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apoorvasr's review against another edition
5.0
After Kurukshetra: Three Stories by Mahasweta Devi , translated by Anjum Katyal
Another slim book packing deep human emotions of grief, moving on, forgiveness and finally the harsh face of reality.
The first short story - Five Women-Reeling from the death of Abhimanyu, Uttara is depressed and often isolates herself. The matriarchal figures, Subhadra and Draupadi worry for her and the unborn baby. The palace head maid recruits widows of foot soldiers.
These women, who can be passed off as commoners each have a story to tell.. their lives meagre but their eyes unfathomable and deep..
Foot soldiers, the lowest soldiers in the rung and the first casualties, just like a prey to the hungry. They are not even given an armor. Their death inevitable.. Who said without them the women cannot hold spears on their own and guard themselves..
They are phoenixes, rising from the ashes of their dead husbands, to go through life again.. to harvest the golden wheat and never lose hope.. A moral for Uttara and all of us..
Next story being that of Kunti, Gandhari and her husband in the forest ashram after the ravaging war. Gandhari remains regal after losing her sons and Kunti tends to their needs.
Kunti is gripped by human anxieties, the unforgivable deeds in the name of dharma and decides to use the forest as an outlet.
The forest listens and pumps fresh blood through her frail veins and her stunted demeanor. Kunti mourns what she did in her Rajavritha and continually felt trapped in the palace.
Having felt free in the forest, she's still watchful of the tribals beneath her caste, we see what message they have to give her?
Forgiveness comes at a final cost.. Through fire lives were taken and through fire she will be cleansed..
And Lastly, the story of the bastard son Souvalya, expecting a miniscule of love and escape from his abandonment as kid.. Borne through the courtesan's womb, unrecognized from his father, a seed of forgotten nature..
He is called to perform his father's last rites.. the only remaining Kaurava son for only this event.. but his identity is still lost..
the stories we tell others when we are pretending and the innocent faces who listen..
Who's at fault?
Another slim book packing deep human emotions of grief, moving on, forgiveness and finally the harsh face of reality.
The first short story - Five Women-Reeling from the death of Abhimanyu, Uttara is depressed and often isolates herself. The matriarchal figures, Subhadra and Draupadi worry for her and the unborn baby. The palace head maid recruits widows of foot soldiers.
These women, who can be passed off as commoners each have a story to tell.. their lives meagre but their eyes unfathomable and deep..
Foot soldiers, the lowest soldiers in the rung and the first casualties, just like a prey to the hungry. They are not even given an armor. Their death inevitable.. Who said without them the women cannot hold spears on their own and guard themselves..
They are phoenixes, rising from the ashes of their dead husbands, to go through life again.. to harvest the golden wheat and never lose hope.. A moral for Uttara and all of us..
Next story being that of Kunti, Gandhari and her husband in the forest ashram after the ravaging war. Gandhari remains regal after losing her sons and Kunti tends to their needs.
Kunti is gripped by human anxieties, the unforgivable deeds in the name of dharma and decides to use the forest as an outlet.
The forest listens and pumps fresh blood through her frail veins and her stunted demeanor. Kunti mourns what she did in her Rajavritha and continually felt trapped in the palace.
Having felt free in the forest, she's still watchful of the tribals beneath her caste, we see what message they have to give her?
Forgiveness comes at a final cost.. Through fire lives were taken and through fire she will be cleansed..
And Lastly, the story of the bastard son Souvalya, expecting a miniscule of love and escape from his abandonment as kid.. Borne through the courtesan's womb, unrecognized from his father, a seed of forgotten nature..
He is called to perform his father's last rites.. the only remaining Kaurava son for only this event.. but his identity is still lost..
the stories we tell others when we are pretending and the innocent faces who listen..
Who's at fault?
apoorvasr's review
5.0
After Kurukshetra: Three Stories by Mahasweta Devi , translated by Anjum Katyal
Another slim book packing deep human emotions of grief, moving on, forgiveness and finally the harsh face of reality.
The first short story - Five Women-Reeling from the death of Abhimanyu, Uttara is depressed and often isolates herself. The matriarchal figures, Subhadra and Draupadi worry for her and the unborn baby. The palace head maid recruits widows of foot soldiers.
These women, who can be passed off as commoners each have a story to tell.. their lives meagre but their eyes unfathomable and deep..
