A new book narrates the epic Mahabharata through the eyes of Bhima, a hero who, the author says, has never got his due.
"Bhima: The Man in the Shadows", written by Vikas Singh and published by Westland, is an account of the fascinating character - his extraordinary courage, his obsessive love for Draupadi, his deeply conflicted emotions about his brother, Arjun.
The Mahabharata has a rich array of diverse, fascinating characters but Singh's favourite is Bhima.
"For one thing, there was his superhuman strength - and like many nerdy kids, I too fantasised about growing up to become the strongest man in the world," he says.
Singh likes Bhima as the character is a dependable, no-fuss hero who actually got things done - killing Jarasandha and Keechaka, getting Draupadi the Saugandhika flowers, wiping out the Kauravas, fetching Draupadi the blood of Dusshasana to wash her hair and smashing the thigh on which Duryodhana had invited her to sit.
The author says that he has messed around with the chronology of the original epic, skipped many important events, mashed up multiple stories into single episodes and completely changed yet others beyond recognition.
He says he did these because he was primarily focused on narrating the tale of Bhima's passion for Draupadi and his deeply conflicted emotions about Arjuna, and "I happily took liberties with the original storyline whenever I felt the need to do so".
