Epic realism

Author Shashi Deshpande on why the Mahabharata’s nagging questions still inspire her An early childhood memory is of being told the story of Shakuntala by my father; the memory is of a poignant and touching story. There were also stories of heroes—Bhima, Arjuna, Ghatotkacha, Abhimanyu—and their heroic feats. Though I vaguely knew that these people and their stories came from the Mahabharata, revelation came only in my final year in school. Our Sanskrit selections included the passage in which Draupadi is dragged out by Dushasana. School text in an ancient language though it was, I thrilled to the drama of it. And when our teacher, a man, raced, embarrassed, through Draupadi’s words pleading that she was menstruating, we were transfixed. This was a real woman! This was real! Years later, I read Iravati Karve’s Yuganta and... [read full story]