The Labyrinth of Silent Voices ~ Epistles from the Mahābhārata

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Author: Dibyasree NandyA sample cover of the book: pine green coloured handloom sari with gold embossed nameplate and lettering for the title and author's name. The border of the sari lines the right hand margin of the cover.
Pages: 96
Year of Publication: 2021
Price: Rs 300
ISBN:
978-81-953583-0-4 (9788195358304)

About the Author
Born in 1993, Dibyasree Nandy is a resident of Kolkata. After graduating with Honours in Physics, she obtained her M.Sc. and M.Tech. degrees. She also likes drawing.

About the Book

In  her preface to the book Dibyasree writes:

‘It is my belief that fictional characters created by authors gain a personality and will of their own. This is because, at times, authors question themselves, “Surely, this character wouldn’t do something like this, right?” or “Isn’t this a little out of character for this person?” And the more the characters are explored by others, they come to life a little bit more.

During the lockdown period in 2020, I decided to re-read the Bengali version of the Mahābhārata. While reading, I thought it would be interesting to represent certain characters as simply human, not evil, not good. Just human beings with fragile souls, not mighty warriors or people blessed with divine abilities.

I told myself, “Why not enter the heads of the characters and extrapolate what any normal human would do under the given circumstances?” That is why I wrote these epistolary confessions.’

Contents

Preface / 9

Confession of the Hidden One / 11
Confession of the Heliophobic One / 18
Confession of the Virtuous One / 25
Confession of the Accursed One / 33
Confession of the Awestruck One / 41
Confession of the Bereaved One / 48
Confession of the Sleeping One / 57
Confession of the Sangfroid One / 65
Confession of the Disillusioned One / 73
Confession of the Unseeing One / 80
Confession of the Weary One / 87