About the Book Draupadi, originally written in Telugu, was first serialised in Andhra Jyoti before it came out in book form. The novel presented in a unique style, is not just an account of the different incidients occuring around Draupadi but these incidents have been fused together into a fascinating story. The narrative process and the structural method of description used by Lakshmi Prasad fully engage the reader.

About the Authors Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad (b.1953) is an eminent Telugu and Hindi writer. He has the command in the two great Indian languages of Hindi and Telugu, which is only to a small extent testified by his doctoral degrees in both languages and more appropriately amplified by his original works as well as translated works in these two languages. He has about 30 original and translated works to his credit. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha during 1996-2002 and also the Deputy Chairman of the prestigious Parliamentary Standing Committee on Official Language. He is a regular attendee of World Hindi Conferences and spoken in several national and international seminars on literature. He served as the Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Hindi Academy and Professor and Head of Hindi Department, Andhra University, Vizag. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards and honours including Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shri by the President of India, National Award of Ministry of Human Resource Development (twice), Sahitya Akademi's Translation Prize, Pushkin Award and many more.

K.V. Purneswara Rao (b.1936) Former Heard of the Deptt. of English, KVR College, Naudigama, Andhra Pradesh. He is also a free-lance journalist with the Indian Express. He has written six books in English and is author of a novel in English entitled Cave of Wonders.

Foreword This 'Foreword' was not written before the publication of this book. The novel Draupadi has already been published serially in the supplement to the Sunday Andhra Jyothi and won for the writer not only bouquets but also brickbats.

My foreword will in no way benefit those who like or dislike the novel.

Critical commentaries appeared in many languages about the story of the Mahabharata and also on the characters in it. They were, in the past, either criticised or admired. In future, too, the comments for and against them will continue.

Some fifty years ago, Brainnasri Varanasi Subrahmanya Sastry garu wrote, Mahabharata Tatvakathanam and in it one can find the of points criticism that came up till then and the rebuttals to them.

I don't have that much of scholarship to review the literary values in the novel, Draupadi. The writer himself has admitted, 'Writing about mythological characters is like taking the vow of standing on the edge of a knife and the novel was written in full knowledge of this fact'. performing feats on the edge of a knife is a delightful job for Lakshmi Prasad, not only in matters of literature but also in others too!

Prasad explains his intention in writing the novel Draupadi. `In the Mahabharata, it was stated that Draupadi was mainly born to get fulfilment for unfulfilled sensual desires and bodily pleasures of her previous two births.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages