If the disrobing of Draupadi, the Queen of Indraprastha herself, could take placeβby her own brother-in-law, staked upon by her own husbandsβin a court full of her family, her elders, what hope is there for us? Dhritarashtra, the blind king of Hastinapur, represents our governmentβthe father of corruption, power, influence, everything that comes with it. Bhishma, the grandsire of both good and bad, stands like the gods themselves, silent in the face of wrongdoing. Drona, the teacher of both Kauravas and Pandavas, mirrors our karmaβcaught in the struggle between right and wrong. Kripacharya, the royal preceptor, respected but inactive. Vidura, the half-brother of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, reflects the clashes of neutrality, reality, and moral interpretations. Karna, the close friend of Duryodhana, one of the mightiest warriors of the time, embodies trust, loyalty, and hopeβso easily misplaced. Shakuni, the mastermind behind the game of dice, represents those most corrupt, who stand tallest, placed on pedestals, leaving us with no choice but to be looked down upon. Dushasana, Duryodhana's brother, who attempted to disrobe Draupadi, is our law, our justice, our own constitutionβthose who should protect us but often fail.
And the PandavasβYudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadevaβbound by the terms of the dice game, symbolize the society we've built, leaving us unable to intervene, helpless. They are usβthose who suffer loss, those who lose.
If such a tragedy could befall Draupadi, what value does an ordinary woman hold in todayβs world? In Kolkata, we see this reflected in the horrific rape caseβa young woman, just another daughter, sister, motherβstripped of her dignity, her safety, her life.If a queen could be disrobed in front of a court full of elders and family, what protection do the women of today have against a society that so often turns a blind eye to their suffering? What worth is placed on their lives, their bodies, their existence?
If this could happen to her, then what about us? The ordinary citizens, the normal people, the normal girls, the normal sisters, the normal mothers, the normal daughters. What value do they hold?
