When truth mirrors fiction

I’m a strong believer in book - retail therapy and my belief leads to me the nearest bookstore where interesting works of fiction abound. There are very few things in life that can’t be solved or at the very least put into perspective by the sense of comfort afforded by the sweet new book smell emanating from a work of fiction. I’ve also begun to read more voraciously than ever before, partly because I now have the financial power to indulge myself when I want to and partly because in a city filled with teeming multitudes I am once again at sea.

I’ve just finished reading, “The Pregnant King” by Dr. Devdutt Patnaik. The novel is based on a lesser known incident of the Mahabharata of a king by the name of Yuvanashava who gives birth to his own son Mandhata. The novel traces the rise of king Yuvanashava and examines the circumstances leading to the novelty of his son’s birth.

The author expounds the concepts of ‘Dharma’ and ‘Niyog’ with as much ease as it addresses the moral and ideological concerns that are attached to the concept of a man giving birth. The novel answers with élan the question that is often asked in jest, what does a child born of a man call the man, father or mother.

The answer though difficult to digest is logical and the author takes into account the ancient Hindu concepts of Dharma and social order to formulate his arguments. Revealing the answer is easy but I’ll leave that for the more intrepid readers to find out for themselves partly because I don’t want to spoil the novel for them and partly because the answer deserves to be understood in its entirety and reproducing it here would be tantamount to plagiarism.

What I would like to point out is the uncanny exactness between the moral dilemmas posed by the novel and those that were highlighted by the media not so very long ago when a woman undergoing a gender transformation stopped the process midway to give birth to a child. The media roundly condemned the act and termed both the parent and child freaks of nature.

I shall respect the right of an adult human being to choose their own path but at the same time I should advise the parents in question to read the novel and prepare themselves for the rejection of identity that may come back to haunt them when they least expect it.

At the end of the day life isn’t a movie or a novel with a fairy tale ending. While the novel ends on a beautiful note with Yuvanashava finding peace, it remains to be seen how far the real life man who gave birth is able to go to find the same peace.

Just two more facts before I sign out – The novel is based on an incident that the majority of god fearing India believes to be true and it is a pity that it came out much earlier than the actual incident took place otherwise you would have heard of it before now.

Happy reading!