Remembering Mahabharat- by BR Chopra

The TV series made a great impression on me when I first saw it. Its beauty (to me) lies in the fact that it shows a realistic world fuelled by desire for power, crooked uncles (Shakuni is a great character, played effortlessly by Gufi Paintal), casteism, idealism (Bhishma) gone wrong, the good, the bad and the in-between, indecisiveness, a mother's power over sons (in asking them to share a wife), and so much more.

I particularly liked the way Krishna was portrayed by Nitish Bharadwaj- I still remember the smiling visage, as a friend of the Pandavas, and his exasperation at some of their oaths. He asks them to think before they utter some of the more consequential ones, at one point.

Mahendra Kapoor's soulful song which rounded off each episode also was memorable. Draupadi played by Roopa Ganguly was also a powerful character. Mukesh Khanna had a role of a lifetime, and so did many of the Pandavas, and Duryodhana and Karna. Later, I read Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, which tells the story from Draupadi's point of view. That was great too.

Yuganta- Book Review

This is a literary take on the Mahabharat by Irawati Karve.

A lot of thought has gone into this, and the basis for many of the author's assertions seem sound. For instance, the emphasis on oral traditions of story-telling and therefore, various versions of the stories being told from time to time. Also, the subsequent additions by the Bhrigus, a brahminical clan, who seem to have embellished the original story of the cousins fighting for what they believe to be rightfully theirs (the kingdom of Hastinapura). Mostly, the story is narrated as found in a critical edition of the Mahabharat.

An age of chivalry, but also bad habits (hunting, playing dice), wealth and generosity, Kshatriya values in men but women being treated as possessions for most part (to be married off- a term I fail to understand even today-as if they cannot marry themselves if the men in the family decide not to do so), valour and unfair means in war (Ashwaththama's name used to kill Drona), and finally, the futility of it all, on both sides, are all described well. It is a realistic story, and subsequent epic attempts (like Kalidasa's work) were too romanticised according to Karve.

It is said to be the end of an era in India's history, but some lessons are eternal. I particularly liked the chapters on Krishna and Kunti. The friendship among Arjuna and Krishna was one among equals-they ate and drank together, and shared stories of their life. The parallels between Indian myths and Greek ones is also something I can identify with, having read a bit of Greek mythology and having been to Greece.

A good read, and not too long-winded. I also enjoyed Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's feminist take on the epic that I read earlier.

Apes and Men- Book Reviews

We are still aping apes in many ways. That is a conclusion of the author of The Naked Ape- a fascinating book by a biologist who looks at things relatively dispassionately, comparing humans with other species. Of course, we are more evolved in certain ways-brain size for example, but do we use the bigger brains for our own good? Doubtful.

Another startling premise of the author is that we are the sexiest of the species, which he proves through a lot of anatomical analysis and some behavioral analysis. One other conclusion worth a thought is that sexual and biological behaviour has dictated large parts of our civilization and its modern form, rather than the other way round.

Another interesting book I am reading now is the Mahabharat retold with a title "Palace of Illusions"- only, it is retold from Draupadi's viewpoint. She has a Karna-fixation, for example, according to this version. Some of the perspectives are illuminating,for example, that kings and commoners are all victims of ambition, jealousy, lust, vengefulness and so on. Another new dimension is that of the saas bahu rishta between Kunti and Draupadi (Ekta Kapoor could make a new serial based on these Kunti-Draupadi sections of the book).