The Great Indian Novel: Character Mind Map & Summary
The key characters of Shashi Tharoor's The Great Indian Novel (1989), grouped into branches, with the key episodes, a quick summary and the exam facts that come up again and again in UGC NET.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Ved Vyas (V. V.)
An old politician who dictates to his scribe Ganapathi the story of India's freedom struggle and after, retold as the Mahabharata, with leaders of modern India as epic heroes.
Ending: the story of India continues👑 Freedom Struggle
Epic figuresGangajiBhishma figure
Role: = Mahatma Gandhi.
DhritarashtraThe blind king
Role: = Jawaharlal Nehru.
PanduThe king's brother
Role: = Subhas Chandra Bose.
VidurWise adviser
Role: = Sardar Patel.
🏠 After Freedom
New IndiaPriya DuryodhaniDhritarashtra's daughter
Role: = Indira Gandhi.
KarnaRival brother
Role: = Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Draupadi MokrasiWife of the Pandavas
Role: = Democracy.
Key Episodes
The turning points examiners love to ask about.
Quick Summary
The story, stage by stage.
Stage 1Origins
- Colonial India.
Stage 2Struggle
- The freedom movement.
Stage 3Partition
- Karna's demand.
Stage 4Independence
- Nehru's India.
Stage 5Emergency
- Indira's rule.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Form
Eighteen books, like the eighteen books of the Mahabharata.
Title
The word Mahabharata can be read as "Great India".
Award
Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Best Book, Eurasia, 1990).
Genre
Political satire and allegory.
Additional Revision Notes
Extra character, historical and literary details for exam preparation.
Epic Rewriting
Shashi Tharoor uses the structure and characters of the Mahabharata to satirise modern Indian political history, particularly the freedom movement and its aftermath.
Political Allegory
Familiar epic roles acquire new significance when placed in twentieth-century political conflicts. The pleasure of the satire depends on recognising both the mythological and historical layers.
Formal Feature
The work is a postmodern political novel rich in parody, digression and intertextuality. It is not simply a retelling of the ancient epic.
Indian Literature
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