Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen

Picking up a slice of Mahabharata, the epic tale of fight good and evil, justice and injustice , Kaurava and Pandav’s, Kavita Kane, the author, narrates the poignant story of the unsung hero Karna from the eyes of a lesser-known character, Urvi. The book renders a unique perspective to the venerable legend. Written in the genre of magic-realism the book reflects various aspects of Karna’s nature. His unquestionable loyalty towards Duryodhana who in turn has unconditional love for the former, the ghosts of Karna’s past and the mystery surrounding his birth are some of the themes that Kavita Kane structures her book around in this tale. The accomplished Kshatriya princess, Urvi falls for the Sutputra-Karna, eventually discounting Arjun. She chooses Karna over her childhood mate Arjun and faces fury from many. Caught between the social implications from her act of defiance and her endeavours to gain respect and love from her husband, Urvi’s struggles as the outcast’s queen have been explored. Urvi soon secures a key place in Karna’s life as a friend, counsellor and confidante. Between fighting her own demons, she stands firm by her husband’s side, supporting Karna through all his misfortunes and struggles. As Karna’s wife, the outcast’s queen, shows a refreshing facet of the battle of Kurukshetra and how the outcast rose above his destiny to be forever regarded as ‘Daata Karna’.