Sunday Reading : "Sairandhri" by Vinod Joshi

Vinod Joshi is a postmodern Gujrati poet, writer and critic. He was honoured with the Narsinh Mehta award, Sahitya Gaurav puraskar and Kalapi award.
During one of  his Radio interview  He has introduced his latest poem  "Sairandhri”.

This poem is based on Mahabharata's Viratparv. His previous poem "SHIKHANDI” also taken from Mahabharata. This metrical poem was composed in prabandha from with seven cantos and forty-nine chapters. The main idea of his work is :

     Lost her real identity

   His poem isbbased on the character of “ DRAUPADI” from Mahabharata.

  While introducing Poem Vinod Joshi says : 

“ મારી   સૈરન્ધ્રી  મહાભારતથી જુદી છે”.

       The poem is about women who lived with her hidden personality. So poet present the dilemma of woman’s real identity.

  This Interview start with poem line:' આપી આપીને તમે પીંછું આપો, રે સજન પાંખો આપો તો અમે આવીએ'.

   Sairandhri connected with identity. We all are live with hidden identity. we all have to manage ourselves in front of someone.  Sairandhri can be a symbol of the entire human race.  He also write “Geet” in 'Talapdi Gujrati'. He says language is applied. This poem written in combination of Sanskrit and Gujrati.

           We all know the incidence of 'Agyatvas' from Mahabharata. But here we see in a different way. Vinod Joshi describe the dilemma of Dropadi.   She is made a queen of hastinapur and how she lived as a sudeshnas's 'Dasi'. Even pandvo was there but she can not meet theme. She suffering a lot in one year. She is a Agnikanya. When is a Draupadi that time Krishna and bhim are able to help her but here she can not take any help from them. There no mention any mail and Krishna’s character only focused on Sairandhri. According to Vinod Joshi's poem shairendri loved 'Karna'. It is a imagination of poets mind. He said Sairandhri first love with Karna and second with Arjuna. And she maintain her feeling for Karna till her death. Karna also  lost his identity.

       Here we see Karna and Draupadi both are lived in hidden identity. It’s very interested matching between both of character. Even Mahabharata' s writer is not say anything about it. So poet like to portrayed Sairandhri in this way. Poet including a ' SWAYAMVAR' OF DRAUPADI. And  he write discretion of karna’s character and how Draupadi feel for Karna . It’s very interesting thing. Vinod Joshi used rhymes in this poem. Main theme of poem is lost original identity of Shairendri that’s way he choose that angle of Draupadi.