and the many nations of the realm begin to take up arms in a bid to fight, conquer and destroy each other.

His every dream shattered, Govinda is left a broken man. The only way he can protect Aryavarta and the woman in whose trusted hands he had left it is by playing a dangerous game. But can he bring himself to reveal the terrible secrets that the Vyasa has protected all his life – secrets that may well destroy the Firstborn, and the Firewrights with them? 

My thoughts:

I felt I was at a little disadvantage in reading this book before reading the Aryavarta Chronicles: Govinda [Book 1] because sometimes Firewright - Firstborn thing would be baffling. Nevertheless, the good thing is that we all know the basic Mahabharata so over all I enjoyed this book.

The story in this book begins at the time when Dharma Yudhisthir is the emperor of Indraprastha while Govinda Shauri [Krishna] has been shunned from the empire. In the turn of events, Dharma, his brothers and Panchali are invited by Syoddhan [Duryodhan] to Hastinapur, where he [Dharma] gets into a game of dice. This legendary game of dice is the one in which he loses everything including himself, his brothers and Panchali. The book ends with the promise of impending war in the third part of the series, aptly titled ‘Kurukshetra’.

Mahabharata, as we have known it, has been a story of larger-than-life men and women, and difficult-to-believe sequences. Now the unique aspect of this book is that it explains everything logically, and does not demonize anybody unnecessarily. In author’s own words, through this series, she attempts to offer “a plausible narrative with reasonable internal logical consistency. Something that could well have been history, something that stands firm not just on faith but also on logic and science.” She has imagined several new angles to the original story without compromising on what is widely known. Her research work has been meticulous and extensive, and therefore what you get is a book [and probably the series] which is compelling and very contemporary in its appeal. The author has spent sufficient time in building up characters like Shikhandi, Ashvatthama or Sanjay.

There are so many characters that the relationship chart in ‘the Dynasties of Aryavarta’ is not just a luxury but a necessity. ‘The Cast of Characters’, also provided in the beginning, tells us about the main characters in this book. The author has intentionally used alternate names so that the characters don’t have to carry the unnecessary baggage of their fame / notoriety. So, Krishna is Govinda Shauri while Duryodhan is Syoddhan Kauravya. It took me a while to understand that Vasusena is Karna. A reader well-versed with Mahabharata will find several characters in a different light. For example, Syoddhan is a largely positive or at most a grey character here while Dharma is too smug.

I loved the cover page. It reminded me of Hachette India’s another fabulous series Empire of the Mughal. The narrative is largely fast-paced barring a few times when certain things have been described in too much detail. I also found use of swear words funny like “Who in the name of an elephant’s backside are you talking about?”

I will certainly recommend it to readers who love exploring different facets of the epic tale ‘Mahabharata’. But you must have an open mind towards the author’s imagination. Meanwhile, I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series ‘Kurukshetra’. 

If you are yet to read the series, I suggest you begin with the first one: The Aryavarta Chronicles: Govinda (Book - 1)

Review Book courtesy: Hachette India 

Image source: Hachette India

Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik

Title: Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

Author: Devdutt Pattanaik

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Pages: 372

Genre: Mythology

Given my penchant for hoarding books inspired by Mahabharata, I had this one too lying on my book-shelf for months now. After finishing Badrinath Chaturvedi’s ‘The Women of the Mahabharata’ (which by the way is another good book on the subject), I picked this up for reading.

I have read about 10 books on Mahabharata, and if I were to suggest one book that you should read on the subject, I would highly recommend this book. It amazingly captures everything I have read in those 10 books (in just 372 pages with illustrated drawings also for better understanding). The flow is smooth, the language is lucid and it goes much beyond than merely telling a unidimensional story. After every chapter, the author tries to explain the practical aspects behind the stories that we have heard, so that there is better clarity, for e.g., birth of 100 kauravas, birth of 5 pandavas, and several other things. It is perhaps the best thing that the author has done. Otherwise whenever we read such stories we are left wondering how this or that could actually happen, because there is way too much exaggeration.

