New Delhi, Apr 9 (IANS): President Pranab Mukherjee complimented senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily for re-telling the Mahabharata epic from the perspective of Draupadi.

He was speaking at the launch of "The Flaming Tresses of Draupadi" here.

He said that the epics like Mahabharata have tremendous influence on Indian minds and thought process. He said that the readers will not be able to put down the book until it is finished.

The book traces the life and journey of Draupadi from her birth from the sacrificial fire -- whereupon she was named ‘Yagnaseni' -- to her marriage to the five Pandav brothers, to losing her fortune and honour to the Kauravas in a gamble, the deep friendship she forged with Lord Krishna and finally the culmination of the great battle of Kurukshetra.

The high-profile Congress leader has written extensively in both Kannada and English. His most ambitious work till date is the epic "Shree Ramayana Mahaveshanam", which received the prestigious Moortidevi Award of the Bhartiya Jnanpith.

In "The Flaming Tresses of Draupadi," the protagonist emerges as a strong female character that ultimately brought to retribution all those who had done injustice to her.

The book release was also attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other eminent politicians, bureaucrats and academics.