Utkrash Patel’s ‘Satyavati’
is a challenging book. Firstly, because it came to me on Readify, an app, which
I had never checked out earlier and secondly, because of all the elements of surprise
that it has.
The first few and the
last few pages are a complete eye opener for most people. In fact, I doubt if I
mention that you probably are totally wrong if I told you that she was not born
out of a fish. She and a brother are born out of wedlock to the King of Chedi
and the daughter of the leader of fishermen on the banks of the river Yamuna. She
is born with a strong smell of fish emanating from her body.
Her mother dies at childbirth,
and it is left to her grandfather to bring her up. The child, treated badly by
her father due to her smell, while the son, who was born without any odour was
quickly taken in by him. But thankfully, she is brought up by her grandfather. Once,
as she is ferrying Sage Parashara she ends up with a son, out of wedlock. The sage
takes the son with him and leaves Matsyagandha,
now free of the smell, but left with a musky fragrance and also a virgin.
Matsyagandha, who would
now be known as Satyavati. She is desired by many, but finally, the one who
catches her eye, is the King of Hastinapur, Shantanu. Her grandfather, the
leader of the fishermen, is told of the same but he lays down the condition
that her son would be the inheritor of Hastinapur. The king leaves, in much thought
and grief. But Bhishma his son, who finds out about the issue comes and takes
her to his father, vowing that he would remain celibate.
So, Satyavati is now
Queen Satyavati and leaves for the palace. She is soon mother to Chitrangada and
Vichitravirya. How then, she becomes the grandmother of the Kaurvas and the
Pandavas, forms the rest of the story.
But, the best part of
this telling is the many facts, which are possibly displaced, from the
Mahabharata that we get to read today. She seems forgotten and rudely out of
our minds. But, what she said and did are things which can now, not be
forgotten so easily.
She has transformed
from the lost maiden to the real reason behind, what she eventually did. She
becomes a woman with foresight, the one behind the kingdom ruled out of pragmatism
and sensibility, rather than the objectives, which would have been preferred. The
woman left behind so many times, ends up challenging her own conscience, and
tells it off, right towards the epilogue.
Very well written and
given the importance it deserves. Loved the book, though of course, it is not error
free. :D
Notice that societies then and now have little change, in the treatment of women. It is a sad day when a woman, was raped and asked to find her way then and is today, treated pretty much the same way.
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