CONTEMPORARY NARRATIVES AND ANCIENT CUSTOMS: A STUDY OF HINDU TRADITIONS IN ADITI BANERJEE’S THE CURSE OF GANDHARI

Abstract

Abstract: Hinduism has been practiced with an extensive variety of traditions, customs, and rituals since its earliest days. India’s rich cultural legacy has drawn attention from all across the world. The practices and traditions that are followed and handed down from the elders to the following generation served as the unspoken rules of society in earlier times. Any community’s beliefs, values and way of life are its culture and traditions. For generations, people have been adhering to these customs and ceremonies. In her novel The Curse of Gandhari, Aditi Banerjee saves Gandhari from being reduced to a mere blindfold symbol. The name Gandhari conjures up image of a woman with her eyes covered. The author has depicted Hindu customs and traditions from the time of the ancients in her retelling novel. The paper is an attempt to look at the depiction of ancient India’s religiously maintained Vedic practices and traditions as mentioned in the novel The Curse of Gandhari. It also discusses the Vedic traditional knowledge that has been passed down from generation. This ancient knowledge of traditions and customs was once thought to be superstitions, but as science progressed, the information and rationale underlying them became clear.