Natyam | A Mahabharata Fiction

An Introduction

Everyone's heard the Mahabharata. It is, after all, Aryavart's greatest story. The story of Bharat. Ask any Indian child and they'll rattle off the names of the protagonists without batting an eye. Ask any geriatric individual, they'll tell you stories you'd never heard before. Over the centuries, millions of versions have been cascaded in Bharat's history. In each of them, I suppose, Arjun is one of the brightest stars.

Quicksilver Arjun, Gandhivadhaari Arjun. Indra and Kunti's son. The greatest archer the world had ever seen. Handsome, unbelievably so. He is so handsome that women in the twienty-first century sigh thinking about him—about what could have been had they been born in his time. Arjun, Madhav's favourite companion. With his relentless competitive streak and that fire burning inside him. The fire that couldn't be dulled by a lifetime of hardship. Arjun, whose eyes always skimmed through everything they could see, eternally bored and unconcerned. The only thing that mattered to him was art–his art. Archery. Arjun, the one who saw Vishnu in his true form and heard all of the Bhagwad Gita.

My husband. Arjun.

And who am I? No, not Subhadra. While it's true that Arjun loved her dearly, people claim that she was his favourite simply because I am too scandalous to be spoken of to younger generations (What did I do? I spoke the truth).

No, certainly not Draupadi! She was too busy pining after someone else.

You don't know me because I have wished it to be so. People tend to twist stories just to add more masala. It really....makes things more complicated. Either way, here I am, to tell you of Aryavart's greatest story once more. Except, you'll know a little more from this retelling.

My name is Rajkumari Mrinali. I am the daughter of Maharaj Vrikant and Maharani Sunaina, king and queen of Vrikesh–one of Aryavart's most culturally rich and colourful kingdoms. I married Arjun, Kunti's third son. While Rajkumar Arjun was like a storm in other peoples' lives with his incredible work ethic and ambition, I was the storm in his life. And it was obvious to all those who knew, that the son of the King of the Gods was bound to love a storm.