Abhimanyu
Skip a few pages and I am out of the scene. Hello! I am Abhimanyu, a small, overlooked, minor character in the great Mahabharata. Let me tell you my story (well! Only if you are interested).
I was still in the womb of my mother when my father revealed the secret of chakravyuh to my mother. Son of a warrior, I had learnt it then and there. A little mistake was that my mother, who was not a warrior, slept leaving me unknown to the last phase of the chakravyuh. But then it is an old story. When I was launched in the battlefield, I had a single vision of a war and the only mission, victory. To live up to my father’s honour and reputation was definitely my responsibility. I could have won…yes for sure. I could have certainly won if I had known that I have to fight my own, very own people…that they are actually not own…that rules and ethics do not matter…that cruelty has no limits. I could have easily won had I known that the elders would be scared of me ( I mean in the present India I cannot even vote) …And I lost the game. Ooops sorry. I lost the great battle. But what to do I simply cannot resist a small tiny smile of victory and pride. I cannot resist laughing under the semantic burden of the big fat and heavy alphabet. And a smile often visits my face…hey I am too young (not even old enough to get legally married in India) and they are well experienced, already established “warriors” …and they fought with me. Together. They did not notice how well they confirm their defeat in the battle fighting me like that.
Confined to the pages,
Abhimanyu.
Winner he was, and he will always remain. Lets just hope for once, for once, that Abhimanyus of today learn to disperse the final phase of chakrvhyu as soon as they taste life.
ReplyDeleteMa'am Lovely write up.
Deconstructionist Richa, Very well written.
ReplyDeleteI heard about 'Draupadi's Mahabharat', this is Abhimanyu's Mahabharat.This is how the history is retold by darkening the small alphabets, so that people don't skip it. You reminded me of Bakhtin.
ReplyDeleteAbhimanyu,
your win,
will be registered in history,
a newer and fairer history.
History,
which will be retold,
by people without blindfold.
wait for some time,
and keep trying.