The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary
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Introduction
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary - The Great Indian Novel is a satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor, first published by Viking Press in 1989. It is a fictional work that takes the story of the Mahabharata, the Indian epic, and recasts and resets it in the context of the Indian Independence Movement and the first three decades post-independence. Figures from Indian history are transformed into characters from mythology, and the mythical story of India is retold as a history of Indian independence and subsequent history, up through the 1970s. Some critics have identified an element of subversion in the novel. The work includes numerous puns and allusions to famous works about India, such as those by Rudyard Kipling, Paul Scott, and E. M. Forster.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary - The Mahabharata is an epic tale describing the
historical dynastic struggle over the throne of the kingdom of Hastinapur between
the Pandavas and
the Kauravas,
two branches of the heirs of the King Shantanu.
In his novel, Tharoor recasts the story of the nascent Indian democracy as a struggle between
groups and individuals closely related by their personal and political
histories. Through his cantankerous narrator, Tharoor takes an irreverent tone
towards figures such as Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru,
who are ordinarily treated with reverence by Indians.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary - The phrase "great Indian novel" is an allusion
to the long-standing idea of the "Great American Novel" and is also a pun,
roughly translating "Mahabharata"
(maha "great"; Bharata "India").
The Mahabharata, which is not a novel but an epic poem, can be understood,
according to Tharoor, to represent Hinduism's greatest literary achievement and
thus serves as an appropriate paradigm in which to frame a retelling of recent
Indian history.
A significant
characteristic of Tharoor's version of the story is the emphasis on the older
generations (e.g., Bhishma, Dhritarashtra,
and Pandu)
and the resulting de-emphasis on the actions of the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Characters
- Ved Vyas
- Ganapathi
- Kanika
- Ganga Datta
- Lady Georgina Drewpad
- Dhritarashtra
- Pandu
- Vidur
Hastinapuri (Vidur Dharmaputra)
- Jayaprakash Drona
- Draupadi Mokrasi
- Viscount Drewpad
- Ronald Heaslop
- Gandhari the Grim
- Shakuni Shankar Dey
- Shishu Pal
- Gaga Shah
- Amba/Shikhandin
- Ambika and Ambalika
- Priya Duryodhani
- Mohammad Ali Karna
- Mr. Rafi
- Yudhishtir
- Bhim
- Arjun
- Nakul and Sahadev
- Khushkismat Singh
- D. Krishna Menon
- Ekalavya
- Dr. Mehrban Imandar
- Jarasandha Khan
- Zaleel Shah Jhoota
- Vyabichar Singh
- Ashwathama
Summary
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – The
organisation of the sections and chapters of the novel mirrors the organisation
of the Mahabharata and the themes and events addressed in each allude
to themes and events of the mirrored sections of the epic. The novel has 18
"books," just as the Mahabharata has 18 books and the Battle of Kurukshetra lasted for 18 days.
The First Book: The Twice-Born Tale
Up to some extent a counterpart to the Mahabharata's
"Book of the Beginning."
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – In this
section, Ved Vyas ("V.V."), the narrator, recounts his personal
history; the seduction of Satyavati by the Brahmin Parashar and his own birth;
the origin of Dev Datta from the union of Shantanu and the now absent Maharanee
(whom he met on the banks of the Ganga (Ganges)
and who had had seven suspicious miscarriages); the marriage of Shantanu and
Satyavati and Dev Datta's vow of chastity; the birth of Chitrangada and Vichitravirya and the
latter's marriage; Ved Vyas's insemination of Ambika and Ambalika; the vow of
revenge against Dev Datta taken by Amba; the birth of Dhritarashtra and Pandu;
and the assignment of Ganapathi by Brahm's Apsara Agency
to transcribe Ved Vyas's memoir, which V.V. describes as the "Song of
Modern India."
The Second Book: The Duel With the
Crown
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Counterpart
to the Mahabharata's "Book of the
Assembly Hall." The title of this section alludes to Paul Scott's The Jewel in the Crown. Ved Vyas also
compares his memoir to The Autobiography of an Unknown
Indian by Nirad Chaudhuri.
The British resident's equerry is named "Heaslop," an allusion to a
character in A Passage to India.
