My name is Divya Chandramouli. I am 13 years old and I live with my father, Chandramouli, My mother, Bhuvana, and my twin brother, Varun, in Sharon, Massachusetts. My brother and I are studying in the eighth grade at Sharon Middle School. I like reading, writing, modeling things in clay, drawing, singing, playing outside and spending time with my friends and family. I am on the YMCA swim team in North Attleboro and I learn carnatic classical music from Smt. Geetha Murali. One of my favorite festivals is Navarathri because it is so much fun

I have always loved and have been fascinated by the Mahabharat. The characters are so full of courage, righteousness, and obedience. Unlike today, the characters obey all their elders, even if they know obeying them will affect their future in a negative way. My favorite person in the Mahabharat is the main character, Lord Krishna. He seems so remarkably divine, yet so human, just like us. Other characters I really admire are the Pandavas, for their noble and brave personalities, Bheeshma, for his great will power which he showed when he stuck to his oath even when his beloved Hastinapur was going to be destroyed, Drona, for his admirable knowledge in weaponry, Vidur, for his code of ethics, and many others. My mother and I decided to depict scenes from the Mahabharat in the form of dioramas for the Navarathri Golu because it would be very fun and interesting to make. I made all the figures and their clothes with modeling clay, and the jewelry with little colored beads. I had to make around 60 clay figures. My mother illustrated most of the background scenes. She drew them using markers, then pasted on ribbons and beads. She made 15 scenes. We worked for three sleepless nights. When it was finished, we were really proud of our work; after all, it had been a lot of fun making it. I thank Vyasa Muni, the author of the Mahabharat, profusely, for giving the world such a wonderful, magical piece of work.  

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The dioramas and their descriptions.

The Beginning of the Great Epic ‘Mahabharat’
 Lord Ganesha is recording the epic, ‘The Mahabharata’, as Vyasa Muni dictates. 

Photo # 004
Birth Of Bheeshma
The Ganga Devi who was about to throw her 8th baby in to the river, when King Shantanu stops and questions her angrily.  
Photo #004

Ganga Devi, handing over her son Gangeya to King Shantanu.
 
Photo #004
     Gangeya vowing to become a brahmachari while the Devas bestow upon him the name Bheeshma.

  Photo #005
Birth Of Karna
Karna abandoned by his mother Kunti Devi, is floating on the river when a charioteer and his wife spots and adopts him.
  Photo #008
The Pandavas
Pandu, and Kunti enjoy the birth of their 5 children.
Photo #009
The Kauravas
King Dhritarashara and his wife Gandhari, are overwhelmed with joy, over their 100 children.   Photo #011
Childhood Pleasure
The Pandavas are laughing while Bheema shakes the Kauravas off the mango tree.  Photo #012
Show of Skill
 An archery contest between Karna and Arjuna.
Photo #013

Joyous Marriage
The Pandavas wed Draupathi.
 Photo #016
Duryodhana’s Good Side
Duryodhana shows his love for his wife and the trust he has placed in his best friend, Karna  
Photo #014
Draupathi’s Amusement
Duryodhana, deceived by the marvelous architecture of pandava’s palace, fell down, which made Draupathi laugh.
 Photo #015
Fateful Gamble
Yudishtra plays dice game with Sakuni and loses all his fortune.
 Photo #017
Humiliation For All
Dushasana tries to humiliate Draupathi under Duryodhana’s command and Krishna saves her esteem.

Photo #018
The Peace Mission
Krishna comes as a messenger on a peace mission to try and prevent a catastrophic war.
 Photo #019
Bhagavad Gita

On the first day of the war, Arjuna refuses to fight and Krishna persuades him to do his duty/dharma by giving him a pep talk, which is now called Bhagavad Gita. Photo #020
The Last Days Of A Great warrior Soul
Bheeshma spends the last days of his life on a bed of arows, chanting the Vishnu Sahasranamam in praise of Lord Vishnu.

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