The Empress of Indraprastha - Entering Kuruvansh by Sonali Raje
Genre: Mahabharat Retelling (with so many retellings
in the market, I think it deserves a genre)
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Nice
The Empress of Indraprastha - Entering Kuruvansh is
the first book in the five-part series retelling Mahabharat from Draupadi’s
perspective. The book deals with her Swayamvar until the partition of
Hastinapur, where the Pandavas are allotted the barren section (Khandavprastha)
of the kingdom.
My Observations:
The book is short, crisp, and easy to read. It sets
a decent foundation for the remaining four books in the series.
I haven’t found any triggers (pseudo-intellectuals maligning the original), so that’s a relief. I will read the subsequent works
to see if the intent continues or changes.
The overall feeling the book gives is light. As if I
skimmed the surface and didn’t go into deep waters. This is an advantage and
disadvantage, depending on what the reader wants.
The vibes are pretty much positive despite the
post-modern phrases like gender equality (I was worried when this term appeared
thrice in the first two chapters) and caste discrimination (which has to be
‘varna’ as there was no ‘caste’ during the Mahabharata era).
There’s Draupadi’s obsession with Karn again, albeit
in a different manner. However, it could go either way, and I’ll reserve my
views on it until I know where it leads. The author did handle it better in
this book compared to CBD’s Palace of Illusions. I hope it continues.
Sahdev gets more screen space in this one, which I
like. The interactions have strong undertones of foreshadowing (a little too
much at times). Krishna’s wordplay gets a special mention (something I always
enjoy in our old Telugu movies).
The book has more domesticated scenes that show the
other side of the princes and kings. Of course, the author’s imagination is at
work, but as long as it doesn’t harm the original, I don’t mind.
A little more research into confirming timeframes
for samosas and Jaunpuri rang would have been better. Historical inaccuracies
don’t look good in books. (it’s not like we don’t have enough native dishes and
ragas to borrow from another culture and time)
There are descriptions of the setting where it
matters, and the individual characteristics of the Pandava brothers are well
presented. But the book, as such, misses the feel of historical fiction.
A book set in ancient times has to have the charm of
the period. Despite the sprinkling of some native words, the impact isn’t
there. The writing feels contemporary (almost like modern-day characters
role-playing a periodic drama).
To summarize, The Empress of Indraprastha - Entering
Kuruvansh is a decent beginning to the series and a fast read if you aren’t too
particular about a few things. Rounding off the rating to 4 stars since this is
the author’s debut work (and I didn’t find anything offensive).
I thank the author for the complimentary copy of the
book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
*****
If you’re interested in knowing more about Draupadi and Mahabharata in general, check out the Draupadi Parashakti website by a friend. It mentions the references from where the information is collected.
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