Introduced is the
character of Sir Richard, the British resident at Hastinapur, who is
complaining about the increasing radicalisation of Ganga Datta, who is still
serving as regent of Hastinapur. Ved Vyas discusses the upbringing of Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and
Vidur Dharmaputra under the care of the regent, Ganga Datta.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Discovering
the suffering of the people of Motihari, Ganga Datta embarks on his first
protest campaign. Gangaji is arrested and he pleads guilty to defying a police
order, but his action results in a victory for the peasants of Motihari.
The Third Book: The Rains Came
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Counterpart
to the Mahabharata's "Book of the
Forest." The title of this section alludes to Louis Bromfield's The Rains Came.
Sir Richard is
furious about the events of Motihari and Heaslop notes that Gangaji had never
formally resigned from the regency of Hastinapur. The regent having committed sedition, Hastinapur can now
be annexed by British India.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Dhritarashtra
and Gandhari's marriage is off to a good start. The devoted young bride has resolved
to forever covering her eyes with a blindfold so that she is deprived of
whatever her husband is deprived of. Pandu is also enjoying his two sexually
expert wives. While enjoying sexual congress with both at once, he suffers a
"massive coronary thrombosis" and is prohibited from ever again
engaging in sexual intercourse. Pandu joins Gangaji's movement and instructs
his wives to seek other sexual partners so that they may still bear him heirs.
Kunti reveals that in her youth she bore Hyperion Helios's child but sent the
baby boy down the river in a basket.
Gandhari the Grim
gives birth not to a hundred sons, but to one daughter, Priya Duryodhani, who is to be the
equivalent of a thousand sons.
The Fourth Book: A Raj Quartet
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Counterpart
to the Mahabharata's "Book of
Virata." The title of this section alludes to Paul Scott's Raj Quartet.
Hastinapur is annexed
to the British Presidency of
Marabar (an allusion to the "Marabar Caves,"
which figure prominently in A Passage to India). The people of Hastinapur
are milling in the streets, threatening revolt. There is a rumour that Gangaji
will address a rally at the Bibighar Gardens (an allusion to the
"Bibighar," which figures prominently in A Jewel in the Crown).
Heaslop counsels Sir Richard to let passions dissipate on their own, but Sir
Richard instead calls in Colonel Rudyard and the Fifth Baluch, which starts
firing on the unarmed gathering in the Bibighar Gardens. Almost 400 people are
killed and more than a thousand are injured.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – After
the Bibighar Gardens Massacre, Colonel Rudyard is retired with a half-million
pound pension. An unnamed Nobel Prize-winning poet (an allusion to Rabindranath Tagore) returns his knighthood.
Gangaji kicks off the Quit India Movement (an allusion to the Quit India Movement started by Mahatma Gandhi).
Bungling assassins kill a Professor Kipling instead of Colonel Rudyard. This
Professor Kipling was the racist teacher whom a young Pandu had struck,
resulting in the end of Pandu's formal education.
Vidur resigns from
the civil service but Gangaji
and Dhritarashtra order him to rescind his resignation. Dhritarashtra
becomes head of the Kaurava Party and Pandu becomes the party's chief
organiser.
Kunti bears the sons
of Dharma (a young magistrate), Major Vayu of the palace guard, and Devendra
Yogi: Yudhistir, Bhim the Brave, and Arjun. Exhausted, Kunti calls a halt to
the cuckolding and Madri begs to be permitted to take up the torch. She has an
affair with the twins Ashvin and Ashwin and bears the twin sons Nakul and
Sahadev.
The Fifth Book: The Powers of Silence
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Counterpart
to the Mahabharata's "Book of War
Preparations." The title of this section alludes to Paul Scott's The Towers of Silence.
During an epidemic, a
Sarah Moore persuades her brother, the manager of a jute mill in Budge Budge,
near Calcutta, to offer the mill workers a bonus. After the epidemic, the
workers refuse to give up the bonus and are locked out. Sarahbehn enlists
Gangaji's aid and Gangaji embarks on his first protest fast. The British Raj
directs the Mill Owners'
Association to give in.
The Sixth Book: Forbidden Fruit
Counterpart to
the Mahabharata's "Book of
Bhishma."
