Mahabharat on Star Plus

Mahabharata is such an epic that has been part of many books, television series and movies over many years. Documentary movies have been made on this flawless epic. Even British and US broadcasters have adopted this epic for documentary movies. In India, the most famous on-screen depiction was that of B.R. Chopra's Mahabharata. I was about five years old then, and I gladly saw its repeats later on Doordarshan. After almost a decade and a half, I heard it was being remade by none other than the makers of Dev o Ka Dev Mahadev. It was the best mythology serial I ever saw with Mohit Raina in the lead, and its special effects and storytelling were simply the best.

The actors...

I started watching Mahabharat on Star Plus since its first episode and never missed one.

The first name I want to take is that of Praneet Bhat. His signature walk, one-eyed talk and his famous lines "Mere Bacchae..." make you hate his Shakuni, and that proves how great his acting skills are. Shakuni was the crudest and sly person in the epic, and he portrays that as though he is Shakuni. Special mention to scenes when he stays at Hastinapur for his sister to seek revenge and hurts himself.

Rohit Bhardwaj, who was Mohan, and Shaheer Sheikh, who was Anant in Navya... surprised me with their Yudhisthir and Arjun. I liked them both in the Modern age drama, Navya, and now they play quite different roles in Mahabharat. Special mention to the role of Brihannalla and Kanka, as well as Abhimanyu's death scenes.

Saurabh Raj Jain, who was a well-known face as Vishnu in both Jai Shree Krishna and Dev o Ka Dev, is Krishna here, and that was truly pleasing to the eyes. His half smile and witty eyes are indeed a resemblance to the Vishnu/Krishna of our imaginations. Special mentions to Gita moments, Draupadi's man Raksha, and Abhimanyu's Death.

Veebha Anand, who was Sugna in Balika Vadhu, plays Subhadra, which suited her really well. Her smile and her eyes were superb, describing the "Chanchal" Subhadra. Special mention to after Subhadra's marriage to Arjun, when they face Panchali and her scenes at Uttara's wedding.

Aham Sharma, whom I don't know why I never noticed anywhere, is dashing and calm as Karna. He took my attention away in those emotional scenes post the revelation of his true identity, and also in the scenes where he fights. His calm yet heavy voice and his lean figure make him an unconventional ( because we were all accustomed to the moustached middle-aged man image) yet gripping character. He is indeed more suitable than anybody else in this role. Special mention to the fight sequence with Abhimanyu. His expressions were superb.

Arav Chowdhary, who plays Bhishma pita maha and Devabrata, is the first impressive character in this epic who stays till the last and hence deserves mention. He is a total resemblance to B.R. Chopra's Bhishma, and his voice suits the great man's character. The scenes where he is cursed by Amba, Draupadi's Vastraharan time and his death scene deserve special mention.

Paras Arora, who was my favourite for his Veer Shivaji portrait on the Colours serial of that title, has improved more than ever. From Shivaji to Rajjo to Mahabharat, his acting has improved superbly. Abhimanyu is my personal favourite character in the epic, and he outshone everyone during the last three episodes, ending with his death. Special mention, Chakravuha (his introduction), Conversation with Uttara and death scenes. Aham Sharma is the one who steals the scene; he was nowhere near Paras in the last one. He proved his worth among people of extreme talent.

Richa Mukherjee does justice to my favourite character, Uttara. Her childish innocence turned into grown-up talk at that mere age, changed by circumstances, and has been portrayed superbly by the young talent. Special mention of Scenes with Abhimanyu and that Introduction dance.

The Crew...

Siddharth Kumar Tewary, the man who created this epic in such a beautiful way. He deserves all the credit. The writers Sharmin Joseph, Radhika Anand, Anand Vardhan, Mihir Bhuta and Siddharth Kumar Tewary were, in fact, the backbone of the storytelling. Special mention to how the Epic Story started with Vasudeva telling the viewers all we need to know... The directors who keep alive the scripts in our imaginations, namely, Siddharth Anand Kumar, Amarprith G, S Chawda, Kamal Monga and Loknath Pandey. The Graphic team and special effects team, who made it seem real, and also the trainers who trained the actors in weapons and horse riding, are the real stars of the epic.

It is truly the largest television show, with its Bengali, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi versions being aired on different channels and even an Indonesian version in Indonesia.

What caught my attention most was the Music from Atul-Ajay and Ismail Darbar. The lyrics are so meaningful with the mention of the Gita, Krishna, Vedas and Mahabharat being a historical event truly worth mentioning. Also worth mentioning are the background scores of Draupadi and Abhimanyu.

The best scenes...

My favourite Scenes from this epic serial are

1. Abhimanyu's Death and his last conversation with Uttara and Arjun

2. The fight between Bhishma and Parasurama

3. Arjuna comes home with Subhadra after marriage, and Draupadi's feelings

4. Pasha game and disrobing of Draupadi.

Parting words...

A huge fan of this serial, I, as a fan, hoped it to continue, especially the characters of Abhimanyu and Uttara, who are my favourites, but are regarded as a minor part of the epic. Yet those parts have been given importance in this series like no other. I am very moved by the dialogues of Krishna, which are facts and Universal truths applied to life and times even now.

||WITHIN INFINITE MYTHS LIES ETERNAL TRUTHS||

The Warrior and Princess

Dasharatha was very protective of his sons. He had got them after almost a lifetime of waiting and yajnas, so they were his lifeline. Ram, the eldest, won hearts with his humble, generous ways. Bharata, the second, was his favourite queen's brave son, and Laxman and Shatrughan were the twins to the lesser queen, who followed their brothers like shadows. They were a peaceful, happy family. Sage Vasistha was their Kulaguru, teaching them the Vedic hymns and the righteous ways of life. The Princes grew up in the luxurious, protected premises of the palace. The King of Mithila, too, was childless. Mother Earth granted him a daughter. Sita grew up learning and curious, followed by the king's second daughter, Urmila and their cousins Mandavi and Shrutakirti. They grew up knowing the natural ways of life, and their father took them to learn from men to know more about man and his natural instincts. The princesses were curious and always questioning the traditions, and the Princes lear...

