An epic feat: Thirteen-year-old girl retells Mahabharata in verse
What's the story
Thirteen-year-old schoolgirl Sia Gupta has retold the Mahabharata entirely in verse, recasting the timeless tale of love and hate, truth and deceit, and intrigue and war in about 1,000 verses. In her latest work, Gupta focuses her verses on the ideals of dharma, duty, and sacrifice to show how the Mahabharata remains relevant even in the 21st century.
Books
She wrote her first book at the age of eight
The Mahabharata in Rhyme is not Gupta's first book. She had in fact written her first book titled The Magical World of Poems at the age of eight. She has also written the Tales in Rhyme series based on the popular stories of Aladdin, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Beauty and the Beast.
Details
Here is an excerpt from her latest book
"This epic tale you all should know, which took place many moons ago!" the book begins. "And it ends with Bhishma's death. With Bhishma's death, this epic tale is now done. Everyone had lost and no one had actually won. This story teaches us lessons to which we can all relate; We should learn from Bhishma's life and Hastinapur's fate!" the book says.
Further details
Book was first introduced at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2021
The author captures the unfolding of the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas for the throne of Hastinapur in simple verses, looking into the events, the characters, and the moral dilemmas they face. The illustrated book, published by Om Books International imprint Om Kidz, was first introduced at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2021.
Quote
'This delightful retelling brings epic alive for a new generation'
According to the Jaipur Literature Festival co-director, Namita Gokhale, "This delightful retelling of the Mahabharata in verse brings the epic alive by and for a new generation."