I have not been able to write in my blog for quite sometime..When did I write last? May be around 2 weeks back..but,then, I was busy reading Chitra Banerjee’s “The Palace of Illusions”.The novel is based on  thoughts of Panchaali and the way she perceived the Mahabharat.

Beautifully written, the novel tries to analyse the innermost thoughts of Panchaali..the way she was loved and revered by her husbands..the way she interpreted all her fortunes and misfortunes in her life..how she turned to her friend,philosopher and guide Krishna during her moments of trials and tribulations..

Poignantly written, the novel is not without flaws..the way Panchaali looks at her mother-in-law Kunti..considers her a rival for her husbands attention and affection..The way Kunti asks the newly wed bride to cook food for her sons without any spices,testing her to find if she is ready to accept and lead a frugal life…the way she scrutinizes the new palace built at Indra Prastha and “grunts” her approval..

I have read quite a few books on various characters of the Great Epic but,nowhere I have come across Kunti as a difficult mother-in-law,who forever puts Panchaali on tenterhooks, expecting her to be a near perfect daughter-in –law.In doing so, Kunti’s character is somewhat painted in a darker hue..though Panchaali changes her opinion about Kunti once Karna dies. And perceives Kunti as a long suffering mother who lost her first born,due to her own ignorance and fear..

She is a keen observer of her husbands and their reactions to various events that hold each one’s life in turmoil..and judges them with an analytical mind..when Sisupala charges towards Krishna to kill him..she grabs Arjun’s hand asking him to save his friend(Yudhisthir is no good during such time)..the thought flashes through her mind..she is the force behind her husbands, chiding them when they make a mistake but,doing her duty as a loyal wife to all as well..

Despite all these, in her subconscious she always looks for Karna’s approval for everything that she does..despite her refusal to marry him at the swayamvara ,later in her life she feels he would have made the perfect son-in-law for her father. Her unrequited love for Karna is very powerfully depicted making the reader sympathize with her..her attempts to please Karna at any given opportunity so that he forgives her for her folly,and despairing that no matter what Karna will not allow her to redeem herself. She learns of Karna’s innermost thoughts about her when she accidentally overhears a conversation between Bheesma and Karna and realizes that Karna despite his tough exterior always loved her most tenderly and felt her pain and anguish much more intensely than any of her husbands ever did.. and she acknowledges to herself that she made a terrible mistake at her swayamvara,was led by others to choose the “right husband’ for her rather than exercising her own intellect..

And when she falls on her journey towards heaven with her husbands,she sees them leaving her behind and in her dying moments her thoughts rest on Karna”he would never have abandoned me thus..he would have happily let go off heaven for my sake”..and so when the doors of heaven open for her she does not hesitate to take Karna’s outstretched hand..for he is no longer the “forbidden one” for her…

This novel is a must read for all who would like to redefine the story of the Great Epic as told from the eyes of a beholder who was the cause of the Great war..