Book titled ‘Duryodhana’ is written by V Raghunathan and is
published by Harper Collins India .
The book attempts look at the incidents in the Mahabharata from the perspective
of Duryodhana – the leader of the Kauravas and the main villain in the
original.
The book is an eclectic mix of imagination and the real
Mahabharata. The author uses his freedom to make us believe that there is a
different angle to some of the important incidents in the Mahabharata.
The Hindu reports
To the question regarding his choice of Duryodhana as a central character, Raghunathan said unlike Karna, Bhima, Yudhishtir and Draupadi, Duryodhana’s point of view has hardly been considered.
“History, they say, is written by victors. I am usually on the side of the underdog. Duryodhana has been painted a darker shade of grey. Karna, for example, is a tragic hero, but Duryodhana is seen only as a villain.”
“Twenty five per cent of the book is a figment of my imagination, I wondered, why not plant doubt and defend Duryodhana through it?”
“Duryodhana is the crown prince of Hastinapur. The Pandavas aren’t even Pandu’s own children, hence Duryodhana asks ‘what about my Rajadharma?”
Raghunathan added that until the vastraharan, there was no sign of Duryodhana being disrespectful to women. “He was married to one woman.” In the book, Raghunathan has questioned whether the vastraharan at all happened.
“Duryodhana did say that it was wrong of Dushasan, his brother, to have caught hold of Draupudi’s pallu. But nobody questioned Yudhishtira for wagering his wife, isn’t that wrong as well?”