A while ago I finished reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s “The Palace Of Illusions” which I had stumbled upon when casually browsing a bookstore at the airport. The book presents a women’s perspective of the Mahabharata, by narrating the epic by none other than Draupadi, who was hugely held responsible for the war taking place. Personally for me, Mahabharata has always evoked a deep level of excitement. If I were to simply put it, it’s a lethal combination of drama, upscale levels of politics, games played in pursuit of power & love, with the oomph added by brawny men. However, predominantly Mahabharata is more about the men, their aspirations, lives & ambitions that sometimes scale beyond power. It has etched out some great heroes like Bheesma, Drona, Krishna, Arjun, Karna and the list goes on. So unless the author consciously chooses, the women in this epic will not be presented as central protagonist. So in that aspect, I liked the book and a refreshing narr...