Chawand: The Maharana's Capital

The road from Udaipur quickly fades into quiet countryside as you head toward Jaisamand Lake and Chavand, a journey that few package tours offer, but one that is forever imprinted on my memory. Just shy of an hour and 59km from the city bustle, you reach Jaisamand (Dhebar Lake), the “Ocean of Victory,” sprawling as Asia’s once-largest man-made lake . Built in 1685 by Maharana Jai Singh, who followed his father’s legendary tradition of dam-building, this vast sheet of water shimmers in the sunlight. I watched local ferries pass, and marble stairs dip into blue shallows, imagining bygone queens slipping into cooling water beneath the massive embankment. Even today, friendly boatmen linger, eager to usher you onto the lake for a breezy ride. They tell you stories of how once a Maharana roamed these dense forests in search of freedom. Do pause here and soak in the peaceful air before venturing further southwest, toward the forgotten echoes of Mewar’s pride. The drive to Chavand, ...

Rakhi Tales

A Rakhi to the Enemy: The year was 1535 CE. The Rajmata of Mewar, widow of Rana Sanga, was in a dilemma. On one hand was an attack from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat as a threat to her capital, Chittorgarh, and the throne of her beloved teenage son Vikramaditya. On the other hand, there was the son of her husband's archenemy, Humayun, who could be of some help. Rani Karnavati wrote a letter to Humayun, who was in the east at that time. Along with it, she sent a Rakhi, a thread of brotherhood, asking him, as a sister, for protection against the enemy. But the road was too long, and time was of the essence. Humayun arrived at Chittorgarh, in response to her letter, keeping his end of the bargain but a little late. Rani Karnavati had already performed the Jauhar. They never met. Humayun established Rana Vikramaditya on the throne of Mewar, as he had promised as a brother, and returned to his post. Two dynasties, political rivals and sworn enemies, from Sanga-Babur to Pratap-Akbar and even R...

The Prince of Mewar

Born on 16 March 1559 in the Kumbha Palace of Chittorgarh Fort, Bhanwar Amar Singh was the eldest son of Kunwar Pratap Singh (later Maharana Pratap) and Kunwarani Ajabdeh Punwar. As the first grandson of Udai Singh I, his birth prompted the Maharana's celebratory hunting expedition, during which a sage forewarned of impending danger. Heeding this, Udai Singh established a new palace by Lake Pichola, founding Udaipur as Mewar's capital. Amar Singh exhibited extraordinary valour from a young age, inheriting his father's martial skills and his mother's reputed compassion. His training commenced early; according to James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, he participated in his first battle alongside Pratap at age eight. By ten, amid Chittorgarh's fall and familial divisions, he assumed responsibility for his siblings. Historical accounts recount his defence of the queens' entourage against enemy soldiers en route to Kumbhalgarh fortress. He shared a clo...

Taj Mahal

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Asuras are not Demons

Demons in the Abrahamic religion are not the same as Asuras of Hinduism. Originally deities of Iranian origin, they were seen in the tribal context as no different from Devas but as counterparts to maintain balance. In early epics and Puranas, asura meant a chosen leader of great capacity. Only later, perhaps due to the Iranian link, their image declined. It was with the Brahmanas that the sharp divide appeared: devas as divine, asuras as evil. Puranic myths demonised them mainly to assert the superiority and immortality of devas, while asuras were cast as symbols of the "other." Since Tribes still worshipped them and embraced their power of negativity, being important to balance, they soon became synonymous with tribes, which was not the case mythologically. There are instances of Bali or Ravana being Kshatriya or Brahmin Asuras and competent kings. Indian demonology itself is vast and layered, shaped by surviving tribes, each with unique myths. Celestial, aerial, and terres...

The Annals of Rajputana

Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklore, Veer Gathas, Traditions, Cultures, Heritage, Rules, Valour and its people. However, one must remember that he was commissioned to write the narrative and his resources are not based on historical evidence. However, it is worth a read and very interesting. The following excerpts are from his book. Please take note that Todd's accounts are based on hearsay, stories, and commissioned by royals and hence aren't treated as historically accurate. However, his book is important as it is the first English-language book to have extensive work done on Rajputana. Rajputs are commonly believed to be people from Rajasthan; however, their branches have spread far and wide into Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai; howev...

Jahanara Begum Sahib: The Sufi Princess

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A Veranda Vendetta

“Outrage in Calcutta; Terrorist Raid, British Officer Murdered” Read the headlines of The Times on Tuesday, 9 th of December, 1930 . 1930: A significant year 1930 was a very significant year in the history of India’s Freedom Struggle against the British Raj. The Indian National Congress went ahead to declare the 26 th of January as India’s Independence Day, celebrating it nationwide; the Civil Disobedience Movement was officially started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Subhas Chandra Bose was arrested for participating in the same. On 18 th April, Surya Sen, better known as MasterDa, had done the unthinkable, raiding the British Armoury with his students and fellow teachers at Chittagong. He was still on the loose, yet to be found. In this year of growing protests against the colonisers, an incident emerged that shook the British at their old capital. The Bengal Volunteers Corps was a group of volunteers organised in the 1928 Calcutta session of ...

The Timurid Empress

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. Miniature of Rukaiya Begum as Empress In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore...

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