‘If you speak to Radha, she will speak to you’

Artists dressed up as Lord Krishna and Radha and are performing during the Fag Mahotsav celebrations of Holi in Jaipur. Pic/Getty Images

I dreamt of Radha," says author Neelima Dalmia Adhar about her inspiration behind writing Radha (Westland Books). "Immediately after I finished writing Kasturbha [The Secret Diary of Kasturba], I had a very colourful and graphical dream, painting the life of Radha, a maiden with molten-gold skin, after which the story followed like an epiphany in my voice, but seen through Radha's eyes."

Radha: The Princess of Barsana gives a unique feminist take to the renowned mythological romance between Radha and Krishna through the lens of her husband, Ayan Gopa, and herself, who journey through the modern concepts of love, feminism, extramarital affairs, and court trials in an ancient society. The story explores Radha's love for Krishna, and diverges from the general narrative of blaming her as the perpetrator of an illicit affair. While narrating elements of erotica and sensuality, the author ensures that the line between vulgarity and romance is maintained till the very end. Dalmia Adhar also tells of a time when she asked a psychic in Benaras to help her begin Radha's story, and he replied, "If you speak to Radha, she will speak to you."

Excerpts from an interview:

Radha has generally been portrayed as the other woman in mythology and popular imagination. How did you decide to write the book from her point of view?
I was looking at Radha from the other side of the camera, as most books are about her as Krishna's lover. I wanted to write about her love story, where she is married to another man, cuckolding her husband to be in a relationship with Krishna, and being in love with him till her last breath.

Neelima Dalmia Adhar

According to your book, Radha was older than Krishna, and she faced judgment for that. This is a taboo even today…
Older women being in relationship with younger men makes an interesting model of study for me. Today, older women are dismally labeled cougars or sexual predators for having this kind of coupling. On the contrary, our anciet Indian society never looked down upon these relationships. In my opinion if there is passion and undying love, age should not be a barrier.

You chose mythology as genre this time, which is new for you.
Mythology was never my focus, but rather the woman was. The character of Radha drew me more than mythology, as she resonates with all the women in my previous books. Coincidentally, she is a mythological character and embodies the real, sensual woman. I'm not sure if I wish to explore other mythological characters, as this was more of an odyssey and journey of imagining myself living
her life.

The book also ends with a poem, leaving the readers wondering whether it is a dream, trance, or reality. Why did you choose an open ending instead of a happy one?
I decided to end it with a poem because the poem encapsulates every aspect of my dream, including the colours, fragrances, the touch, the music, and the sensousness, that is the attributed Radha's persona. The short and blissful interlude as Krishna's lover ends when he leaves Gokul for Mathura. She dies in his arms pining for him and keeping the memory of their romance alive, in the form of his flute. How could I have made this a happy ending?