Pangs of Guilt

The Mahabharatha is a treasure trove of memorable stories and amazing characters. It is basically about the good triumphing over the bad. It showcases the life and struggles of the Pandava brothers (the good) and their struggles to overcome the many challenges posed by their greedy cousins, the Kauravas (the bad). Besides the two groups, all the characters have shades of grey which humanizes them. In the Mahabharatha, Bheema, the mighty Pandava, is depicted as a great warrior, an obedient son and a loving brother. He is the one responsible for the decimation of all the Kauravas in the final war. But how many of us know about Bheema’s personal life and his family? This figment of imagination offers a chance to delve into the unexplored aspects of this great warrior – up close and personal. It also tries to do justice to some of the lesser known yet extremely important characters of the Mahabharatha. The inspiration behind this story is the Malayalam novel “Randaamoozham” written by Sri. M. T. Vasudevan Nair (The English translated version is titled - The Lone Warrior). It is an exceptional and unique take on the Mahabharatha, written from the viewpoint of Bheema. It served as a stimulant for the author to write this piece.