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – A rift
begins to develop between Dhritarashtra and Pandu, both working within the
Kaurava Party to further the cause of Indian independence, with Pandu
advocating a harder line than that pursued by Gangaji and Dhritarashtra.
Gangaji attends the Round Table Conference hosted by the British government. Mahadeva Menon, a Kaurava
Party official from Palghat, persuades Gangaji to do something about the tax on
mangoes. Gangaji kicks off the Great Mango March, which prompts Pandu to leave
the Kaurava Party.
In Chaurasta, a
Kaurava protest turns violent and Gangaji calls off the mango agitation.
Gangaji is called for a meeting with the viceroy and entertains an
uncomfortable Sir Richard with the tale of why he drinks goat's milk instead of
cow's milk.
The Seventh Book: The Son Also Rises
Counterpart to
the Mahabharata's "Book of Drona."
The title of this section alludes to Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Ved
Vyas describes the divisions in Indian society and their engenderment by colonial
policies, an the formation of the Muslim Group under the figurehead leadership
of the Gaga Shah, an "overweight sybarite." The arrogant and
(literally) brilliant Mohammed Ali Karna, the son of Kunti and Hyperion Helios,
educated by the generosity of Indra Deva, the employer of Karna's adoptive
father, rises to prominence as a lawyer and as a member of the Kaurava Party.
Dhritarashtra insults Karna upon discovering that his (adoptive) father is a
chauffeur. Kunti sees Karna and realises that he is her firstborn son. The
story is told of how Indra Deva gave him the surname "Karna," the
"Hacker-Off," after Karna circumcised himself with a knife. Karna
leaves the movement and goes to England, but the Gaga Shah invites Karna back
to India to lead the Muslim Group.
The Eighth Book: Midnight's Parents
Counterpart to
the Mahabharata's
"Book of Karna." The title of this section alludes to Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – The five Pandavas and Priya Duryodhani grow up, each revealing their characters. Priya tries and fails to poison and drown her cousin Bhim. While playing cricket, the Pandavas meet the sage Jayaprakash Drona who tells the tale of his son, Ashwathaman, and his insult at the hands of Ronald Heaslop, which led him to his mission of educating young Indians to facilitate the overthrow of the British. The Pandavas choose Drona to be their tutor.
Pandu decides to seek
the presidency of the Kaurava Party and Dhritarashtra fears that there is a
good chance he will lose the election to Pandu. Gangaji persuades Dhritarashtra
to step down in favour of a less prominent figure, and untouchable. Thus, if
Pandu wins the election, then Gangaji and Dhritarashtra will not be seen as
having suffered a defeat.
The Ninth Book: Him — Or, the Far
Power-Villain
Counterpart to
the Mahabharata's
"Book of Shalya." The title of this section alludes to Rudyard Kipling's Kim and
to M. M. Kaye's The Far
Pavilions.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Pandu is elected president of the Kaurava Party and a struggle begins between him and Gangaji for control over the direction of the party. Gangaji outmanoeuvres Pandu, who loses a vote of confidence and resigns.
Ved Vyas switches to
verse to tell Pandu's story. Pandu forms the Onward Organisation (an allusion
to the All India Forward Bloc), the OO. Pandu allies
himself with the Germans and the Japanese against the
British and forms the Swatantra Sena (an allusion to the Indian National Army formed by Subhas Chandra Bose) to fight against British
forces on the Burmese front. Pandu sends for Madri to join him and the sight of
her wearing a military uniform begins to break down his control over his carnal
desires. While fleeing from defeat in Singapore by air, Pandu and Madri succumb
to their passion. Pandu dies of a heart attack and the plane is shot down,
killing Madri as well.
The Tenth Book: Darkness at Dawn
Counterpart to
the Mahabharata's
"Book of the Sleeping Warriors." - title may be an allusion to
Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Ashwathaman joins the Pandavas as the students of Drona in the military, terroristic, and nationalistic arts. When Arjun has to share an academic prize with Ekalavya, the son of a maidservant, Ekalavya admits that he has been sharing in the Pandavas' lessons while standing outside the door. In exchange for payment for his tuition, Drona demands that Ekalavya cut off his own right thumb and give it to Drona. Unlike in the original Mahabharata, Tharoor's Ekalavya refuses and flees in horror. Drona has a good laugh.
