Review

All Indians have grown up hearing the stories of Mahabharata. There have been numerous books on different versions of Mahabharata. Myth of Hastinapur is an Anthology of stories about different parts of the Kurukshetra war.


The uniqueness of the book is that it concentrates mostly on the uncelebrated chunk of the mythology. The protagonists of the stories are unsung heroes like Ghatotkhacha, Barbarik, Ashwathama, Shalya, etc. The book reminds us that while we say about Mahabharata we often forget Nakul and Sahadev. Shalya’s dilemma in seeing their nephews as background characters are depicted with finesse. The infidelities and polygamy in the history of the Kuru dynasty are mercilessly mocked in the background of the discussions between two maids. 
The author has shown another side of the picture when we highly believe that the Kurukshetra war was the victory of Dharma. The readers get to see a different picture that no war gives you winners and end of the war is the defeat of humanity. The story of Barbarik was a comparatively unknown one while that of Ashwathama was changed a bit or the details were omitted when he sent the Brahmastra to Uttara’s womb and the further developments.
The language and narration are above average. The readers would be engrossed in the stories and since it is a collection of short stories, the various parts of the Mahabharata could be addressed. The book is a very interesting account of the unknown tales of Mahabharata.

Verdict

Good Narration and interesting account of Mahabharata

Scenario:   4 /5