Here’s How The Palace of Illusions humanized the Hindu Gods.
Due to a phenomenon called tidal locking, we can only see one side of the moon. It is because the rotation of the moon on its axis is the same as the rate that the Moon orbits Earth. There’s a luminous side as well as a dark side. Just because one side is not seen, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Similarly, everything in this world has two sides to it. Swami Vivekananda said that a good action will necessarily have a bad effect and vice versa. We have read, watched, and even lived (skits) through the Mahabharata. Though it offers a staggering contribution to our rich culture, it has its own dark side that we must not ignore and no, I’m not talking only about the antagonists.
I will probably get a lot of hate for this, but you rational thinkers out there will understand when I say that even though our mythologies, rich with intricate and powerful plots, not only offer us a lot of good but also shows how backward and regressive the thoughts of the sages who wrote them, the characters and the society were. Mythology, especially the two epics are often spoken and depicted with an omnipotent voice but in reality, there are waves and waves of criticism that go unspoken.
@chitrabanerjeedivakurkani in her modern epic, The Palace of Illusions gives us another view of the Mahabharata, but this time the ‘heroes’ take a backseat while one of my favorite characters takes the wheel. Draupadi is often looked upon as an inspiration for a strong and powerful woman. With her strength on the pedestal, we tend to ignore the dark side. Yes, we do look at everything that plagued her, from patriarchy to misogyny, from rape culture to domestic abuse. Her resilience is one that is admired by almost everyone in the country. But it is ironic to see people go back to their lives and start doing the same shit under the pretext, ‘Hey, our Gods and heroes did it, why is it wrong?’
I really enjoyed reading the book because it gave more of a human aspect to the characters. They were flawed and they knew it. It amplified siblinghood, friendship, and talks in detail about the cause and effect of words and actions. The relationship of Draupadi with the Titular palace extends beyond the materialistic love to a place she can call home. Thanks to the perspective change the author offers, the book serves as a version that could educate our children on what not to do rather than the countless other versions that as tools of immoral conditioning. I’m glad I read this book and regret not picking it up earlier. A 5 Star read and no less.