Foot soldiers, the lowest soldiers in the rung and the first casualties, just like a prey to the hungry. They are not even given an armor. Their death inevitable.. Who said without them the women cannot hold spears on their own and guard themselves..
They are phoenixes, rising from the ashes of their dead husbands, to go through life again.. to harvest the golden wheat and never lose hope.. A moral for Uttara and all of us..
Next story being that of Kunti, Gandhari and her husband in the forest ashram after the ravaging war. Gandhari remains regal after losing her sons and Kunti tends to their needs.
Kunti is gripped by human anxieties, the unforgivable deeds in the name of dharma and decides to use the forest as an outlet.
The forest listens and pumps fresh blood through her frail veins and her stunted demeanor. Kunti mourns what she did in her Rajavritha and continually felt trapped in the palace.
Having felt free in the forest, she's still watchful of the tribals beneath her caste, we see what message they have to give her?
Forgiveness comes at a final cost.. Through fire lives were taken and through fire she will be cleansed..
And Lastly, the story of the bastard son Souvalya, expecting a miniscule of love and escape from his abandonment as kid.. Borne through the courtesan's womb, unrecognized from his father, a seed of forgotten nature..
He is called to perform his father's last rites.. the only remaining Kaurava son for only this event.. but his identity is still lost..
the stories we tell others when we are pretending and the innocent faces who listen..
Who's at fault?
Another slim book packing deep human emotions of grief, moving on, forgiveness and finally the harsh face of reality.
The first short story - Five Women-Reeling from the death of Abhimanyu, Uttara is depressed and often isolates herself. The matriarchal figures, Subhadra and Draupadi worry for her and the unborn baby. The palace head maid recruits widows of foot soldiers.
These women, who can be passed off as commoners each have a story to tell.. their lives meagre but their eyes unfathomable and deep..
Foot soldiers, the lowest soldiers in the rung and the first casualties, just like a prey to the hungry. They are not even given an armor. Their death inevitable.. Who said without them the women cannot hold spears on their own and guard themselves..
They are phoenixes, rising from the ashes of their dead husbands, to go through life again.. to harvest the golden wheat and never lose hope.. A moral for Uttara and all of us..
Next story being that of Kunti, Gandhari and her husband in the forest ashram after the ravaging war. Gandhari remains regal after losing her sons and Kunti tends to their needs.
Kunti is gripped by human anxieties, the unforgivable deeds in the name of dharma and decides to use the forest as an outlet.
The forest listens and pumps fresh blood through her frail veins and her stunted demeanor. Kunti mourns what she did in her Rajavritha and continually felt trapped in the palace.
Having felt free in the forest, she's still watchful of the tribals beneath her caste, we see what message they have to give her?
Forgiveness comes at a final cost.. Through fire lives were taken and through fire she will be cleansed..
And Lastly, the story of the bastard son Souvalya, expecting a miniscule of love and escape from his abandonment as kid.. Borne through the courtesan's womb, unrecognized from his father, a seed of forgotten nature..
He is called to perform his father's last rites.. the only remaining Kaurava son for only this event.. but his identity is still lost..
the stories we tell others when we are pretending and the innocent faces who listen..
Who's at fault?
honeykosmos's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The perspective of the Mahabharata not always comprehended. The plight and situation of a woman is addressed very well. Must read
nuts246's review
5.0
August is 'Women in Translation' month, and it is fitting that I ended the month by reading Mahasweta Devi's 'After Kurukshetra'. A really slim book, but one that packs a punch. The stories left out of the Mahabharata, stories of women at the fringes. Stories that make you question patriarchy. Stories that make you realise how invisible certain people are to the world at large. Lovely selection.
ecstatic_yet_chaotic's review
My quest for 'why does Mahasweta Devi stand out as a prominent figure in literature?' started with this book and it's safe to say, I emerged as an admirer of her prose. The mighty battle of Kurukshetra saw countless deaths, of warriors and soldiers alike. In 'The Five Women', widows of the foot soldiers are anointed as maids to Uttara, Abhimanyu's widow. As she spends her days with them, she realizes that the royal household and it's laws are of no value to the common people. They have their rules based on their collective need as a community. Similarly, in 'Kintu and Nishadin', Devi points out the double-standards when it comes to guilt. The royal family considers only the most heinous of crimes as sins while forgetting that each selfish scheming has an effect on the common folk. In 'Souvali', the life of a concubine and his son is highlighted, again setting the tone towards the injustice that lies within the very rules dictated by those in power.
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