The Curse Of Gandhari

Author: Aditi Banerjee
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 1 out of 5
Pages: 336
Date Started: 28 January 2024
Date Finished: 11 February 2024

Aditi Banerjee's "The Curse of Gandhari" presents an intriguing premise: Gandhari, with only one day left to live, reflects on her life, filled with unfairness and the burden of her choices. However, my reading experience left me feeling disappointed and somewhat misled by the title and synopsis.

The narrative predominantly revolves around Gandhari's life journey, delving into her experiences as a fiercely intelligent princess who voluntarily blindfolded herself for her visually impaired husband, Dhritarashtra. Banerjee explores Gandhari's painful pregnancy and her role as the mother of one hundred unworthy sons, each seemingly indistinguishable from the other. The story also highlights Gandhari's tapasya (ascetic practices), which failed to earn her the same respect and admiration as Draupadi and Kunti, further adding to her sense of isolation and unfairness.

Despite the promise of a focus on Gandhari's curse, the book primarily serves as a summarized retelling of the Mahabharata, with Gandhari's perspective as the central thread. The narrative tends to repeat situations and reactions, resulting in a monotonous reading experience devoid of surprises. This repetition further detracts from the exploration of Gandhari's curse and its significance, leaving the reader questioning the purpose of the book.

The lack of depth in exploring Gandhari's curse is a notable flaw. While the title suggests a deeper examination of the curse and its origins, the narrative falls short of delivering on this premise. Instead, it offers a surface-level exploration of Gandhari's struggles and sacrifices without delving into the intricacies of her curse and its implications.

Overall, "The Curse of Gandhari" feels more like a summarized version of the Mahabharata rather than a focused exploration of Gandhari's curse. The title and synopsis may lead readers to expect a deeper dive into Gandhari's character and the curse that defines her, but the book ultimately fails to deliver on this promise. As a result, readers seeking a nuanced exploration of Gandhari's curse may find themselves disappointed by the lack of depth and focus in Banerjee's narrative.

Favorite lines from the book:

• That is a hard price of breaking a vow. Sometimes you cannot understand what you have entered into, what you have cost yourself by a sacrifice, a view. And you break it,  you cannot know how everything may be lost. Everything.
• There is a word for orphan, but no word for a mother who has lost all her children.