Bhima and Hidimba:
Notes: When looking more into the character of Bhima, I thought it might be fun to delve more into his relationship with both Hidimba and his son Ghatotkacha. While some version of the story present him as being ambivalent towards marrying Hidimba, most versions agree that he loved his son. Given Bhima's ultimate decicsion to leave both Hidimba and Ghatotkacha to be with his brothers, this could be an interesting place to write a story. Given that my storybook takes place entirely during the time of the Virata Parva, some time will have passed since he left Ghatotkacha. Perhaps the story could present itself as a series of letters between Bhima and Ghatotkacha in which Bhima explains his decision to leave.
Draupadi, Krishna, and the grain of rice:
Sources: Devdutt, Pulao Recipe
Although the story of Draupadi, Krishna, and the grain of rice does not initially involve Bhima, it certainly seems like something that he would be very interested in... A single grain of rice and you feel stuffed- Bhima would eat a whole bowl full of such grains! I think the story could center around him going on a search for the field that would produce such grains (not knowing that it was Krishna who imbued the grain with its satiating powers). Draupadi, of course, would be reluctant to tell Bhima, as Krishna initially enchanted the grain so as to allow Draupadi to save face. Krishna might eventually take pity on Bhima and create a small field for him to harvest. This story could be accompanied with a recipe for rice. Though that might not be very exiting in and of itself, it certainly seems like people (perhaps in the Mahabharata itself) would have opinions about the proper way to cook rice. I certainly make and eat enough rice so that I would like to know if I have been doing something horribly wrong all of these years! It could also be accompanied by a recipe for pulao, a rice-based dish mentioned in the Mahabharata.
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