INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Pranab Mukherjee hailed the character of Draupadi for her qualities
Mukherjee said Tuesday, even as he hailed Draupadi as a woman of immense substance who possessed inner strength to speak out against
"insults and injustice".He was addressing a gathering after the launch of the book "Draupadi and Her Pancala: Re-asserting Their Place in
History" at the National Museum
The book has over 20 scholarly pieces on her.Draupadi, one of the most iconic female characters in the Mahabharata, was the daughter of
Drupada, ruler of ancient kingdom of Panchala.Mr Mukherjee hailed the character of Draupadi for her qualities and said she is ever relevant
today and it was time to recognise and honour this woman of "immense substance"."Nearly all papers bring out her inner strength, challenging
all odds, fighting adversity with dignity
And therein lies her inner strength as a woman, which tells her to speak out against insults and injustice," he said.Draupadi's actions and
reactions emphasise the place of women in society, another issue that is ever relevant in today's world, he said."In fact, each character in
Mahabharata is as alive today as it was during the period when it happened
You just have to look around in society and you will find a Dhritarashtra, a Duryodhana, a Shakuni, but there will always be one Draupadi,
raising voice for justice," Mukherjee said."We must all give our unending eternal support to her," he said.Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana and
Shakuni are among the most well-known characters from the ancient epic.Dhritarashtra is the blind mythical character, who is the king of the
Kuru Kingdom, who had hundred sons, including Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas.Shakuni, maternal uncle of Duryodhana, is an extremely
intelligent but devious man, as portrayed in the epic.The former president said many people seem to be lost in the misconception and
misinterpretation of the 'real Draupadi'."Today's society needs to know about the real Draupadi and learn from her intellectual and
Draupadi is ever relevant and it is time, we recognise and honour this woman of immense substance," he said.Mr Mukherjee also described how
Lord Krishna, was Draupadi's "friend, spiritual master and guide" and gave her energy to raise her voice not only to "overcome her trials,
but speak up against gender discrimination and all sorts of injustice".He said scholars of various different disciplines have combined work,
tracing from the Rig Vedic time to medieval time period, to post-modern period, and "puts her on a pedestal on which she truly belongs"."She
was the greatest daughter of not just Panchal, but also of our Bharat The book also discusses the belief that Draupadi was responsible for
the Kurukshetra war narrated in Mahabharata," he said.Director General of the National Museum, BR Mani, described the span of the mythical
kingdom of Panchal an the area in contemporary India which is believed to be that region and the excavations that have taken place.Due to
turbulence of almost seven hundred years of external invasion and almost two centuries of colonial domination, and "distortion of our
ancient texts", many people have been "deprived of knowing our own legacy", Mr Mukherjee said."This makes this work (book), a significant
documentation of the heritage and culture of our ancient time," he said.
