In this special live episode of Bharatvaarta, we will be discussing the book "Unsung Valour: Forgotten Warriors Of Kurukshetra" with the authors Saiswaroopa Iyer ji, Shivakumar GV ji, and Ranjith Radhakrishnan ji.

Did you know that a little-known Panchala prince, Yudhamanyu, single-handedly defeated the great Duryodhana? Or that Shakuni was a valiant warrior on the battlefield? How did Iravan, the son of Arjuna by Naga Princess Ulupi, rout the whole Gandhara armies all by himself? And how did the ageing king Bhagadatta, perched on his famed elephant Supratika, defeat a whole army of the Pandavas led by Bhima? The great war of Mahabharata which claimed the lives of 18 Akshauhinis (nearly 4 million warriors) was not just a carnage of that order but a battle that warrants a careful study from various angles to learn, unlearn and relearn the dynamic and elusive nature of Dharma.

The authors' quantitative study showed that the 18 day war saw about 466 individual confrontations with the Pandava camp winning a lion's share of 216 and Kaurava warriors scoring over 90 victories. It is by delving into the perspectives of such warriors that we can get a close and yet distant version of the legendary feud that claimed so many lives.

Indic Academy called in for short stories about these warriors and selected the best entries to publish the book as an anthology called "Unsung Valour". Tune in to the livestream Tuesday, 5th January, 7 PM onwards to be a part of this engaging discussion. We will also hold a Q&A section at the end to tackle viewer questions, so make sure to ask questions in the live chat!

#080 - Forgotten Warriors of the Kurukshetra War | Shivakumar GV | Ranjith Radhakrishnan | Saiswaroopa Iyer