It is for the first time, I came to know about the story of Shakuni, which I also found on Wikipedia later. The only things I found missing in this book, as also in any other book on Mahabharata that I have read, are a little more perspective on Duryodhan, and a little more about the ‘danveer’ aspect of Karna. Duryodhan has been known to be a good king, while Karna’s danveer nature has been known to all. Otherwise, I found this book perfect.

A few questions which I found myself pondering about, after reading this book were:

• Mahabharata is said to be a war for ‘dharma’ but actually if you see, Pandavas (with help from Krishna) flouted more rules to kill their enemies than Kauravas. The only time Kauravas overlooked the rules was when Abhimanyu was killed in Chakravyuha, and when Ashmathhama lights a fire in Pandava’s camp and also kills Dhrishtadyumna and all five sons of Draupadi. On the other side, Pandavas killed Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Duryodhana and even Jayadratha by folly.
• If you look at it, Pandavas might not have won, had it not been for Krishna
• The irony of Mahabharata was that while the Kauravas were killed and went to heaven, Pandavas were left to rule a kingdom of corpses, widows and orphans.
• Kauravas and Pandavas were fighting for the right to the throne, but the truth was that neither of them were from the true lineage of the Kuru dynasty
• Yudhishthir, in all the books that I have read, comes across as a weak character. He loses everything in the game of dice, even his wife; and when Draupadi gets their freedom back from Dhritarashtra, he again loses his right on the kingdom and gets for Pandavas and their wife thirteen years of exile. What a man!
• How can Yudhishthir be forgiven of the adharma of manipulating his mother’s words to marry his younger brother’s wife!
• There are 2 things which I have never been able to comprehend. First, just because Kunti asked the brothers to share the alms, how can they share a wife! Secondly, why nobody objected to Draupadi’s humiliation in the court. Which dharma allows it?
• Frankly, this so-called dharma elaborated in such detail in the epics have all been written by men and they have some really weird perspectives on what a woman should do.

Well, anyways, this book in undoubtedly fabulous. Go for it. 

Check out my compilation of Books on Mahabharata here.    

Image courtesy: http://devdutt.com

Some more books on my over-flowing shelf!

I wrote about this celeb magazine 'PEOPLE' earlier. I am absolutely hooked to it. It has none of those trashy gossips and some really good pictures, plus it has celebs from all walks of life. So, well, they have 2 pages on Books towards the end and I definitely look out for the recommended books. I ended up buying 2 books from the last issue and one more for my collection on Mahabharata:

• Home Boy by H.M.Naqvi > It has the most amazing covers I have ever seen. There is this grainy feel to the photograph on the cover, which is apparently paining of the characters from the book. I am just starting this book. It has got good reviews. Read one here.
• The Return of Khokha Babu > Wel, it has collection of short stories from Tagore, so did not think about it much. Just bought it!
• Thus spake Bhishma > An English translation of 'Main Bhishma Bol Raha hoon'. So, with this, I have added another perspective to my rapidly expanding collection.

Back with Loads of New Books!

I can’t believe it that the last time I wrote something here was October 2009! But this Blog is very much active.

I am back with a whole lot of Books that are now proudly displayed on my shelf (I must confess, my books are now outgrowing my bookcase. I desperately need a bigger space!)

Here’s the list of my proud acquisitions:

