Blurb of the Book:
I knew there was nothing poetic about death. I knew
not that the most horrific battles are fought off the battlefield.
Arjun: The idealist in a non-ideal
world; the warrior whose deadliest opponent was his conscience. History forgot
his voice, but misquoted his silence.
My self-esteem originates from me and ends in me.
Why does your honor depend on me? Find your own.
Draupadi: The untamed tigress, the
fragrant flame, the unbridled spirit.
Power does not justify sin. Power is not virtue.
Virtue is that which lasts in spite of power.
Krishn: The enigma whose unique
ideology churned the battlefield into a quest for Truth.
The
Missile…The Trajectory…The Vision. The trio that makes for the core of The
Mahabharata. This is their saga. Insightful, visceral and candid.
Know the Author
Dr. Shinde Sweety holds a
Doctorate in Medicine. She is an avid Mahabharata fan, voracious reader, yoga enthusiast,
student of Spanish and yearns to learn Sanskrit. Personally, Dr Shinde Sweety
is skilled at pencil sketching, loves to daydream and swim. She is curious
about the Mystic & Mystique, crazy about soulful music and content to be
cocooned in a dream world.
My Take: Knowing my interest in reading
stories, my father had got me my first books on the epics Mahabharata and
Ramayana, when I was in Class Eight or Nine. I read it without taking a break
then, and I read Arjun, Without a Doubt, without taking a break even now. I
re-realised my love for mythology with this book.
At that tender age when I had
read the first version of this epic called Mahabharata, I had a few questions
still unanswered, and I am glad to share that this book answered most of them.
It’s the answer to all those people who feel that it was Draupadi who was
responsible for the war called Mahabharata.
Before reading this book, I used to
firmly believe that it was Duryodhan whose greed to the throne led to this war.
But, hold on, there are other grey characters
I used to feel that Draupadi was one of the victims. The
feeling has been reinforced by this book, but the book also throws light on the
fact that Draupadi was a Tigress, she was not a dumb character leading her life
only on the mercy of her five husbands, that more than becoming the victim in
the hands of Duryodhan and party, she was a victim of her own clan including the
adamancy of Mata Kunti, the lust of her supposedly elder brothers-in-law Yudhistir
and Bhim and the timidness of her younger brothers-in-law Nakul and Sahdev.
I could have written so much about this book, but that would
take away from the reader the joy of reading the book, the suspense of the
interpretation. Hence, I would stop here itself.
A wonderful book, which will not allow you to keep it aside
till the last page. I would personally like to request the author to take up
other epics from the point of Sita and one from the point of view of Radha.
Title: With due respect to the author’s choice, the
Title Arjun, Without a Doubt” , to my understanding is mis-kept and could be replaced
with probably, “Draupadi, The Empress” or “Draupadi, The Tigress”.
Cover Page: Wished
to see a trace of Draupadi or as she was fondly called Krishnaa on the cover
page for the same reasons that I found this to be doing justice towards the
female protagonist.
Publishers: This one is a leadstart
publication.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
