Mahabharat has been my favourite epic since forever. There is so much drama in it. And such solid grounding in reality nevertheless. The present-day-relevance is pretty hard to miss. And I guess the nature of the epic is such, that it can be interpreted for all times. Ageless. B.R.Chopra’s television series made it more accessible to an entire generation. Arjun, Bheeshma, Kunti, Duryodhan and Shakuni became household names thanks to the immensely popular series. I was mesmerised by it as a child. Smitten by the fancy bows-n-arrows and the now-gaudy costumes. Back then Draupadi was without doubt, a major character. But surprisingly, I had never given her much thought. I considered Arjun to be a loving husband. I saw Bheem as a noble person for bringing her blood from Dushasan’s thigh to quench her thirst of revenge. I knew she had been ‘apamaanit’. But never really felt for her.
Then I read this book by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Palace of Illusions, which brought the queen of Indraprastha to the forefront of my consciousness. The book is a piece of fiction based on another – the Mahabharat. Reading it is like seeing the Mahabharat upside-down! It presents Drauapadi’s point of view (a vantage point for looking at the way the Great War unfolded). Gives voice to her angst, her pain. And the best part is it does not reduce her to a mere victim of circumstances. It portrays her as someone who though bound by fate, makes her choices and stands by them. Who, despite losing more than she ever imagined, retains her pride and dignity. Even though she continues to commit mistakes, she is far truer about these than any of the nobler characters of the story. (Yudhishthir comes across just the way I’d always though him to be – a rule bound fool. Too ‘dharmanishtha’ for his own good.)
So, Draupadi, or Panchali, holds a special place in my heart. I think she epitomizes women, all women. Who fought odds, was humiliated, paid for others’ mistakes…but was resilient nevertheless. She is a symbol of all our stereotypes, yet manages to break the mould. Very feminine...at the same time, very in-your-face. She’s charming and brave...loving and shrewd...apprehensive and self-confident...
The author tries to convey time and again that her vengefulness marked her downfall. Perhaps it did. But what else is one supposed to do? Forgive and forget??? I think not! And that’s where the other interpretation for the great lady comes in. This play titled Draupadi – We Are So Different Now (stellar performances by Shivani Pasrich and others). It is a tale of a modern day Draupadi. Or what women today could learn from her. Visually it was very appealing. The background music was great too! The first half was quite convincing. The fierce protectiveness that she feels for Maya is quite believable. But then, Draupadi decides to forgive, to let go. I, for one, do not buy the logic. Well, for someone who has burnt for vengeance for centuries, and whose wrongdoers are long dead, it’s alright. But a woman who was raped by her own brother-in-law? To forgive him within a lifetime is quite unfathomable for me. And why should she? The play shows Maya (the other girl) as a calmer, more fulfilled person after forgiving. Before that, she was shown to be one frustrated and ever-angry woman who could think of nothing but the bad guy’s destruction. Perhaps that isn’t the best way to deal with the stuff. And perhaps, at some level, I agree with Draupadi about not letting the desire for revenge rule your existence. However, ‘forgiving’ someone who has caused you so much pain is something I can’t really digest. Why is it expected out of women to be forgiving? Is the feeling of revenge not encouraged in women for it is seen as a masculine quality? Is it only men who have the right to indulge in settling of scores?? If you have been wronged, violated...don’t sit back and forgive. It’s high time we stopped exalting practices that confirm men’s self-serving biases and make women feel inferior!
