Brajesh's Review : Adi Parva

"Tales must be tilled like the land so they keep breathing. The only thing you owe allegiance to is the essence." This quote sums-up Amruta Patil's Adi Parva in particular and also gives the philosophical context of the greatest story ever told.

Adi Parva is the first chapter - the beginning of Mahabharat. "In the beginning, one beginning, among countless beginnings" this non-linear narrative sets the mood and characters of the epic.

The book begins at the "beginning of it all, where between the end of one world and the beginning of another, Vishnu sleeps". It uses Ganga as the sutradhaar to hold the knots of a mega narrative . As the sutradhaar moves along the string from one knot to another, out come the stories.

The beauty of this book is its ability to summarise the Adi Parva in a 2 hour read. The full power of the graphic medium is used to further the narrative while simultaneously keeping the mystic qualities alive. The unfinished feel of the picture panels leave enough space for the the reader to personalise the myth and submerge oneself into existential debates.

I will only review the graphics here as I am obviously inadequate to review the greatest story of all times. The art is perfectly balanced to hold the reader as he/she pauses to gaze at the panels while absorbing the deep philosophical layer of the narrative.

Thank you Amruta Patil for tilling the tale of Adi Parva for a whole new generation. I have also made note of a few books from the bibliography section, which will keep my exploration of Myth and Mahabharat going for a few years to come.

Rating : 4.5 / 5