How did Usha Narayanan conceive ‘Pradyumna: Son of Krishna’? Read online here.

I enjoy reading our myths which are a treasure house of fascinating characters. In them I discovered a heroic soul about whom little is written: Pradyumna. If he had fought alongside the Pandavas, perhaps Abhimanyu’s tragic death could have been prevented. Maybe the course of the war at Kurukshetra would have been changed. For Pradyumna was the only warrior beside Krishna and Arjuna who knew the secret of the chakravyuha which cost Abhimanyu his life and paved the way for the Kuru defeat. Pradyumna was a master strategist like his father Krishna and could wield weapons with both arms like Arjuna. His past lives were filled with grit and glory as well as calamitous falls that burden him with a dreadful karma in his present life. He is forced to struggle against curses and dire prophecies that would have brought down a less righteous or resolute man.

Yes, Pradyumna is a man, not a god like his father; but he still aspires to continue Krishna’s battle against evil after the god leaves earth at the end of his avatar. Once I discovered this character, I could not let him go.

‘Find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!’ says Ray Bradbury. I followed Pradyumna and found his journey so enthralling that I had to write not just one, but two books about him. Read ‘Pradyumna: Son of Krishna’, and before long you will meet our hero again in a thrilling sequel!