Domestic fights and mahabharata

Rajaji’s mahabharata happens to be mine favorite read. My first exposure to the mega story was through b.r. chopra’s efforts and the characters left an indelible impression upon me. Nitish bharadwaj as krishna and mukesh khanna as bhisma definitely stood out in terms of screen presence and acting.

Rajaji’s version was gifted to my mother by a friend of hers and since then I have devoured the book, wholly and selectively, many a times. In its 328 pages lies several unknown and untold stories overlapping the main story; all written in a neat and concise manner. The epic has everything to offer, from morality to lust and victory of good over bad, masala for successful cinema. I wonder if the film industry has adopted the story in parts. No wonder someone is thinking of taking the story to multiplexes – to be released in two parts. I can go endlessly…. about the characters, my favorites, the truelies, etc. But I refrain from doing so for I have a short tale to tell in which rajaji’s mahabharata plays a muted role.

Like every grandmother, my aunt was summoned for IAS duty by my cousin to amerigo. No prizes for guessing – I.A.S. stands for Indian Aaya Service. This was not her first stint. We camped at her house to help her pack things; my dad’s quite an expert in bundling things especially spices and other food items. Just before leaving she instructed me, “just send rajaji’s ramayana and mahabharata through another cousin. I would like to narrate the stories to the kids there” and I promised to do so and did so. The books also followed her and I assumed that the kids would be enjoying the story telling for my aunt is a great story teller, has a fertile brain to add mirch and masalas and expressions and gesticulations lend credibility to the story.

The six-month imprisonment ended and she flew back to India. In the monthly family head-rolling meeting, on enquiry, she revealed that the kids evinced no interest in mahabharta for they were only interested in trucks and other concrete things. “Oh!”, she lamented, “I have left the mahabharata there itself”. I asked, “so what? P may narrate the story”. She gave her infectious smiles and said, “I will tell you the main story now….”. A short and hilarious story followed.

Each family has its own idiosyncrasy, a kind of unwritten code; in mine, motor bikes are not allowed for my grandpa’s brother rebelled against him, bought a bike and sent him a picture posing next to the bike and he eventually perished while trying to jump over railway crossing rope. In D athimber’s family prevails a comic code; mere possession of rajaji’s mahabharata is seen as the reason for domestic quarrel between the spouses. Apparently they had one rajaji’s mahabharata earlier too at their home and like any couple, they fought hard. Then someone advised them to dispose off the book as it had the tendency to provoke fights between spouses. They tried hard, D athimber even tried to pass on the book to his elder brother, but he being aware of the ill-effect refused. And finally the book was handed over to his parents and it now lies amidst cobwebs and dust.

And some peace prevailed or perhaps a mirage until the books sent by me reached them. And my aunt bemoaned, “Oh! I have left the book there. I had promised them that I would bring the book with me…”. And I could sense guilt in her voice.