Saiswaroopa Iyer is an alumnus from IIT Kharagpur. She is an investment analyst turned satisfied writer. Saiswaroopa is the best selling author of 4 novels and all of them are based on legendary female protagonists from Ancient Indian Literature. Her first book was Abhaya.
Saiswaroopa Iyer is an alumnus from IIT Kharagpur. She is an investment analyst turned satisfied writer. Saiswaroopa is the best selling author of 4 novels and all of them are based on legendary female protagonists from Ancient Indian Literature. Her first book was Abhaya. An assertive and idealistic Princess meets Vasudeva Krishna. The second novel Avishi is based on a Rig Vedic hymn and it has been acquired for screen adaptation by a major studio. Her other book Mauri, speaks bout a few lesser known characters in the Mahabharata. Ghatotkacha features in it. The latest Draupadi - The Tale of an Empress has been critically acclaimed and is nominated for the prestigious DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019. Saiswaroopa is passionate about Ancient Indian History, philosophy and literature. She holds a certificate in Puranas from Oxford School of Hindu Studies. She is a trained classical singer as well and her favourite area is the compositions of Annamacharya. She has been awarded a gold medal by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for the same. Saiswaroopa is a member of the Indic Academy and lives in Bengaluru with her husband and daughter.
"My book Abhaya focuses on a Princess by that name. She is kept captive by the demon Narakasura and marries Vassudeva Krishna after her release. The book is from her perspective. My book Avishi is the story of the Warrior Queen, Visphala, the first to have a prosthetic limb in history. Draupadi is about the great Empress of Bharatavarsha. I am deeply indebted to Indica and its founder Hari Kiran Vadlamani for guiding me and supporting my work over time. Coimbatore has been an interesting experience. I felt like having gone to my parents home. Wish to visit the city more often. It was great to meet people at Kikani School, NISE Academy and Odyssey. The appreciation of the hundreds of people who attended the events has raised my spirits. I am glad that I came to this wonderful city through Indica," smiled Saiswaroopa Iyer over dinner at the iconic Annalakshmi over dinner.
Saiswaroopa has dedicated the book to three Krishnas - Vasudeva Krishna, Krishna Dwaipayana ( Vyasa , who has rendered the Mahabharata ) and Krishnaa Draupadi - the embodiment of feminine strength, courage and resilience. Draupadi is called the Ichhashakti or driving desire, Krishna is the Gnanashakti - power of wisdom and the Pandavas - the Kriyashakti, the will to see the vision of Draupadi take shape into reality.
The author has taken a few liberties in order to present a positive perspective in an appropriate manner in the form of a novel on Draupadi. The book is centered on Draupadi - The Empress of Bharatavarsha or India and she is addressed as ' Samragni ' while her husband Yudhishtira is known as ' Samrat '. Readers will be pleasantly surprised to see the character of Draupadi brought out in a refreshing manner. The author has taken pains to traverse a difficult path without giving wrong interpretations. "Women have the right to give birth to a child. They gave birth to kids through Niyoga those days. This happened at times when they lost their husband or if it was not possible to have a child through him. It was done with the consent of the husband. Niyoga was the path adopted to have a child and the biological father had to promise that he will leave the child with the family of the mother. He was to also promise that he will never seek the company or relationship of the lady concerned ever after. It was a strict condition which was backed by a promise. Ambika bore Dhritharashra, Ambalika bore Pandu, Kunti and Madri bore the five Pandavas - Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva through Niyoga. Of course Vidura was also born through Niyoga," stated Saiswaroopa while talking about her book.
Saiswaroopa shared some facets about her literary work, "I had to get my first book published. Sometimes I write 400 words a day and sometimes I write a lot more. The team at Rupa Publications were quite helpful. Shambhu Sahu, Rudra Sharma, Aparna Kumar and Mugdha Sadhwani have done their best to create the attractive facets of Draupadi. My parents Krishnaswamy Kumar, Usha Kumar and husband Arvind Iyer believed in my writing much more than me. Dear daughter Abhirami helped me by napping punctually. Finally, I thank my Ishta Devata - Vasudeva Krishna for powering me through this story telling journey. I pray that he fills joy in the life of every reader who reads the books,".
