A fascinating illustrated rendition of the all-consuming Mahabharata … A spectacular show of words and images dealing with love and death, loyalty and duplicity, conflict and concord, and much more …
Impelled by elemental forces of death, destruction and creation, Panchali, with electrifying visuals cinematically construed, reaches its climax: two consecutive games of dice. Marred by deceit, treachery and trickery, and fuelled by obsession, passion and rage, the gambling episode provides the preface to the coming, all-consuming Mahabharata war.
Praise for the Book
Compellingly revitalised … this classic of world literature remains timeless and timely in its questioning of power and gambling, patriarchy and prejudice, and the destruction of nature — Paul Gravett, author, Mangasia: The Definitive Guide to Pan-Asian Comic Art
Throw the ‘dice’ again. Let the woman rise from the fire of our times. Look for a new birth of Panchali in Sankha Banerjee’s version of the illustrated Mahabharata
— Gulzar, poet, lyricist and film-maker
The Mahabharata stories are inexhaustible. So are the ways of retelling them. Sankha Banerjee, the artist, has teamed up with Sibaji Bandyopadhyay, the storyteller, to give us a vibrant and dramatically new graphic novel on the eventful life of the much-wronged but ever feisty Draupadi. Sankha’s vivid frames move at a fast clip with Sibaji’s staccato bubbles. A thrilling experience — Partha Chatterjee, social scientist and historian
Now, the game really gets going. And it doesn’t let go. … A disputed inheritance fuels a hydro-carbon fire-storm and five forest dwellers and their mother burn to ashes in the wax-house of regal deceit. … Then, the throw of dice changes everything …. Sibaji Bandyopadhyay’s distilled narrative introduces new witnesses to an old story. Sankha Banerjee’s incandescent composition produces a counter-epic. This magnificent, rich and complex new turn in the telling transforms the colour and texture of the Mahabharata — Raqs Media Collective, curator
About the Author
Sibaji Bandyopadhyay writes poetry, plays, stories, novels, film-scripts in Bengali, and essays in Bengali and English. Some of his recent books include Three Essays on the Mahabharata: Exercises in Literary Hermeneutics; Sibaji Bandyopadhyay Rachanasamagra [Complete Works], volumes 1 and 2; Sibaji Bandyopadhyay Reader. He is the recipient of The Government of West Bengal ‘Vidyasagar Memorial Award’ 2010 for life-time-achievement in the sphere of Bengali prose, ‘Sisir Kumar Das Memorial Award’ 2010 for contributions to Bengali literature, ‘Buddhadeva Bose Memorial Award’ 2016 for contributions to the arena of Bengali and English essays. Sibaji was formerly professor of Cultural Studies, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC) and professor of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Sankha Banerjee practises graphic narrations, illustrations, installations, on themes like ancient tales, sexuality, pluralism and existence. His works have been collected and exhibited at Museum of Contemporary Art, Lyon, France, Chateau D’if, France; Mangasia – Largest exhibition on Asian comics, Italy; and India International Centre, Delhi, among others. He has participated at Lyon BD festival, France in 2018. His illustrated graphic novel ‘Nelson Mandela’, translated in many languages, has received the Best Graphic Novel Award at Comic-con, New Delhi. Sankha is also an assistant professor at department of Multimedia and Animation, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.
