The Disrobing of Draupadi

by Tino De Sa

Tino de SA’s short stories are like mini movie scripts, as he dives straight into the heart of the dilemma. He plots his narrative deftly and his characters are vivid enough to be your neighbours or relatives... – Shobhaa de, author, columnist Tino de SA’s stories throb with life. The characters are so familiar that you feel you would meet them any moment, in the market, in the office or in your home. A rare talent. – Anand Neelakantan, author, screenwriter Tino de SA’s stories wrap up a range of different expe- sciences in a light, unassuming and very readable prose. – amitabha Bagchi, author each of these eleven stories is a polished gem that speaks to the reader in ways one different from the other. Many of them have a surprising little twist to offer in the end, and all are told with subtel wit. The wide-ranging themes that they encompass include incest, murder, suicide and homosexuality. But they also include love and laughter, hope and history re-imagined.

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Reviews

[Mridula Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

'The Disrobing of Draupadi' is such a powerful title, especially because Draupadi is respected, feared and criticized immensely. A special mention to all the metaphors she has represented throughout these years.
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I decided to read this very story first from the entire set of eleven stories, and I felt misled and betrayed. Not a promising start to a book, right? As I moved on to the other stories by De Sa, I started appreciating them for the simplicity they held. As readers, we always expect so much from short stories that we forget to appreciate the straightforwardness and mediocrity of everyday patterns and observations.
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In this collection, De Sa explores homosexuality, incompetence, broken relationships, the manipulative power of storytelling, loss, and grief.
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My favorite story is 'In Another Country, and Besides', a story that had the right amount of suspense, character growth and an ending that astonished me. Another story that deserves a special mention is 'The Simply Iyers', a tale of a broken marriage that is rekindled in the most unlikely and distorted way possible.
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Tino De Sa's stories might not stand out in this generation of magnificent and quirky short stories, but they don't give you the usual feel of something missing either. Each story is an observation, a subtle narration, a portrayal of events that we dismiss as insignificant or mediocre. And if you're still exploring the 'short stories' genre, here's a book you must pick.

[Jailaxmi Vinayak]

The newly launched book *"The Disrobing of Draupadi and Other Stories"* by Tino de Sa presents a brilliant pageant of variegated emotions one experiences while browsing it. A book one dips in, to read at a stretch and is tempted to reread it as it is so close to life. The characters are so life like and real as if we know them intimately. The book is a glaring example of reality blended assiduously with figment of imagination and a dash of incisive observation. The excerpts culled from the books of various authors like, "Life is like an exam where syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set" and many others are beautifully interwoven in the burden of the text which gives a new edge to each of the stories enhancing their far reaching effect. The book of a poet written in an embellished style. A filigree work of words befittingly woven into the texture of the plot with subtleties and nuances par excellent. The delineation of characters is heart rending thus creating a lingering effect.

Be it Daisy's floundering vacillation of sweet temper and prejudiced emotions or poverty stricken Abdul’s discomfiting penury. Be the rediscovering and resolving attempt to pick up the smithereens of the stale married life on part of each partner in "The Simply Iyers" or the supreme saga of Anjali in "One And A Half Love Story", Be it Arpita's battle and traumatic surrender to the judgement of the universe or the redemption from retribution of nightmares in the cathartic awarded story, "In Another Country And Besides" and lastly the sensitive portrayal of perceptive Dilu based on the real life account of Rahul Singh, who died fighting with the extortionists in the train and getting bashed in "A Better Death" all seem real and poignant.

The book is remarkable for its felicity of language, quirks of human behaviour and insightful depth of man and manners.
The stories imply:

That shadows follow you, (In another country and besides)
Sorrows await us, (Arpitas Last Secret)
Birds migrate home, (The simply Iyers)
Blossoming flowers fade,(Daisy's gifts)
Fire gives way to embers, (One and a half love story)
There is a fullstop for life (perfect world)
Mundane world slumbers to peace. (The two season man).

By

Dr. Jailaxmi R Vinayak

[Khayma · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, i had no idea on what to expect when i bought this book. The title caught my eye and perhaps i had a different expectation in terms to the content.

The book comprises of 11 short stories, each with its own, unique twist at the end. Most of the climaxes made me go, wow. There was a story about a couple trying to mend their marriage, a father trying to avenge for his mistake many years back, and a young boy who was gruesomely murdered in a train (based on a true story) and many more. On a personal note, i dont have a favourite, i liked them all. But the best twist goes to The Disrobing of Draupadi.

But what's truly interesting is that, 10 of the stories contained lines or a paragraph given by famous authors, eg Anand Neelakantan and Chitra Banerjee. 10 of the stories were part of Times of India - Write India Season 2's entries by the author, and each had the lines or paragraphs given by famous Indian authors. The author was the winner of the competition and his winnig piece is also included in this book.

[sesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading books under mythological fiction, having finished writing one, and was surprised to note there are many books with the name Draupadi in the title. No doubt Draupadi is an interesting character that has emerged from the fire of Yajna to help Drupada take his revenge on Kurus and the modern-day authors to write stories about her.
When I saw the title " Disrobing of Draupadi", I felt a little sad for her as I thought the title demeaning to a noble character. Nonetheless, I decided to read it to fulfil
my wish to read as many titles that contained the story of Draupadi.
Surprises of surprises, it turned out to be a collection of short stories, and the title belonged to one of the stories. I skipped the order and went on to read the titled story. It is a modern-day social story of a DiSC Family where the hero was a teenage boy. As I went on reading page after page, my interest was captured, and I almost knew how it was turning out to be. However, I happily realised that I could not detect the final twist till it was revealed despite an obvious clue left by the author as if to challenge. I would say it is a wonderful story for more reasons than one, but I don't want to spoil the thrill of readers with some more analyses.
Buoyed by the experience, I read two more stories and found them good. I reserved the balance for some other day. I congratulate the author for his storytelling skills and for his choosing the mischievous title for the story as well as to the book, but for which it would not have attracted my and perhaps the attention of many people.