Ahalya

Ahalya is a very popular mythological character in Indian literature. Her story is as old as the Vedas and epics like the Ramayana. In her original novel in Odia, titled Mahamoha, Dr. Pratibha Ray has become one with her. Ahalya had the blessings and problems of a typical woman, which transcends any fixed historical period. With her magic pen, Dr. Ray has transformed Ahalya to represent a woman of all ages, signifying the struggles of a woman from ancient time to the modern, from her childhood, marriage, and child-rearing to old age. In this translation of Mahamoha, Ahalya is portrayed as an eternal emblem of women's quest for equality and love. This novel, even though based on a mythological story of the Vedic period, is very much appropriate to make the reader ponder about the social concerns of the modern age across all cultures.