Confessions of an Epic Indian

For those of you who asked, here’s a list of the nine books in my Mahabharata series.

1. the seeds of war
2. as the blind king watched
3. the forest of stories
4. while warlords speak of peace
5. when the blue god awakens
6. tear this mighty land asunder
7. bathed in the blood of brothers
8. bid the dead return
9. a thin line between heaven and hell

As you know, there were 18 parvas (sections) in the original Mahabharata.

These 9 books don’t correspond exactly to two parvas apiece, as some parvas were very long, and others very short. This is entirely my restructuring.

As you can see from the prologue which I’ve posted on this blog, my Mahabharata begins, briefly, with Bhishma-pitama lying on the bed of arrows on the field of Kurukshetra. That moment actually comes towards the very end of the Mahabharata.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m telling the story backwards. Or cutting up the timeline like Quentin Tarantino. It just gives you an idea that I’m restructuring according to character and history, sticking to the spirit but certainly not the letter of the original Vyasa Mahabharata.

Those of you who have read the original Vyasa Mahabharata - the edition I recommend most is the Ganguli translation, which is available in four massive paperback volumes in Indian bookstores - would know that even in densely packed pages, a straightforward prose translation comes to nothing less than around 5,000 large printed pages.

Or around 3 million words.

I’m still not exactly sure how long my retelling will be. But it will certainly be longer than that, as I’m attempting a much more dramatic style, more along the lines of the best Indian historical fiction, rather than the condensed abridgements that are more usual.

Incidentally, for those of you interested in such minor (but significant) details, the section headings in my Mahabharata are taken from famous books once again.

If you recall, in my Ramayana, I’d taken the titles of famous science fiction novels as my section headings: E.g. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Childhood’s End, etc.

In my Mahabharata, I’m paying homage to Indian English authors.

So, for instance, in Book 1: the seeds of war, the section headings are:

1. the last burden
2. the enigma of arrival
3. midnight’s children

There’s lots more to tell, and as and when I find a moment, I’ll be glad to post more updates here and share with you whatever news I can.

Meanwhile, do keep your emails and comments coming in, either through the Feedback page on Epic India, or by posting a comment here on the Blog.

In case you don’t know it already, it’s that steady stream of encouragement from you that gives me the shakti to go on.

This is a collaboration, my friends. For no one person can tell a story that belongs to an entire nation, unless that entire nation supports him as well.

Support me with your emails and comments, even if it is to nitpick or to point out a mistake, or just speak your mind freely.

Unlike certain other self-declared champions of freedom who go to war to enforce peace, India is truly a free country. Because we enjoy freedom of the spirit, and that is true freedom.

And now, I’m going back to work.

Hopefully, once I’m done, this will stand as a Mahabharata every Indian will be proud to have read, and to possess.

After all, it is the greatest story in the world.

And only incidentally, the longest as well.

Wish me luck and send me your prayers. I’ll need them to complete such a long journey.