HEROINES

The idea of heroism in women
is not easily defined. In men the notion is often associated with physical
strength and extravagant bravery. Women?s heroism has tended to be of a very
different nature, less easily categorized. All the women portrayed?Draupadi,
Radha, Ambapali, Raziya Sultan, Meerabai, Jahanara, Laxmibai and Hazrat
Mahal?share an unassailable belief in a cause, for which they are willing to
fightto the death if need be. In every case this belief leads them to
confrontation with a horrified patriarchy.In the book we meet lotus-eyed,
dark-skinned Draupadi, dharma queen, whose story emerges almost three
millennia ago; the goddess Radha who sacrificed societal respectability for a
love that transgressed convention; Ambapali, a courtesan, who stepped out of
the luxurious trappings of Vaishali to follow the Buddha and wrote a single,
haunting poem on the evanescence of beauty and youth. Raziya, the
battle-scarred warrior, who proudly claimed the title of Sultan, refusing its
fragile feminine counterpart, Sultana; the courageous Meerabai who repudiated
her patriarchal destiny as cloistered daughter-in-law of a Rajput clan; the
gentle Mughal princess Jahanara: who claims the blessings of both Allah and
the Prophet Muhammad and wishes ?never to be forgotten?; Laxmibai, widow,
patriot and martyr, who rides into legend and immortality fighting for her
adopted son?s birthright; and Hazrat Mahal, courtesan, begum and rebel queen,
resolute till the very end in defying British attempts to seize her ex-husband?s
kingdom.In these engrossing portraits, mythological characters from thousands
of years ago walk companionably besides historical figures from more recent
times. They rise to reclaim their rightful place in history. Daughters,
wives, courtesans, mothers, queens, goddesses, warriors?heroines.