Karna considers his
options after the Muslim Group's candidates are bested by Muslim members of the
Kaurava Party in the elections. Karna proposes a coalition government in the
legislative assembly of the Northern Province. Vidur urges Dhritarashtra to
accept Karna's proposal, even though the Kaurava Party controls enough seats in
the Northern Province to rule without a coalition. Mohammed Rafi, a Muslim
Kauravaman, urges rejection of Karna's offer and Dhritarashtra and Gangaji
concede. Karna is resolved to find other means of gaining power.
The viceroy and Sir
Richard consider what to do in reaction to the initiation of the Second World War.
Sir Richard relates the story of Sir Francis Younghusband, who inadvertently annexed Tibet. ("He'd really intended
just to see the tourist spots and to get a few good pictures of the Potala Palace,
but one of his rifles went off accidentally and when he then saw all the
notables on their knees cowering he couldn't really disappoint them
by not conquering them.") Sir Richard persuades the viceroy to
declare war on Germany without consulting the elected governments of the
provinces.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Kaurava Party legislators react to the declaration of war by resigning en masse. The absence of the Kaurava Party in the administration benefits the Muslim Group, which takes over the government in three provinces. Gangaji initiates the Quit India Movement and the leaders of the Kaurava Party are imprisoned. The emboldened Muslim Group begins calling for a separate Muslim state, to be called Karnistan (the "Hacked-Off Land").
Amba, planning her revenge on Gangaji, goes to a plastic surgeon for a sex-change operation.
Following the end of
the war, the Kaurava Party does well in the election, but the Muslim Group's
strength is not diminished. The British government charges with treason the
soldiers who joined Pandu's Swatantra Sena. Viscount Bertie Drewpad is
appointed viceroy. His wife, Georgina, is excited at the prospect of dallying
with lusty Indian men.
While Dhritarashtra
plans to meet the new viceroy, his wife, Gandhari the Grim, lies dying, calling
Priya Duryodhani her "son."
The Eleventh Book: Renunciation — Or,
the Bed of Arrows
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Counterpart to the Mahabharata's "Book of the Women." Lord Drewpad announces the British intent to withdraw from India on Aug, 15, 1947, to Dhritarashtra, Mohammed Rafi, Ved Vyas, Sardar Khushkismat Singh, and Karna. Dhritarashtra and the Kaurava Party agree to the Partition of India. A Mr. Nichols is assigned to draw the border between the two new countries, to the derision of an experienced administrator named Basham. Vidur assists the viceroy in making decisions related to the transfer of power.
Gangaji initiates an
experiment in eliminating sexual desire by inviting Sarah-behn to sleep in his
bed. While violence tears India apart, Dhritarashtra initiates an affair with
Lady Drewpad. While India celebrates independence, Amba, now Shikhandin the
Godless, assassinates Gangaji.
The Twelfth Book: The Man Who Could
Not Be King
Counterpart to the Mahabharata's "Book of
Peace." The title of this section alludes to Rudyard
Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King. Ved Vyas refers
to "Children being born at inconvenient times of the night who would go on
to label a generation and rejuvenate a literature," which alludes to
Rushdie's Midnight's Children. Drona's secretary is called Sir Beverley
Twitty, K.C.M.G.
Jayaprakash Drona,
now serving as Minister of State for Administrative Reform, gets his
opportunity for revenge against Ronald Heaslop, who has lost everything in the
rioting. Drona, instead of answering Heaslop's long-ago refusal to help him
with co-ordinate cruelty, he offers Heaslop a job.
