Module 2: Mahabharata in Modern Fiction- Reworking of the epic in fiction will be discussed in this module through two renderings, one novel and the other a short story, which revisit the story of Draupadi. A summary of the epic itself will be examined and discussed in class to introduce the basic story and to discuss the most significant questions that the epic raises which are later taken up in the renderings. Module 1: The Epic- The epic of Mahabharata will be introduced to the students in this module. The chief objective of the course is to introduce the students to the kaleidoscopic world of modern adaptations and interpretations of Mahabharata and to enable them to appreciate the diversity of views which exists in the literary and cultural domains on this issue.īrief description of modules/ Main modules: It will also probe into the respective political, social, religious and cultural milieus in which each of the adaptations emerged. The course seeks to investigate whether a change in genre imposes limits or provides freedom to the viewer/reader in interpreting the epic. The larger objective of the course is to acquaint the students with Mahabharata and the possibilities it offers for adaptation. In order to acknowledge the web of cultural and literary texts woven around themes from Mahabharata, this course brings together select modern renderings of the epic to the classroom for critical analysis. Abundant classical and folk renderings of this epic in different genres have historically shaped the Indian way of thinking about and interpreting texts. Mahabharata has excited the Indian literary imagination since times immemorial.
Semester and Year Offered: Semester VI, Winter Semester