~~~FABCHICKS--CC-10( IO )~~~ - Page 88

I haven't really seen the Karna Vadh episodes (or any of the show for the past 3-4 weeks), but I do want to echo my devranijamaai Vicky's frustration over the way they diluted Abhimanyu's death by turning it into the Chacha Karna - Bhatija Abhi jaadu ki jhappi show. No one - absolutely no one - showed any mercy during that incident, so that distortion deserves to be picked apart just like every other one the show has been guilty of so far. I'd also want to take a minute to shake my head at the ridiculous dream sequences and circles of sobbing spectators that the show has built into every war episode... but more bitching about that some other time. Back to Karna and the efforts the show has made to elevate his character, and more specifically, to add to popular misconceptions about the caste discrimination he and Sutas in general allegedly faced during that era. To dispel that misconception, I want to mention a few notable Sutas:

• Vicky already mentioned that kameena Keechak was a Suta and held a powerful position in spite of it. I'd like to draw attention to the fact that this means his sister, THE QUEEN, was also of the Suta caste and still the king married her. Her daughter Uttara was half Suta, and yet Arjun hand-picked her to be his daughter-in-law.
• By definition, the Suta caste is made up of those who are born of a Brahmin-Kshatriya union. Recall that Krishna's clan, the Yadavas, descended from Yadu. Yadu was the son of Yayati, a kshatriya, and Devayani - the daughter of Daitya Guru Shukracharya. A brahmin. The renown Yadukul stemmed from a Suta.
• Many of us know and love the story of Shakuntala. She was raised by Rishi Kanva and therefore known as a brahmin. She married Dushyant, a kshatriya, which makes their son Bharat a Suta. That Suta ruled over all of Ancient India and commanded so much respect that to this day, the nation is referred to by his name.
• The Mahabharat, the Bhagavat Puraan, and several other puraans were narrated by Ugrashrava to sages in the Naimish Aranya (forest). Those sages addressed him with nothing but reverence, sitting at his feet to take in the glory of the scriptures. Ugrashrava was a Suta.

Not saying that Ancient India was a perfect meritocracy but the above examples don't suggest any debilitating discrimination, either. Given that context, the fact that Draupadi most likely didn't reject him at the swayamvar based on the most authentic translation available, and the fact that Drona taught him just like all the other princes and only denied him the Brahmashira astra based on his temperament - there just isn't enough substance to back up the sob story/heroic underdog who overcame the odds narrative that the show and our culture in general have built around him. Regarding the rangbhoomi, to add to Vicky's example, think of it this way - that tournament was kind of like a recital/graduation/annual day for kids to show off to their parents all that they'd learned from their teachers. Karna was Drona's former student who left in a huff for Parshuram's ashram when Drona didn't teach him the mantra for the Brahmashira. What graduation/awards ceremony would allow a disgruntled, armed former student to participate in an event honoring the teacher he held a grudge against?

The one thing I like about Karna is his potential for loyalty and affection as exhibited in his relationship with Duryodhan, but I'm hearing that the show ruined that too by having Dury disrespect him after his death. Way to rewrite everything for the worse :/

🥱