Book Review 101: Boons & Curses: Legends of the Mythological Mother by Yugal Joshi

A unique take on the tales of the mythological women, Yugal Joshi's 'Boons & Curses: Legends of the Mythological Mother' is an interesting read. Set in the times after the great Kurukshetra War, where the two groups of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, fought for the throne of Hastinapur; the book is written in the form of a conversation between Kunti and Krishna.

After the war of Kurukshetra, the Pandavas emerged victorious, defeating their cousins, the Kauravas. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari are left childless and at the mercy of the Pandavas. Kunti, the mother of the     Pandavas, feels guilty of fulfilling her desires and ambitions through her sons. A distraught Kunti seeks help from Krishna to get rid of her guilt. What follows is the conversation between the two - about the fascinating tales of the legendary women in Indian mythology.

This brilliant retelling places Kunti at its centre and running parallel to her story are the tales of the mythological mothers across the ages. Krishna narrates the stories of Aditi and Diti, of the independent Sanjana and Tara, of Anusuya, Sita, and the selfless Devaki and Yashoda. The stories of - Ambition, Protection, Independence, Love and Retaliation, and Sacrifice. 

Indian mythology presents to us the stories of the women from a very misogynistic point of view, as the narrative is patriarchal. At some points in this book, I felt the author had the chance to do away with the sexist narrative, but he did not. This is what makes the book problematic. 

The concept is unique and the book is very well researched. The language is lucid and it is a gripping narrative. It was quite interesting to read in the beginning.

However, the fact that these mythological women have been reduced to nothing but self-sacrificing wives and mothers is problematic. 


About the author: Yugal Joshi is a co-author of the internationally acclaimed book Singapore Water Story, which has been translated into Chinese, Japanese and Hindi, and Creating Shared Value, on sustainable development. His other books are Women Warriors in Indian History and Ram: the Soul of Time.


My rating: 3 of 5 stars.
Publisher: Rupa Publications.
First Published: August 2020.
Pages: 264
Price: ₹295/-

Buy this book from Amazon.

Thanks to the publisher, Rupa Publications, for the review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 

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