Character of Draupadi as portrayed in the novel The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakarun
Dear Draupadi,
These days, we often hear that “behind every successful man, there’s a woman.” But where does a woman get all the power she needs to support another human being? I have often wondered which fire had been your source of power. Was it the palpable one from which you materialized, or the one within you, catastrophic, exuberant, and eager to make a mark? But I have finally realized that it could never have possibly been just one of them. You were born to make history, and you did. Although you often get overshadowed by the glory of your husbands, you kindled the fires within the thousands of women who weren’t born of fire. You empowered every young princess in her melancholic stone palace to search for her wings. So, dear Draupadi here is a worded expression of the high esteem I hold you in.
Oh, what an extraordinary life you’ve had! Be it rain, shine, or storm, you witnessed them all. Moreover, you endured and overcame them undaunted. It was tough, I know. But I also know that you were tougher, that rains could not extinguish the fire you carried, and that storm only reignited the embers. That’s what barred your anomalous marriage settlement from overwhelming you. That’s what gave you the grit to keep your head raised while carrying the burden of patriarchy on your back. That’s what provided you sustenance in the wilderness. That’s what made you the queen you were, and the queen you always deserved to be.
Were you flawed? Were you audacious or courageous? Selfish, immoral or just zealously devoted? Were you the cause of the suffering or its consequence? Did you get what you deserved or deserved what you got? Did your world deserve you? These questions and a million more race through my mind. Perhaps I already know the answers to them. But who am I to decide? You diverted from the path of what a perfect woman might be expected to take, but what’s perfection anyway?
Did you get the answers to these questions, and ones which flashed in your head like lightening while your dignity was put to stake? Or is everyone still as silent as they were during that game of dice? You had to exist in that grey void for so long. That must have been strenuous, I’m sure. And then there was the price you had to pay for your revenge. Do you still feel that it was solely your fury that turned your loved ones into ashes? Can destiny coerce you into regretting your vices? I don’t have the answers to these questions, and I won’t assume that you have them either.
In conclusion, Draupadi, all I’d like to say is thank you. Thank you for being an inspiring role model that every woman, young or old, cannot help but admire. Not a like a superhuman figure, but one with imperfections and vices of her own. Thank you for never bowing down before destiny. Thank you for making me believe in the positive feminine energy I never knew I possessed. Thank you for the million other reasons you have given us to be thankful for.
Your ardent admirer,
Riddhi
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