Duryodhana - Tapa blanda

Duryodhana: The Prince Who Would Be King ... The popular tellings of the Mahabharata are about Duryodhana's deviousness, obstinacy and greed for power that would bring about the battle of Kurukshetra between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, and his own downfall. But was there more to him? Was he all black, or was it a matter of shades of grey? What was he? True heir or pretender to the throne? Arch villain or brave prince defending his rajadharma? Ace strategist or wicked schemer? History, they say, is written by the victors. So we have never heard the side that Duryodhana presents. The epic's enigmatic villain finally has his say - on people, their motives and their machinations. For the first time we read a different meaning into episodes we may be familiar with - be it the attempted killing of Bhima, the burning of the wax house, the famous game of dice or even Draupadi's vastraharan - and get insights into the story we may not have come across before. Here is the crown prince of Hastinapura as we have never known him, adding yet another dimension to the labyrinth that is the Mahabharata.

Raghu is an academic, corporate executive, author, columnist and a hobbyist. He taught finance at IIM, Ahmedabad, for nearly two decades before turning a banker as the president of ING Vysya Bank in Bengaluru. He is currently the CEO of GMR Varalakshmi Foundation. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Bocconi, Milan, Italy, and Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada. Raghu has probably the largest collection of antique locks in the country, has played chess at all-India level, and was briefly a cartoonist for a national daily. He has been writing extensively for leading newspapers and magazines and currently blogs for the Times of India. His books include Locks, Mahabharata and Mathematics; Ganesha on the Dashboard; Corruption Conundrum; Don't Sprint the Marathon and Games Indians Play. Visit him online at www.vraghunathan.com.