Georgina Drewpad's affair with Dhritarashtra (now prime minister of India) continues. On 26 January
1950, the day India becomes a republic, she gives birth to a daughter, who is
given up for adoption and given the name Draupadi Mokrasi.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Vyabhichar Singh ("Mr. Z"), the maharaja of Manimir, tries to avoid acceding either to India or Karnistan. Mohammed Rafi urges Dhritarashtra to ensure that Manimir remains part of India. Vidur, now Principal Secretary for Integration, counsels patience, hoping that Sheikh Azharuddin, a Kaurava ally, might be able to overthrow Mr. Z. Dhritarashtra decides to let Karna, now governor-general of Karnistan, make the first move, which he does, leaving the Indian government the perfect excuse to send in Khushkismat Singh, the Minister of Defence, with Indian troops. Vidur goes to Devpur to get Vyabhichar Singh to sign the instrument of accession, and persuades Colonel Bewakuf Jan to disturb the maharaja from his sporting with a Frenchwoman. Vidur states his case while the maharaja is fellated under an "enormous silk razai." The maharaja is finally persuaded to sign by his companion, "a steatopygous blonde wearing nothing but a look of panic." Vidur helps the maharaja flee to Marmu, his winter capital.
The Pathans invading
Manimir get drunk and the Indian Army parachutes into Devpur. Dhritarashtra
snatches defeat from the jaws of victory by halting the Indian Army's advance
and calling in the United Nations.
Professor Jennings
delivers a critique of his student, D. Mokrasi.
The Thirteenth Book: Passages Through
India
Counterpart to the Mahabharata's
"Book of Bhishma's Final Instructions." The title of this
section alludes to E. M. Forster's A Passage to India.
Drona decides to
resign from government and do "constructive work" in rural areas,
taking Ashwathaman with him. The five Pandavas they also want to go along and
break the news to Kunti, their chain-smoking and still glamorous mother. To
secure her blessing, Yudhishtir promises never to disobey his mother.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Dhritarashtra consults Kanika, regarding what he should do about the increasing popularity of Drona and the Pandavas. Kanika counsels Dhritarashtra not to allow the Pandavas to attain too much political power, but Dhritarashtra is too idealistic to take the advice. Priya Duryodhani, however, is listening and she takes Kanika's advice seriously.
Vidur, now Secretary
of the Home Ministry and head of the Central Bureau of Intelligence, goes to a
Drona land reform rally to warn the Pandavas that Priya Duryodhani is plotting
against them. Vidur arranges for the Pandavas to hide out in Varanavata with
Kunti.
Karna, who has not
been well, dies when he tries to pull a car out of the mud with his bare hands.
Kunti, hearing the news, repeats her firstborn son's final gesture—by shaking
her fist at the sun.
The Fourteenth Book: The Rigged Veda
Counterpart to
the Mahabharata's
"Book of the Horse Sacrifice." The title of this section
alludes to the Hindu sacred work the Rig Veda.
Purochan Lal, the
owner of the hotel where Kunti is staying, is an agent of Priya Duryodhani.
Vidur intercepts the cables and sends a coded message explaining that the house
is coated with lac and will be set fire. The building is burnt, but
Vidur arranges their escape while letting the world believe they have perished
in the fire.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Vidur tells Dhritarashtra about a joke by Winston Churchill botched by Khushkismat Singh. After discussing the Manimir situation, Dhritarashtra appoints Kanika to replace Singh as Minister of Defence.
The Pandavas wander
India sticking up for the rights of the downtrodden. The refuse to take sides
between two corrupt landlords, Pinaka and Saranga (whose men attacked a man
named Hangari Das).
Dhritarashtra and
Kanika start the "non-aligned" movement. They decide to annexe the
Portuguese colony of Comea.
Bhim saves a beautiful girl from her abusive brother,
Hidimba ("a large man with a small
goatee"), and weds.
The Chairman of the
People's Republic of Chakra, watching the annexation of Comea by India, orders
the Chakar People's Liberation Army to cross the Big Mac Line and annexe the
nation of Tibia, on the Indian border. To enter Tibia from the province of
Drowniang, however, Chakar troops must cross into territory claimed by India.
Bhim has a baby son,
Ghatotkach, who is born in the town of Ekachakra. Sahadev challenges the
champion wrestler Bakasura and is trounced. Kunti is annoyed with her other
sons for allowing Sahadev to go through with it.
The Chakars annexe a
piece of Indian territory and the humiliation breaks Dhritarashtra's heart and
he dies.
The Fifteenth Book: The Act of Free
Choice
Counterpart to the Mahabharata's
"Book of the Hermitage." Dhritarashtra leaves nothing in his
will to Draupadi Mokrasi and her adoptive father worries that he will not be
able to find her a suitable husband.
The Kaurava Party's
Working Committee appoints the "honest but limited" Shishu Pal to
replace Dhritarashtra as prime minister.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Ved Vyas convenes a training camp where the Pandavas are captivated by Draupadi. Priya Duryodhani is annoyed that Draupadi is drawing the attention away from her lectures and orders Ved Vyas to get Draupadi married. In Ved Vyas's mind, only Arjun is good enough for Draupadi, but he realises that Arjun will not be faithful to her. Priya Duryodhani decides to match her up with Ekalavya, of whom Drona had demanded his right thumb, and, apparently with whom Priya Duryodhani had had a youthful fling. Draupadi chooses Arjun, but through a misunderstanding, Kunti instructs the Pandavas to share equally the "surprise" they have brought home. All five Pandavas marry Draupadi, Ved Vyas using his father's magic to ensure that she is a virgin for each of the five successive wedding nights. Bhim's wife leaves him.
Perceiving India as
weak following its defeat at the hands of the Chakars, Karnistan invades Manimir again. Shishu
Pal directs a successful counterattack. Shishu Pal dies of a heart attack after
signing a cease fire.
Unable to find a
successor that is universally unobjectionable, the Working Committee is
persuaded by Ved Vyas to appoint Priya Duryodhani.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – The Pandavas work out a strict schedule to share Draupadi's bed. Arjun violates the rule when he goes to retrieve the manuscript of a speech while Yudhishtir and Draupadi are together. Under the rules, Arjun is banned from his conjugal rights for a year. Arjun decides to spend the year as a "roving correspondent" for a newspaper and, in addition to witnesses the condition of the people, he finds a new sexual companion in every locale he visits.
Arjun ends up in
Gokarnam where he meets Dwarakaveetile
Krishnankutty Parthasarathi Menon (known as "Krishna"), the
local Kaurava Party secretary who has recently unseated the local political
machine boss, Kamsa. When Arjun first sees Krishna, he is using a traditional
dance form, Ottamthullal, as a medium for social satire. Arjun and Krishna
become close friends and Arjun falls for Krishna's sister, Subhadra. Krishna
advises Arjun to woo her through abduction. In the dark, a confused Arjun
mistakenly abducts Kameswari. A second attempt is more successful and the two
are married.
Arjun cables Draupadi,
telling her that he is bringing home a new maid, making their eventual meeting
rather uncomfortable. However, by the time Draupadi and Subhadra give birth to
their sons, Prativindhya and Abhimanyu, they are as close as sisters.
The Sixteenth Book: The Bungle Book —
Or, the Reign of Error
Counterpart to the Mahabharata's
"Book of the Maces." The title of this section alludes to
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.
The Kaurava Party is
dealt a blow in state and local elections, although still holding a majority in
the national Parliament. Yudhishtir suggests that new leadership is needed.
Priya Duryodhani agrees to a national election. Yudhishtir is named deputy
prime minister, but is shut out of the Cabinet by Priya Duryodhani and Yudhishtir
resigns.
Ashwathaman, Drona'
son and the leader of a socialist splinter party, is invited by Priya
Duryodhani to join the Kaurava Party Working Committee. Priya Duryodhani takes
Ashwathaman's side in advocating the elimination of the privy purses of India's
former princes. Yudhishtir resigns from the Working Committee. Priya Duroydhani
and Ashwathaman then champion a bill to nationalise the banks.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Dr. Mehrban Imandar, the president of India, dies. The Kaurava Old Guard thwarts Priya Duryodhani by nominating Ved Vyas as the Kaurava Party's candidate for president. Priya Duryodhani backs Ekalavya as an independent candidate. The Working Committee expels Ekalavya from the Kaurava Party for opposing the party's official candidate. Before the Working Committee can act to expel Priya Duryodhani, Ekalavya narrowly wins the election.
Priya Duryodhani
splits the Kaurava Party, forming the Kaurava Party (R) ("R" for
"real") to oppose the Kaurava Party (O) ("O" for
"official" or "old guard"). Priya Duryodhani wins with the
support of the Left.
