Curses, consent and Kolkata biryani
parna Jaishankar
is committed to rendering invisible visible again. the spotlights So, in her storytelling,
unusual tales she pla-ces:talesofconsent hidden in familiar ors in the and ancient anti-caste
epics, folk tales tucked warriples, and culinary away atop famous
secrets from temthat are now a few
forgotten. hundred years ago Reveal these tales says and they breathe
Aparna, 44. She again and evolve,
likes to tell of the tale from the Mahabharata
time she narrated to a group a galuru. In the tale, of teenagers in Ben
Arjuna resists the the most beautiful advances of Urvashi,
of the apsaras; enraged, putting a curse on
him. she responds by The teenagers saw desire, this as a story not
Aparna says, about power and
but about consent. versations about “It opened up con
consentfor both genders. cussing how it is They were dis
important to learn desire.” to handle surges
of Aparna has been
a professional storyteller with a special focus since 2015,
on the Mahabharata. below the age of 10, For audiences
she keeps to the familiar agers, she picks stories tales. For teenfor where there is dilemma interpretation. and room It’s when she’s telling it gets the tales for older
most interesting. audiences that ticketed Aparna has been
shows for adult holding monthly discusses, audiences since
for instance, 2016, and here she Kauravas how Duryodhana
and the villain — the oldest of the shipped of the Mahabharata
in parts of Kerala — is still worwho sought and Uttarakhand
to abolish caste. as someone Two temples to stand, Duryodhana still
one in each of the the states. “In
temple in Kollam, origin Kerala, the
story is that certain castes were not
allowed to share food with the rest of the community, and
Duryodhana abolished
Aparna says. this practice,”
“In Osla, Uttarakhand,
Duryodhana it is said that the
so much that people loved ariver after he died was born of in the Great War,
their tears.”
Meanwhile, in Odisha,
Krishna there’s an alternative
first revealed himself take on how is believed to Arjuna. that when “Traditionally, it
Arjuna hesitates amid
Krishna motivates the Great War,
him by giving him
That’s supposed to the Geetopadesh.
be the first time Krishna as a form of Vishnu,” reveals himself
Aparna says.
But in the Odia Mahabharata, all. The first that’s not the first
time is before the time at goes on a pilgrimage Great War, when
alone, to Arjuna battle. Krishna reflect upon
reveals the futility of parts himself as a creature
of nine different made up of cance. animals, each with
its own signifi“Finally appearing
to Arjuna as a whole, are too small to see he says, ‘You
the whole picture, react based on what and so you must
he is shown’.” The that story of the tale, referred to as
Nabagunjara (left), region, and is depicted is unique to this Chakra in Patachitra art and or metal wheel in the Neela
atop the Jagannath
Apart from stories Puri temple. now of the Mahabharata,
working to bringmore Aparna is ticularly storytelling into schools,
history classes. parBefore the pandemic, libraries she held weekend
in Bengaluru, about sessions at Cholas Indian empires
and Rashtrakutas. such as the “What we learn in tion our textbooks is only
of history that is a small secsays. presented quite
“Take the Kolkata boringly,” Aparna for biryani and why it
example. Dig in and contains potato, do you’ll find that it has with the Doctrine something to
of Lapse.”