‘Palace of Illusion’ by Chitra Banerjee

Mythologies have always intrigued me and this particular pick ‘ Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee had a lot of recommendations before it came to my reading list. Ahh!! The stories of Mahabharat. I have grown up reading and listening to various versions of Mahabharata but this one was different. The version of Mahabharat from the Draupadi’s viewpoint.

Though we have often come across while reading Mahabharat that how Paanchali’ better known as Draupadi has been the cause of greatest war of relic times ‘Mahabharata’. From being born from fire(ygaya) to the wife of five Pandavas , the greatest warriors of that time, her journey has been nothing more than the life of a warrior.

“She describes herself as the princes who lodged for acceptance, the guilty girl whose heart listen, the wife who balanced her fivefold role precariously, the rebellious daughter in law, the queen who ruled in the most magical of palaces, the distracted mother, the beloved companion of Krishna, who refused to learn the lessons he offered , the woman obsessed with vengeance-none of them were the true Panchaali“

B. Chitra, The Palace of Illusions

About book: The author has beautifully narrated the epic from the vision of Draupadi. The reason behind her birth, her relationship with the father, her liking towards Karan inspite of being married to Pandavas and the ideology with which she was brought up. Being a female herself, the author was able to bring out the hidden emotions of a queen who had a lot to contribute in the history. The book discusses all the major event that happened during dwapar yug and how Draupadi being a part of it reacted to the events that changed the course of her life.

Language: The language of the book can be easily comprehended and the author leaves no stone unturned to hook the readers to the book. The characterization of the main characters has especially been taken care off so as to maintain the sanctity of the literature.

Title of the book : ‘Palace of Illusion’ the title of the book is well thought off as the seed of the greatest war was planted in the magical palace known as Indraprastha. A palace where everything was magical and illusionary, right from corridors to room entrance, gardens and fountains, etc. Draupadi’s attachment to her luxurious life and loosing it out to Duryodhan after Chausar always ignited her urge to get it back.

Recommendations: It’s a good read especially for people who love reading fictional and mythological stories but I would not comment on facts mentioned by the author. There are different versions to our mythologies but this read is different as it caters to the female version that has been regarded as heroic in their deeds. All together it’s an interesting read.

Dr. Gitanjali Kalia

A learner at heart with 13 years of experience and still growing. From field experience to academic ambience, people interaction and exploring new ideas have been my area of interest and has proved to be stepping stone towards my achievements. Creativity is my core skill, be that vision to see the world or to work towards something aesthetically, creativity exists in everything. I am an academician by profession and the creativity is my passion. Academician: Shifting from advertising field to teaching advertising wasn't in my dreams but I must say it is one of the most challenging and coolest profession altogether. What keeps it ticking is to be with Young minds!! I have written research papers and got by books chapters published in the international books by international publications . Poet: I am a poet and got my poems published by Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi in Kavya Lehri and Kavyanjali. I also have an ebook to my credit titled 'Lyrical Emotions'. Writer(Blogger): A writer who loves writing and has written for numerous magazines, online portals and newspapers like Time of India(Youth section), The Identity, Contemporary Vibes, The Higher education, etc. A Blogger who runs her own blog. An artist who works towards improving her skills every now and then. A traveller who knows learning is much more outside the classroom. As a leaner is never satisfied with his/ her work, I believe to utilize the gift of human birth to the fullest and enjoy.