We have grown up with certain identities so familiar that we rarely stop to examine them. Parvati is Shiva’s wife.She is Ganesha’s mother.She is the embodiment of Shakti.She is Durga. She is Kali. We know these names. We know the stories. But do we know Parvati? That question stayed with me while reading Parvati by Samar. Because the interesting thing about this novel is not that it tells us another story about a familiar deity. Its real attempt is more ambitious: i

For every epic hero history remembers, there is usually another life standing just outside the spotlight. Not absent. Not insignificant. Simply overlooked. Few literary traditions illustrate this more clearly than the Ramayana. Generations have reflected on Rama's duty, Sita's endurance, and Lakshmana's devotion. Yet one question lingers quietly in the background: what happens to the person who is left behind while others become legends? Samar's Urmila is built around tha