Literary Thoughts of a Dragon Fly

Thoughts & Review on Shyam -An Illustrated Retelling of the Bhagvata by Devdutta Pattanaik How will you define Shyam ? Is he your friend, lover, husband, well wisher, inspiration behind countless songs/dances, stories, the epitome of bhakti devotion, or a great warrior or perhaps he is  the most famous historical/ mythological figure of our times. What is Shyam to us ? Perhaps that is a personal question for all of us and most of all it is a question of faith. Shyam by Devdutt Pattanaik an illustrated retelling is the story of Shyam from his magical birth to his end. Devdutt Pattanaik explores the  myth, historical facts & concept of Shyam as explored in other religions too. The book begins on how Krishna looked & exploring various ways of Krishna being worshiped differently through all ages, countries, religions. The story begins when Vyasa retells the story of Shyam to his reluctant baby Shuka. "It is the story of God on earth, of the journey of the in...

Book Review - The Palace of Assassins - The Rise of Ashwatthama Me :- So, I am reading this book based on life of Ashwatthama Mom :-Aha..he is one of 8 Cheeranjivee .. Me :- Just like Hanuman ?  Mom :-Yes..if I am not wrong, the lore is that he was cursed to be immortal. Me :- Why was he cursed ? Mom :- I don’t know much about the story, but I think Lord Krishna Cursed him. Me thinking to myself-    Why would anyone want to meet a cursed Cheeranjeevi. I slept with ricocheting thoughts in my head about Cheeranjivi, curses, Hanuman &Aswathhama and chance encounters with them. I started reading the book, gripped by its narrative so much, that I even tried to draw Ashwatthama , of course limited creative abilities came in between .  There are many interpretations &existence of various philosophies of Mahabharata and its epic characters. One can perhaps ignore the lore where the straight forward tale unfolds or one c...