Yajnaseni Draupadi

I am the chosen one;

Chosen to be at the receiving end

Of every injustice.

Devoid of a childhood,

Despised by my own father

And humiliated by one and all

For no fault of mine

I'm tired of asking why and why.

I am the chosen one;

Chosen to endure pain and suffering

From the moment I stepped onto this earth

I loved him dearly,

But had to marry five men

To save his family from shattering

Due to one mistake by Kunti Ma

I awaited her blessings with Arjun,

My coy smile unable to conceal my love;

I was weaving dreams of a paradise,

But instead of blessings,

Why did my life change to one full of ridicule?

I am the chosen one;

Chosen to have the strongest mind

And self-protect my honor

Despite having five valiant husbands.

How cruelly they failed me on that fateful day

When I needed them the most!

I may be battered,

I may be tired of fighting

Yet, I am fiery and opinionated

Beautiful and compassionate,

Because I have the Lord by my side

As my friend, Govind.

-Purba Chakraborty 

26.07.2017

This is a persona poem, a form that I recently started enjoying a lot while pursuing an online poetry and play writing course from the University of Iowa. I chose the character of Draupadi and gave her a voice as I find Draupadi as one of the most fascinating characters in Indian mythology. 

Note: Draupadi is one of the most important female characters in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. According to the epic, she is the daughter of Drupada, King of Panchala and is married to the five Pandavas. You can know more about her here.

Image Source: Here

Canvas of a Mind: Kalimpong Diaries #1

In my last post, I unveiled the cover of my upcoming novel "Canvas of a Mind" and promised that I will be sharing many interesting things about the book. 

The backdrop of this novel is Kalimpong, a remote hill station in West Bengal. I went to this beautiful place in the year 2015 and that is where the plot of this psychological mystery novel took shape in my mind. 

Kalimpong is not just a mere, beautiful backdrop of the novel. It has played a huge part in the book, especially in the scenes when Ipsha, one of the characters in the book gets stalked by a creepy stranger who tries to lure her by playing a haunting tune in the harmonica and by sending her anonymous love notes without showing his face.

In the first post of Kalimpong diaries, I am introducing you all to the Kalimpong Golf course. This place is known as the Watershed View Point that gives tourists the view of the most scenic golf course in the country. 

I remember spending about three hours in this beautiful place, looking at the clouds playing an enchanting game with the hills. I enjoyed the transition of weather from cloudy to sunny with a cup of tea. 

The characters of the novel were screaming in my mind throughout. They nudged me to give them a voice and therefore, I started writing as soon as I reached my guest house. 

An important scene of "Canvas of a Mind" is set in this place, that brings a fearful storm in the life of Ipsha and Akashi. Therefore, this place is extremely special for me and the novel. 

I will be sharing many more places in Kalimpong, which I visited and captured in my novel. "Canvas of a Mind" wouldn't have been possible if I had not visited this quaint, little, beautiful hill station. 

Buy the book here!

Cover Reveal of my 3rd novel "Canvas of a Mind", a psychological mystery

Blurb

What lies within?

Akashi lives with her younger sister, Ipsha in Kalimpong, a remote hill station. Their tranquil life turns upside down with the arrival of a stranger in the town, who stalks Ipsha desperately. He tries to lure her by sending love notes and playing a haunting tune on his harmonica, without revealing his identity and showing his face.

As Ipsha gets bewitched by him, Akashi tries to protect her from the creepy stalker. She tries to solve the mystery of the stranger and gets shocked by certain revelations. Meanwhile, she realizes that her sister has been deceiving her at every turn of the road.

Why is Ipsha deceiving Akashi? And, what does the stranger exactly want from the two sisters? Will Akashi be able to save her sister from the darkness she is walking into? Or will she be shattered, knowing certain things about her sister that she had no idea about?

Taut with suspense, “Canvas of a Mind” will take you on a riveting ride. Are you eager to know what lies within?

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I am exhilarated to announce that my third novel "Canvas of a Mind" is a psychological mystery, set against the backdrop of Kalimpong, a remote hill station in West Bengal. The book will be published in July, 2017 by Become Shakespeare as a part of their Wordit Art Fund Projects.Will be sharing the order links soon and also many things about the book. 

Do let me know what you think about the blurb and the cover. Need your best wishes!