CBD 2008

'Palace of Illusions' by Chitra Banerjee Diwakaruni

Finished the book over the weekend.

Headnote 1 : I cant remember when and how I got to know the Mahabharata stories. It could've been Amar Chitra Katha, or the TV serial, or Amma's bedtime stories or a mix of all these. But I never could digest the incessant cursing and strong emotions that goes along with the epic story. Sages that got infuriated and spewed curses, skilled teachers that spouted revenge, honor-bound kings, devas, asuras, earthly beings all inhabiting the earth at the same time....while the grandeur of the epic was wonderful and mystifying, there were always nagging doubts that surged my mind all along, when the logic side of me surfaced, which happened off and on.

Headnote 2 : Looks like it is a season where female characters from history and mythology feature as leads in the latest novels. After 'The Twentieth Wife' and 'Feast of Roses' based on Nur Jahan's life in the Mughal dynasty by Indu Sundaresan, 'Palace of Illusions' depicts our biggest epic , the Mahabharata through the eyes of Draupadi, the woman who for years to come would be known as the cause for the biggest war of Dwapara Yuga.

Now, on to the book itself.

As expected most of the stories of Mahabharata in itself were not new, but reading about them through the eyes of Draupadi was certainly a fresh twist. While the central character comes across as an independent, strong willed and outspoken woman, I have no scriptural knowledge to disprove the theory that Draupadi might not have been so. It does sound strange to read the Mahabharata stories from the eyes of such an individual. Certainly, as Chitra Banerjee mentions in her preface, many of our mythological stories are written by men and hence dont provide a sentimental/emotional angle.

This was the first time I heard about Draupadi having had feelings for Karna, and that he had been her first suitor at the Swayamwara. But like I said, I cannot recall how I know some of the stories, and I know for sure I never read an unabridged version of Mahabharata(if there is one), so perhaps this might be something I totally missed. I also did not know that she had received special powers from Vyaasa to be able to watch the Kurukshetra war as a bystander and record for posterity. While some of the characterizations were pronounced and elaborate, some key events of the epic were skimmed over rather flippantly.

As always, CBD's style of writing is powerful, gripping and keeps one hooked till the end. If not anything, I enjoyed reliving the Mahabharata tales, spicy and when it was being delivered with a tangy twist through the eyes of Panchaali, sure why not?

Some excerpts:

"What did I learn that day in the sabha?
All this time I'd believed in my power over my husbands. I'd believed that because they loved me they would do anything for me. But now I saw that though they did love me- as much perhaps as any man can love- there were other things they loved me. Their notions of honor, of loyalty toward each other, of reputation were more important to them than my suffering. They would avenge me later, yes, but only when they felt the circumstances would bring them heroic fame. A woman doesnt think that way. I would have thrown myself forward to save them if it had been in my power that day. The choice they made in the moment of my need changed something in our relationship. I no longer depended on them so completely in the future. And when I took care to guard myself from hurt, it was as much from them as from our enemies."

"I remembered how tricky gods are. How they give what you want with one hand while taking away, with the other, something much more valuable. Yes, fame would come to both the young men(Ghatotkacha and Abhimanyu), and bards would sing of their exploits oftener than they sang of their fathers'. But when they did so, listerners would turn away to hide their tears."

"Its only now that I see he'd always ben there, sometimes in the forefront, sometimes blended into the shadows of my life. When I thought myself abandoned, he was busy supporting me- but so subtly that I often didnt notice. And his love was totally different from every other love in my life. Unlike them, it didnt expect me to behave in a certain way. It didnt change into displeasure or anger or even hatred if I didnt comply. It healed me. Krishna's love was a balm, moonlight over a parched landscape."

Footnote : I HAD to read the book, when I saw that the front cover had a picture of one of the doors that I'd loved and captured from the City Palace in Jaipur.