Karna's Wife - The Outcast's Queen
- Kavita Kane
It was a wonderful idea, to have a closer look at the most noble and
tragic hero of Mahabharat, through the eyes of someone close to him, so
as to have a deeper insight into his thoughts and emotions. At first I
was surprised to learn that Karna had a wife named Uruvi, since what I
had known was that his wife was Vrushali. Then I realized from the
author's note that she created the fictional character of Uruvi. It was
an excellent device, since Uruvi, due to her close connection to the
royalty, and her own learning, could present a greater perspective on the
events that unfold, than the simple Vrushali ever could. Her
interaction with other women, who had a significant role to play in the
epic - Kunti, Bhanumati, Draupadi - brings in a richness in this story.
It, however, is an idea, which isn't executed as well as it could have been. One of the most disappointing factors is that this seems to be highly inspired by some of the other popular retelling's, especially 'The Palace of Illusions'. Another jarring aspect is the language - rather too modern for the period, and a little incoherent at times. Yet another was the conflict in the view the author wanted to present, on several things, specially her take on some of the key characters. She has portrayed Duryodhan in a softer shade than most of the retellings do (which works fine for me), but I felt that she fluctuated between depicting him as an inherently evil man, and a soft, misguided soul manipulated by his evil uncle throughout his life. I found Karna's character lacking too. Amongst the incidents that rankled, there is this particular one that takes place at the end of the war - when Pandavas learn that Karna was their elder brother, they want to give him his due - so they go to Uruvi and ask her to come along with them to Hastinapur, and her son to be appointed the heir. At this point, I had to ask - why only Uruvi, and not Vrushali as well - as Karna's wife, didn't she deserve the same respect?
It, however, is an idea, which isn't executed as well as it could have been. One of the most disappointing factors is that this seems to be highly inspired by some of the other popular retelling's, especially 'The Palace of Illusions'. Another jarring aspect is the language - rather too modern for the period, and a little incoherent at times. Yet another was the conflict in the view the author wanted to present, on several things, specially her take on some of the key characters. She has portrayed Duryodhan in a softer shade than most of the retellings do (which works fine for me), but I felt that she fluctuated between depicting him as an inherently evil man, and a soft, misguided soul manipulated by his evil uncle throughout his life. I found Karna's character lacking too. Amongst the incidents that rankled, there is this particular one that takes place at the end of the war - when Pandavas learn that Karna was their elder brother, they want to give him his due - so they go to Uruvi and ask her to come along with them to Hastinapur, and her son to be appointed the heir. At this point, I had to ask - why only Uruvi, and not Vrushali as well - as Karna's wife, didn't she deserve the same respect?
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