13-year-old retells Mahabharata in verse

PTI, Aug 10, 2021, 1:18 PM IST

New Delhi: 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.

“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.

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.

“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!” it says.

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.

According to JLF co-director Namita Gokhale, this “delightful retelling of the Mahabharata in verse brings the epic alive by and for a new generation”.