Jarasandha Khan, the
military dictator ruling Karnistan, decides to call elections. The Gelabin
People's Party, representing the Gelabi people of East Karnistan, wins a
majority in the Karnistani Parliament. Zaleel Shah Jhoota persuades
Jarashanda Khan to declare the election results null and void and declare
martial law in East Karnistan. Priya Duryodhani enters the conflict on the side
of the Gelabins and the Gelabi Desh War results in the creation of a new
nation-state. The success against Karnistan boosts Priya Duryodhani's
popularity, but her rule grows increasingly oppressive.
The Seventeenth Book: The Drop of
Honey — A Parable
Counterpart to the Mahabharata's "Book of the
Great Journey."
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Drona leads the opposition to Mohammed ijas's rule. Priya Duryodhani is convicted of electoral misconduct. Shakuni Shankar Dey, a Bengali lawyer and president of the Kaurava (R) Party, counsels her to declare a Siege and seize dictatorial powers. President Ekalavya concedes to the seizure of emergency powers. Priya Duryodhani orders the arrest of her political opponents.
The Eighteenth Book: The Path to
Salvation
Counterpart to the Mahabharata's "Book
of the Ascent to Heaven." Ved Vyas refers to the Kama Sutra as
the "Great Indian Novelty."
Priya Duryodhani
calls elections. Ved Vyas chooses Krishna to lead the opposition campaign.
Priya Duryodhani thus gets Krishna's experienced Kaurava Party grassroots
electoral machine. At a critical moment, Krishna persuades Arjun that he should
criticise Priya Duryodhani's administration instead of remaining a
disinterested reporter. Bhim, Nakul, and Sahadev stay out of the campaign,
refraining from endorsing either party. The People's Front defeats the Kaurava
(R) Party.
Drona and Ved Vyas
consult with the parties of the People's Front coalition to choose the new
prime minister. Their ultimately erroneous choice is Yudhishtir. Ashwathaman is appointed head
of the party organisation. The People's Front leadership gathers at the Taj
Mahal for a ceremonial oath.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – The return of Krishna to local politics marks the beginning of the failure of the People's Front. Yudhishtir proves to be "as stiff and straight-backed and humourless as his critics had always portrayed him, and his colossal self-righteousness was not helped by his completely inability to judge the impression he made on others." Yudhishtir becomes a target of fun in the national and international press when he admits to drinking his own urine. The "strongmen" of Yudhishtir's cabinet are locked in squabbles and Yudhishtir "remained tightly self-obsessed, seemingly unaware that half of those who sat on the executive branch with him were busily engaged in sawing it off."
Priya Duryodhani,
labelling the faltering government as the "Backward Front," begins to
gain political strength again. As Zaleel Shah Jhoota is toppled in another
Karnistani military coup, Priya Duryodhani runs rings around her prosecutors
while being tried for subverting the constitution.
Yudhishtir suffers
another publicity blow when he attends a speech by a holy man who uses the word
"Untouchables"
instead of "Harijans." Ashwathaman criticises Yudhishtir and
the party organisation awaits word from an ailing Drona that it is time for
Yudhishtir to go. Yudhishtir dispatches Sahadev to tell Drona that
Ashwathaman's plane has crashed. When asked Yudhishtir confirms that
"Ashwathaman is dead" and Drona dies without throwing support to
Yudhishtir's opponents in the People's Front.
When Ved Vyas confronts Yudhishtir regarding his lie
about Ashwathaman, Yudhishtir says that
early that day he had caught a cockroach, named it Ashwathaman, and killed it;
thus, his statement to Drona was not a lie. Ved Vyas refuses to accept
Yudhishtir's explanation and abandons him. In any case, Yudhishtir's deception
is ultimately pointless. The government falls and Priya Duryodhani is
victorious in the next election.
The Great Indian Novel By Shashi Tharoor Summary – Ved Vyas sees a vision in which the Pandavas, Draupadi, and Krishna hike up a mountain. One by one they are killed, except for Yudhishtir, who reaches the top. When Kalaam, the god of time, offers to bear Yudhishtir to the court of history, Yudhishtir refuses to leave his faithful dog behind. The dog reveals himself to be Dharma, Yudhishtir's father, and the three board Kalaam's chariot together. In the court of history, Yudhishtir is stunned to find a place of honour given to Priya Duryodhani.
Reference
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