Mahabharata (For Young Readers)

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A rigged gamed of dice brings the 100 Kaurava princes, led by the scheming Duryodhana, to the battlefield against their cousins the five Pandavas - the noble but gullible Yudhishthira, the mighty Bhima, master archer Arjuna and the twins, Nakul and Sahadeva.

The epic war of Kurkshetra, which lasted 18 tragic days, pitted brother against brother between warriors equally fearless and skill – Bhima and Duryodhaba, Arjuna and bheeshma, Drona and Dhrishtadyumna, and Karna and Arjuna – were as much conflicts of loyalty and ambition as they were of choices. The side chose to support, or fight against led them into a labyrinth of day and destiny where both the defeated and the victorious lost something or someone precious to them.

This classic retelling of the Mahabharata was written especially for young readers by the inimitable Upendrkishore Roy Chowdhury, and originally checked and proofed by none other than Rabindranath Tagore. Translated for the first time into English by leading children’s writer and translator, Swapna Dutta, this eternal tale is brought to life in all its drama and detail.

Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury (1863-1915) was a famous Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur. He was born on 10 May 1863 in a little village called Moshua in Mymensingh District in Bengal, now in Bangladesh. He spent most of his adult life in Kolkata, where he died on 20 December 1915, aged only fifty-two. He was the father of the well-known writer Sukumar Ray and grandfather of the renowned film-maker Satyajit Ray. As a writer Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury is best known for his retelling of theepics and folklore; as a printer he pioneered the art of engraving and colour printing at the time when both were also being first tried in the West.

Swapna Dutta has been writing and translating, mostly for children, for the last four decades and has more than 40 titles to her credit, including translations. She has been published by HarperCollins, Scholastic, Orient Longman, Rupa, Children's Book Trust and National Book Trust, among others.

In Order make the original story suitable for young boys and Girls I have had to omit or suppress details in several places. I have tried my best to do this without making any changes in The Original story. I do not know how far I have succeeded. If Anyone feels the need to point out any flaw in my storytelling, I Would be immensely grateful.

I am especially grateful to respected Sri Rabindranath Tagore For encouraging and inspiring me to write this book. It is because He read the manuscript and edited it that I could find the courage to get it published.