‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni is a poignant presentation of the story of the great Indian epic
Mahabharata from the point of view Draupadi. Rereading the ancient texts like
Mahabharata, Ramayana, Sakuntala always leads to rewarding experiences. Sage
Vyasa’s Mahabharata is such a bounteous treasure house that discerning writers
can come out with precious rich jewels every time they make a serious and sincere
search. ‘Ajaya: Roll of the Dice’ by Anand Neelakantan, ‘Karna’s Wife: The
Outcast Queen’ by Kavita Kane, ‘The Rise of Hastinapur’ by Sharath Komarraju,
‘Yuganta: The End of an Epoch’ by Irawati Karve, ‘Bhima, the Man in the
Shadows’ by Vikash Singh are some of the innumerable versions of the epic along
with that of Chitra Banerjee’s ‘The Palace of Illusions’. Chitra Banerjee has
greatly succeeded in her attempt to re-write the timeless tale of Mahabharata
with full of political intrigues, internecine war, passionate love, burning
lust, treachery, death and salvation.
Chitra
Banerjee, an Indian American author is professor of Creative Writing in Houston
University. Born and brought up in Kolkota, India, she went to the USA for her higher
studies and now is settled in Houston, Texas. Chitra Banerjee has made an
indelible mark as a writer of novels, short stories, poems and essays. She also
leads from the front in many social organizations serving the cause of the
Asian communities in the USA. Two of her novels The Mistress of Spices and
Sister of My Heart have been made into movies. She has tried various genres
like realistic fiction, historical fiction, magical realism and fantasy and
what all she has touched; she has adorned and received accolades. Her works
have been translated into many languages including Bengali.
‘The Palace of Illusions’ is a first person
narrative as Draupadi delineates her story right from her genesis. Her birth
itself is a mystery as she and her brother Dhristadyumna come out from the holy
fire as young adults thereby losing their childhood. She is astonished to hear the
words of the soothsayer who rightly predicts her future. “You will marry the
five greatest heroes of your time. You will be queen of queens, envied even by
the goddess. You will be a servant maid. You will be the mistress of the most
magical of palaces and then lose it. You will be causing the greatest war of
your time. You will bring about the deaths of evil kings-and your children’s
and your brothers’. A million women will become widows because of you. Yes,
indeed you will leave a mark on history”. As all these forebodings come true Draupadi
accepts life as it comes to her undeterred by sorrows that come in battalions.
She faces the challenges of life as a stoic with the amazing temperament of
‘readiness is all’.
As her dream
project the palace is being built by the great architect Maya, she as a
connoisseur of art, takes extraordinary care to minute details. But alas! It’s
only a transitory pleasure as her husband Yuthisthir loses everything to Saguni
in the game of dice, the eternal path of ruin for men. As the beauty of Helen
launched a thousand ships and burnt the topless towers of the Greek world, the
wrath of Draupadi brought to dust many a crown and kingdom on the banks of the
river Ganga. As a true tragedy the novel takes a full circle and ends where it
began. The order is restored as the people of Hastinapur rebuild their life.
Women take the lead and in particular Uttara the widow of Abhimanyu shows the
way. She offers all her jewels to raise money for the rebuilding of the nation.
Finally the moment of death comes; comes peacefully as Draupadi feels the touch
of Krishna who has been her friend, guide and philosopher throughout her life.
---P.Vijayakumar.
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