Book Review- the Misters Kuru

Book: the Misters Kuru: A Return to Mahabharata

Author: Trisha Das

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India

Genre: Humour

Language: English

Do not be misled. ‘the Misters Kuru’ is not just another one of your mythological stories. Witty and humorous, the book brings characters from the great epic Mahabharata and places them in the contemporary world. Imagine the plight of Gadadhari Bhima at a music festival or that of Dharamraj Yudhishtra in a corrupt money-minting system. Well, Trisha Das’ imagination runs wilder than that as she conveniently places these characters in a not-so-convenient environment.

So, what is the book about? Draupadi, Amba and Kunti are well settled in their modern-day Kalyug in Delhi. So, imagine their surprise when, completely out of the blue, the Pandava brothers drop into their world from the heavens. What follows is laughter, tears, new battles fought, old fires rekindled before the men can find their place in the modern world.

Get to know Trisha Das This is the author’s sixth book. She has to her credit Kama’s Last Sutra, Ms Draupadi Kuru: After the Pandavas, The Mahabharata Re-imagined, The Art of the Television Interview and How to Write a Documentary Script. She has also enjoyed a film-making career and directed over forty documentaries. Her columns have been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia India, Hindustan Times and Scroll.

Review The premise of the story, as already mentioned, is the entry of the Pandava brothers in modern world where Draupadi, Kunti and Amba are enjoying their (now) mortal lives. A series of ‘earthly’ adventures quite unlike the battles in their previous lives unfold. Do the brothers adapt easily to the changes? How do they amuse themselves on earth? What are the shocks that are in store for them? Finally, how do they deal with the new avatars of the women in their lives?

I loved the juxtaposition of the old and the new in the book. Characters who are no longer merely upholders of religion or truth or power but commoners like you and me using their ingenuity and reasoning to find solutions to problems. The fragile fabric of relationships which is given a miss in the epic surfaces in this story and you pause and say, yes why not! After all, it has always been ‘complicated’. Some characters in the story are modelled around real-life people and are hard to be missed. Consider a celebrity from films using her freedom of speech to mouth nationalist sentiments. Do you know her? The various facets and problems of the contemporary world are well elucidated.

Yay or Nay? Are you sentimental about your epics and the glorious Indian heritage? I suggest putting the epic behind you and reading this one with a fresh mind. After a little while the story became predictable for me but I still enjoyed the chuckles and laughs as I read along. The language is easy and the plot is fast paced. So, if you are looking for some light reading, this one could be your next pick.

The book can be purchased from the following link

This review is a part of Blogchatter’s Book Review Program.