The Vagabond

When I first came across the title, I was not sure I wanted to read another of Gita- Mahabharata thing.

But somehow the book’s cover and FB page made me give it a try and I am glad I did.

No, it is not a twisted version of Mahabharata. It is a saga of Arjun the great warrior, who never got the due credit for his greatness and Draupadi who has always been misunderstood through ages.

The narrative is gripping and as the story unfolds the reader is thirsty for me. Like the author words it ‘ If learning was a river I was forever unquenchably thirsty’….so is the reader thirsty for more coz it ends too soon.

What I liked best was trying to understand Draupadi’s feeling when she was forced into polyandry, her love for Arjun and her strength and feelings when she was disrobed.

The book has lovely quotes, and few of my favourite are

1. Parents should come with a warning sign that they are not perfect; elders are just flawed people who happen to be born earlier.

2. Tears are infinitely more precious than blood. Blood spurts from the body, tears stream from the soul.

3. If motherhood transformed a woman  into a goddess, then why should the act responsible for this transformation be a sin.

4. But the best is always a state of flux, it is a constant endeavour; not a one time title.

5. Virtue is that which lasts inspite of power.

6. No person is great in isolation. It takes many hands to shape life. Denial would mean conceit and conceit is not the same as self respect.

Overall, definitely a must read.