1. Urvashi by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (Hindi) – an award winning epic-poetry which won him Jnanpith Award. I had heard so much about this when we were kids from our hindi teacher. He used to say that though a masterpiece, we were not of the right age then to appreciate the masterpiece that it was. While I had chanced upon some Hindi works on Mahabharata recently, I suddenly remembered about ‘Urvashi’ and got it!
2. Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer – We have heard so much about Kashmir and the various issues around it, but atleast I have always been drawn to knowing about the people of such disturbed places. While searching for some good books, I chanced upon this review on Curfewed Night and got it.
3. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin – Yet another fruit of my online research for good books. Read the review here.
4. Indian Summer by Alex Von Tunzelmann – Quite a difficult book to locate. I searched several online bookshopping sites, but eventually got it in ‘BOOK WORLD’ on F.C.Road in Pune. So I did not even think twice on the discounts (anyways they were giving 10% discount on all books). This book is a “secret history of the end of an empire”. Read the review here.
5. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie – Well, this book happened to me. I went to Big Bazaar and they were running 60% discount on books! Probably, clearing their whatever book stock is left at their Book corner “DEPOT”. I had heard about Kamila Shamsie and when I read a first few lines and the back cover, the book sounded interesting. Here’s the review.
6. A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur – An autobiography of Maharani Gayatri Devi, I tried hunting for this book also at quite a lot of places, and again found it at BOOK WORLD, in Sagar Arcade, Pune. I bought this with “Indian Summer”. I had read bits and pieces about Maharani Gayatri Devi’s life and was quite intrigued about her life.
7. Size 12 is not Fat by Meg Cabot – Yup, a chicklit! I wanted to buy a chicklit for one of those times when I read very serious stuff and want to read something really light.
8. Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat – Hunting for some books on foreign countries, I chanced upon this one. What hooked me on to this one was “One Woman’s Story of Survival Inside a Torture Jail”. Read the review here.
9. The Great Indian Middle Class by Pavan K. Verma – Picked up at Big Bazaar DEPOT’S 60% off sale. It is quite a popular book and well, I do want to read this one
10. Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali – This international bestseller was on my wishlist for sometime now. Everywhere only the International titles were available which were extremely expensive. But lucky me, I found the Indian edition on Indiaplaza recently and bought it immediately. Read about the book here.
11. The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen – I have heard a lot about this Award-winning book. Another one from BOOK WORLD!
12. Native Son by Richard Wright – I first read about this book when a critic compared Aravinda Adiga’s The White Tiger with this one. I went on to read the review but yet again all the bookshopping sites had very expensive international title to the tune of 600-700 rupees. And guess what? I bought it for Rs 50. There’s this perpetual book sale where a lot of books are for Rs 50 and Rs 100, most are useless but sometimes you could just get lucky. Last time I had picked up a hardbound edition of “Nanny Diaries” for Rs 50!
13. Mira and the Mahatma by Sudhir Kakar – I picked up this book from City Palace, Udaipur. We were touring the grand and fascinating City Palace at Udaipur, and I wanted to capture those moments. So, I went to the small bookshop in the City Palace to pick up story of that palace. I did buy the book on Udaipur, and also bought this one. I am always on the quest to read something beyond what is common knowledge. I did not even know about “Mira” so much, so I was curious to read this. Sudhir Kakar is a well—know psychoanalyst and has written several books. I have another book by him called “The Indians”.
14. Mixed Doubles by Jill Mansell – Picked it at Landmark sale. Read about the book here.
15. Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks - The book is about "the hidden world of Islamic Women". Need I say more? It has got good reviews too.

Books on Mahabharata - all are great literary works

1. Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam - Picked it from a popular bookstore here called POPULAR BOOK STORE
2. The book of Yudhishthir by Buddhadeva Bose (Translation from Bengali) – Really wanted to read Yudhisthir’s story because he never came across as a strong personality. I could never understand how he claimed to be the king!
3. The women of the Mahabharata by Badrinath Chaturvedi
4. Mrityunjaya by Shivaji Sawant (Hindi) – (Translation from Marathi): This book is on Karna. I am having a little trouble reading my first hindi book after school and comics of those years! It is a fat and lengthy book, so my pace is much slower than otherwise.
5. Parva by SL Bhyrappa – (Translation from Kannada): Got hold of this out-of-print book recently through a1books. It is quite a fat book
6. Yayati by V.S. Khandekar – Yayati was an ancestor of Kuru clan. So far, I know this much only. But you may read about the book here.
7. Yugandhar by Shivaji Sawant (Hindi) – (Translation from Marathi)
8. Second Turn by MT Vasudevan Nair – (Translation from Malyalam): This is Bheem’s perspective of the Mahabharata. I had been hunting for this across the country. Finally found it on a1books.co.in. I must say I have got quite a lot of rare books there. And the service is good too.
   
   Phew! I totally got berserk with book shopping. No wonder I don’t save any money. Look at the quantum of books I have bought in last 4 months. My books have crept their way into my dressing table also. But I totally, absolutely and really love my collection. May it increase many times over !