Bloodlines (On hold)

Broken Childhoods

Character Art for The Prince of Hastinapur, Suyodhana

"I will find you Suyodhna, and drag you out from whichever rat hole you are hiding in. You coward! Come out! I am not blind like your father. I will find and thrash you..." Bhima's booming voice echoed through the corridors of the Hastinapura palace.

The little boy cowered under the massive wooden bed, trembling with fear. The emptiness of the cavernous room oppressed him. Cloaked in the musty darkness under his father's bed, he hoped his tormentor would not find him. He could smell the lingering traces of the faint and musky odour which clung to his father, and wished he would return soon. For the last six months, every day had been like this - being chased by his cousin while he hid under the bed and waited with thumping heart for his enemy to lose interest in him and give up, while he cowered in fear. Though a year younger, Bhima stood a foot taller than the pale and wispy Suyodhana. Bhima took pleasure in being cruel to anyone he considered weak. He was something of a lout. What he lacked in brains he more than made up in sheer physical prowess.

Suyodhana knew his fat cousin would be prowling the corridors of the palace looking for him as well as his brother. 'I hope he doesn't get hold of Sushasana,' he prayed. Sushasana was agile and could climb any tree. All the bulky fatso below could do then was throw stones at his agile cousin, who made faces at him. Bhima's aim was so poor that more than once he had broken a window and been reprimanded by their stern Granduncle, Bhishma. Knowing Suyodhana adored Sushala, his sister, Bhima also took great pleasure in making the little girl cry when her brothers were around. Invariably Suyodhana or Sushasana would get into a fight with their fat cousin over this. If none of the elders were around to stop it from becoming bloody, the squabble would develop into a brawl, with the other four brothers of the fat boy joining in.

But it was not Bhima whom Suyodhana hated the most. Of his five Pandava cousins, sons of his dead uncle, Pandu, he most feared Yudhishtra, the eldest. Had not his Uncle Shakuni warned him repeatedly about his pious cousin? While the young boy did not understand the inheritance and political issues Uncle Shakuni kept talking to him about, he hated the sheer hypocrisy of his eldest cousin, who was ten years old, almost the same age as he was. Yudhishtra behaved as if he was the most obedient, god-fearing and innocent boy in the world, but his kicks were often the most vicious in a fight. Suyodhana could understand Bhima's brutishness, but his eldest cousin's aggression confused him. In the presence of their elders, Yudhishtra was always sweet and loving towards his cousins, so his vile behaviour when they were alone baffled all the children.

Many a time, when Aunt Kunti or Mother Gandhari was present, his cousin Yudhishtra would affectionately kiss Suyodhana or Sushasana. Not that Gandhari could see. She had chosen to be blind like her husband and so bound her eyes. And that was another thing which confused little Suyodhana. Why would anyone refuse to look upon this beautiful world? Uncle Shakuni had once told him that she did it as a mark of protest against their Granduncle Bhishma, who had forced her to marry a blind man. But those words only served to confuse Suyodhana further. Did that mean his mother did not love his father, Dhritarashtra, the King? He had asked his mother once whether Uncle Shakuni was right; that she had chosen permanent darkness as a mark of protest. But she had just laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately. Gandhari had not answered him. But he had seen a damp patch form on the white silk cloth that covered her eyes. Had she been weeping?