Vyasa's Mahabharata
Author: 
Chitra Krishnan
age group: 
7+ yrs
Number of pages: 
20
Publisher: 
Tulika
Themes:
value education Mythology
Genre:
picture book, mythology
 

 

Which child is not aware of the stories from our great epics? They may have heard the stories seated in a parents' or grandparent’s lap or may read them in books or comics. So, why another book? On opening the pages one realizes that this book is a fresh new approach. It introduces the child to the antecedents of the Mahabharata. How it became into a book, who was the narrator and who penned it down.

Vyasa's head was in a whirl. Stories flooded his mind and he needed to write them down, but as they gushed out like a waterfall from his mouth...and as  his hand crawled across the parchment like a slow, mud-filled river. He needed help to write them and fast! He meditated and called on Brahma for his help.

Brahma appeared and said that he had the perfect person in mind to do the needful – Ganesha! But, life is never simple is it? Ganesha agreed to help him out, but on one condition: Vyasa had to narrate the story in a continuous flow.  If Vyasa hesitated he would put down his quill and stop writing. How Vyasa rose to this challenge by managing to trick Ganesha into slowing down, when he needed a breather is the theme of the story.

Whimsical illustrations made with crayons has a very child-like appeal that children are going to enjoy looking at over and over again.

This book is also available in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Bangla.

Reviewed by Shamim Padamsee