Strange as it may appear, Draupadi, the most accomplished heroine of the Mahabharata, happens to be the most suffering, sacrificing, and yet the most misunderstood character from the epic. Though counted among the five supremely virtuous women, honoured as pancha sati in mythology, the name Draupadi still bears stigma and is often contemptuously uttered by people in society as the woman who brought about the greatest war of all times.

Pratibha Ray makes a determined effort for a balanced portrayal of the epic character and brings to the surface the broader and deeper aspects of Draupadis mind that lay submerged in the majestic sweep of the grand Mahabharata.

Pratibha Ray is an eminent novelist and short story writer of Orissa. In her stories she has tried to unravel the underlying mysteries of society. Yajnaseni is the best seller of Orissa and her novels have gone into several editions. The author was presented the Bharatiya Jnanpiths prestigious ninth Moortidevi Award in 1993 for her novel Yajnaseni.

Pradip Bhattacharya is the author of 14 published books covering English literature, rural development, homoeopathy, childrens stories, ancient Indian history, the Mahabharata. He has also translated Rabindranath Tagores Shantiniketan and Bankim Chandra Chatterjees Krishnacharita into English for the first time.