By Purba Chakraborty
Review by Ila Garg
You must have read a lot of mythological stories and seen them presented as television serials as well. This book ‘Mythological Monologues’ by Purba Chakraborty is an attempt to change the narrative. The book has twenty-six monologues by twenty-six such epic characters who remained unheard in the course of mythology. These characters could never express their viewpoint as the stories were panning out.
The blurb reads as, "How did Ahalya feel when Sage Gautam cursed her to be a stone? How did Eklavya feel when Dronacharya asked for his right thumb as his Guru Dakshina? How did Karna feel when he learned he was the brother of the Pandavas before the Kurukshetra war? How did Draupadi go through the various trials and tribulations of her life? What was her anchor? How did Arjuna feel after being enlightened by Lord Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra? The friendship of Sudama, the love of Radha, the longing of Rukmini, the devotion of Shabari, the compassion of Sita, and the revenge of Shikhandi also find a place in this book of dramatic monologues. Embark on this fascinating journey inside the minds of iconic characters of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Listen closely to their voices and dive deep into their hearts. Maybe, you will find yourself in some of them."
The author has picked some characters from Ramayana and Mahabharata like Kunti, Draupadi, Arjuna, Eklavya, Ahalya and so on. Through their monologues, which are long speeches by one character (actor) in a play or a film or a theatrical, a broadcast or a podcast programme, the readers get an insight about the right and wrong from various perspectives.
The best and captivating part of this book is that the monologues are presented as poetic verses. Interestingly, the epics are also written as couplets, so the author manages to retain the flavour, which makes the book sound authentic and fantastic. The details covered in the monologues are intense and gripping.
I loved every word by this author; totally worth my time. The book is a much-recommended read for the readers who wish to look at the mythologies from a different angle and wish to hear the characters who remained silent in the discourse.
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