Wars are kinder to men, for they are given a chance, in the battlefield, to showcase their prowess at weapons and strategy-making – either to emerge victorious or to die valorously. The very act of fighting a battle washes them off their earthly sins, securing their position in the heavens. But what about the women? Burning silently inside, anxious and afraid, guilty and grieved, passive and powerless, they remain silent spectators of events so momentous that turn their lives upside down. These women lose battles without fighting them. And then they keep burning inside, long after the pyres of the vanquished and the flambeaux of the victorious have fizzled out….. What if Gandhari didn’t blindfold herself just out of devotion for her future husband but at her powerlessness to prevent herself from a fate similar to Amba’s? Did Kunti ever overcome her guilt over Karn? Did Draupadi learn to sympathize with the maidservants and the prostitutes she was compared to in the open court or did she only think about herself? Did Subhadra learn to live with her guilt of having slept off mid-way during Arjun’s explanation of the Chakravyuh? Did the cold-shouldered Hidimba forgive the Pandavas? What must have been going on in the mind of Duhshala, the only princess of Hastinapur, when she had to support her infant grandson while reigning over the empire of Sindhu alone? What about Bhanumati, that unfortunate widow of Duryodhan? Could Uttara the child-widow ever learn to see Abhimayu’s reflection in Parikshit? A story of the unexplored thoughts of these powerful women, who lost inner battles bigger than Mahabharat and struggled in silence to endure with more strength each time life knocked them down!

Light from the fire burning afar mingled with the moonlight in Kurukshetra to create a terrible twilight. Scattered corpses ... broken chariots ... sporadic death cries ... prowling scavengers ... the battlefield stretched endlessly.The victorious Pāndava camps burst into deafening cheers amidst burning funeral pyres. The Great War was finally over. But soon enough, when everyone learns the truth about the hated enemy, Karna, that towering figure with the golden glow, another battle starts. Everyone stands stunned, forgetting to even cry. Torn by the guilt of fratricide, Yudhishtira becomes a recluse. Draupadi becomes restless: her tryst with reality begins. What seemed a justifiable end to an ignominious character completely overturns. Her pride for her husbands’ valour erodes. Life as she had understood slowly begins to lose meaning. This Malayalam classic centres on Karna, the most criticized yet admired character of the Mahabharata, treacherously killed by his half-brother Arjuna. His life story unfolds through the eyes of Draupadi, in flashbacks and tales she hears from those around her in the aftermath of the battle of Kurukshetra.

Shadows of Empire explores Javanese shadow theater as a staging area for negotiations between colonial power and indigenous traditions. Charting the shifting boundaries between myth and history in Javanese Mahabharata and Ramayana tales, Laurie J. Sears reveals what happens when these stories move from village performances and palace manuscripts into colonial texts and nationalist journals and, most recently, comic books and novels. Historical, anthropological, and literary in its method and insight, this work offers a dramatic reassessment of both Javanese literary/theatrical production and Dutch scholarship on Southeast Asia. Though Javanese shadow theater (wayang) has existed for hundreds of years, our knowledge of its history, performance practice, and role in Javanese society only begins with Dutch documentation and interpretation in the nineteenth century. Analyzing the Mahabharata and Ramayana tales in relation to court poetry, Islamic faith, Dutch scholarship, and nationalist journals, Sears shows how the shadow theater as we know it today must be understood as a hybrid of Javanese and Dutch ideas and interests, inseparable from a particular colonial moment. In doing so, she contributes to a re-envisioning of European histories that acknowledges the influence of Asian, African, and New World cultures on European thought--and to a rewriting of colonial and postcolonial Javanese histories that questions the boundaries and content of history and story, myth and allegory, colonialism and culture. Shadows of Empire will appeal not only to specialists in Javanese culture and historians of Indonesia, but also to a wide range of scholars in the areas of performance and literature, anthropology, Southeast Asian studies, and postcolonial studies.

The greatest myths of India, drawn from the sacred texts and traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism are presented for readers. The Indian gods and goddesses portrayed in this colorful mythology are creators and protectors, but often they are also warriors and destroyers, particularly when fighting demons. Supported by beautiful Indian art works and full-color photography, the text shows readers how these ancient tales helped Indians explain creation, birth, death, love, and the purpose of humans' earthly life.

Haryana Current Affairs Yearbook 2023-2024 in English: Haryana Current Affairs 2023-2024 is one of the most important sections in competitive exams such as HPSC and other Haryana State Level Government Exams. The Current Affairs section in the competitive exams aims at assessing your knowledge about social, economic, political and other important developments. Thus it is important to align your exam preparation with the Latest Current Affairs 2023-2024 and daily General Knowledge updates. These Current Affairs will not only help you score better in the upcoming Haryana State Civil Services Exam and other Government Exams but will also expand your knowledge about the latest news. Please note that the Current Affairs PDF contains reliable and official sources. Haryana Current Affairs 2023-2024 is prepared by referencing the official website and is factually correct. Haryana Current Affairs Yearbook 2023-2024 in English, Haryana Current Affairs Yearbook 2023-2024, Haryana Current Affairs Yearbook 2023, Haryana Current Affairs Yearbook 2024 in English, Haryana Current Affairs Yearbook 2024, Haryana Current Affairs Year book 2024, Haryana Current Affairs Year book 2023,

Shattered by the loss of her twins, software engineer Viji becomes the prime suspect in a chilling crime—the drowning of her best friend Neha’s baby. ASP Kanika, haunted by her own personal loss, is pulled into an investigation that quickly spirals into a nightmarish descent. Viji's eerie silence only deepens the enigma, and as Kanika digs further, her instincts sense something far more sinister lurking beneath the surface. The evidence hints at Viji’s involvement in black magic to resurrect her twins, but the scene defies logic. Viji is found in a trance, cradling the lifeless baby, while Neha has vanished without a trace. Neha isn’t alone; in the past week, four pregnant women have disappeared, each leaving behind a blood-streaked symbol—an ominous mark of doom. When Neha’s mutilated body is discovered, branded with the same grotesque symbol, Kanika realizes she’s up against something much more terrifying than a serial killer. As she unravels a web of evil tantric practices, Kanika confronts a horrifying possibility: Is she hunting a twisted killer, or has she awakened an ancient, malevolent force? And if so, how long before it comes for her?