Do you ask that my body, worshipped by my father's subjects and untouched by any man, now succumb to five men? Draupadi waved her hands wildly as she inched closer to Kunti, her shrill voice resounding off the walls, 'I would rather jump into the river and drown myself. At least I would die a princess, not a prostitute.' Was Princess Draupadi in love even as her marriage to another man was being orchestrated? Did the great statesman Bhishma make a shameful admission as he lay dying on the battlefield of Kurukshetra? Did Queen Gandhari cause the death of her husband Dhritarashtra and sister-in-law Kunti? It's possible.
Author
Trisha Das is the author of the very popular Ms Draupadi Kuru: After the Pandavas and its sequel The Misters Kuru: A Return to Mahabharata, which feature characters from the Mahabharata dropping down from heaven into modern day Delhi, Kama’s Last Sutra, a historical time-travel romance, The Mahabharata Re-imagined, The Art of the Television Interview and the internationally acclaimed How to write a Documentary Script. Ms Draupadi Kuru was nominated for the MAMI Book to Screen award. Trisha has written columns and short stories for Magical Women, a feminist fantasy anthology, and publications like Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia India, Hindustan Times and Scroll. She also sits on the jury for the Orange Flower Festival. In her film-making career, Trisha has directed over 40 documentaries. She's won an Indian National Film Award and was the University of Georgia’s International Artist of the year as well as a visiting artist at University of Michigan, New York University, INSEAD and Emory College. Her films have been widely screened at international film festivals, telecast on the Discovery Channel, the Star Network, NDTV and Doordarshan and have helped propel funding for grassroots social change across India. You can follow Trisha on Instagram @trishadas, Facebook @trishadasauthor, Twitter @thetrishadas or contact her via email at trishadasauthor@gmail.com.