The story begins with the Prologue. Emperor Janamejaya visits his grandmother Uttara ( wife of Abhimayu and mother of Parikhsit ). The Emperor goes on to say that old women and men of Hastinapura continue to blame Draupadi for having caused the 18 day war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Uttara tells him that it was duty of the Emperor to dispel misunderstandings connected with the history of the land. Later, Uttara narrates the tale of Draupadi to her young grandson. It is done from the perspective of Draupadi. Saiswaroopa has presented all her books from the point of view of her powerful heroines. She has done so with aplomb. A lot of prophetic statements are given out in the book. Normally such ' punch statements ' are like an over dose of sugar but the author has placed them with care and therefore it leaves a wonderful after taste.
Let's look at one instance when Arjuna consummates his marriage. In spite of being the one to have won Draupadi, he had to wait for 4 long years for his turn to be her husband. "Destiny delays somethings so that more can happen in the wake Arjuna. A river joins the sea in its natural course. But when humankind delays its union by digging canals and building dams, the sea and the river pine for each other,only to realize that the wait was worth it, when they see the lush land and flourishing civilization that benefitted because of the wait. Isn't the wait worth it, Arjuna ?" states a visionary Draupadi who had a dream of a Great India, a Mahabharat in her mind.
Motherhood is given a lot of importance in the book and one can see it from the words of Subhadra, the mother of Abhimanyu, "Believe me, Elder Sister ! Being a queen is easier. Being a mother is the hardest part in our lives". Kunti, the wife of Emperor Pandu was known for her fortitude. Draupadi had heard of rebellious women challenging the hegemony of dogmatic chauvinism from her Guru Upajaya and his wife. But in Kunti, she saw a living rebel, a manifestation of the blazing desire to change the old order. Draupadi gets into a polyandrous marriage. It had the support and blessings of Kunti. Draupadi acted as a unifier and never did anything that may separate the five brothers. Vasudeva Krishna was her close friend and confidant.
The conversations between each one of the Pandavas and Draupadi are brought out in a lucid manner. Yudhishtira wants to know if it was the sin accumulated due to the destruction of the Khandava Vana that had caused all the hardships. Its heartening to note that environment has been a concern even during the 'epic' times. Draupadi collapses on a couch after learning that Yudhishtira had lost her in a game of dice. She thinks....Wagering riches and jewellery was one thing. But wagering a principality played with the hopes of the people of the land. The question here was of an Empire. The Empire that was built on their vision, sweat and blood right from the late King Pandu to the lowest foot soldier in the Pandava army.
Readers must be aware that the novel based on Mahabharata focuses on Draupadi and does not carry a number of stories found in the main epic. The book is a compelling read in spite of this aspect. Kudos to the author for having achieved it.
The Empress faces several challenges, hardships and difficult relationships. But she stays on as a unifying factor through and through. Empress, daughter, sister, mother, mother in law, daughter in law, sister in law, grandmother, wife where she made people feel safe and a sakhi ( friend ) to Vasudeva Krishna, the role where felt the safest.
Draupadi convinces Yudhishtira to shed his melancholy and take up the reins of the kingdom, "It takes a warrior to fight till the end. But it takes a true leader to convince people for a new beginning. You alone can do it. Bharatavarsha needs you, Dharmaraja Yudhishtira."
Given that Draupadi is a difficult subject, the author has done a good job. Mahabharata talks about righteousness and the routes taken to ensure the same, from Polyandry to Niyoga. Saiswaroopa Iyer has made the difficulty of being good as in the Mahabharata enjoyable and memorable. Readers can expect more from her.