Krithika P. Shah

Suyodhana (former husband)

**Krithika P. Shah** is the mother of Aru Shah and Kara, and former romantic interest of the Sleeper. She is the head of the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture in Atlanta, Georgia.

## History

### Giving Birth to Kara

When Krithika was a teenager, she met and fell in love with a young man, who later died in a car crash. When Krithika found out she was pregnant with a child, she panicked, not knowing what being a member of the Panchakanya would mean for Kara. Ultimately, Krithika brought Kara to the edge of the Otherworld, where there were yakshas who were capable of freezing people in time. The yakshas agreed to preserve Kara as a newborn for ten years, or until Krithika was able to return for her. After ten years had passed, if Krithika still hadn't returned, the yakshas would place her with someone who would be able to care for her. Krithika tried to go back for Kara, but was sidetracked by the Sleeper and the birth of Aru. By the time she tried to go back to Kara, she had been placed with a loving family in California.

## The Pandava Quintet

### Aru Shah and the End of Time

In the beginning of *Aru Shah and the End of Time*, Krithika is seen busily talking on the phone and ignoring Aru. When Aru lights the Diya of Bharata, Krithika becomes frozen in time by the Sleeper, and is only reawakened after Aru and Mini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez go on their quest.

### Aru Shah and the Song of Death

Krithika helps Aru pack for her quest and wishes her luck. It is mentioned that she spends more time with Aru, even though her new favorite subject is "feelings". Before Aru leaves, Krithika tells Aru the story of Ekavalya's thumb, then gives her a hug and says goodbye.

### Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

Krithika tells Aru more about Suyodhana and how he gave her the songbird and how he lost himself after his quest to locate Kalpavriksha.

### Aru Shah and the City of Gold

Krithika goes looking for clues as to where the nectar of immortality is located. She returns when she realizes what the Sleeper is planning, and relays what little information she knows to Aru, as well as telling her the truth about who Kara really is.

## **Appearance**

Krithika is a beautiful woman who doesn't focus on her appearance too much and wears practical clothes. She smells like jasmine. Aru describes her mother as being "endlessly fashionable". Krithika has delicate eyebrows and a laugh that sounds like bells.

## **Personality**

Krithika is open-minded. As a teen, she befriended the Sleeper despite being a member of the Panchakanya and openly rebelled against her father by telling him that destiny is not fixed, despite the fact that meant she was thus disowned. However, at Aru's birth, with the help of persuasion from Urvashi and Hanuman, Krithika realized there was no way Aru and Suyodhana could both coexist, and unhappily imprisoned Suyodhana in the Diya of Bharata. She never gave up on Suyodhana, though, even if she refused to acknowledge the present-day Sleeper.

Ever since Aru was born, Krithika works herself to exhaustion, trying to discover a way to have the Sleeper and Aru coexist, as well as run the museum and parent Aru. In the beginning of Aru Shah and the End of Time. Krithika isn’t very good at communicating with Aru due to her busy schedule, but this changes once they start spending more time together after Aru's first quest.

## **Relationships**

### **ARU SHAH** (daughter)

Krithika loves Aru a lot, but because she is so busy, they were distant from each other for a lot of Aru’s life, although they did share good memories together. After Aru discovers she’s a Pandava, they spend more time together, which Aru likes, except for the fact that her mom is tries to talk about emotions with her.

### **THE SLEEPER/SUYODHANA** (former romantic partner)

The Sleeper and Krithika appear to have had a close relationship; in the vision Aru saw in the Pool of the Past they were strolling along a river and kissing. They shared similar thoughts of how one could escape destiny. It seems as though Krithika was meant to make him fall in love with her by her family, but she fell in love as well. However, influenced by the devas, she thought as she looked at Aru and the Sleeper that he would be forced to wake Shiva, whether or not he didn’t want to -- so she imprisoned him in the diya and began searching for a way to change his destiny. Even after the Sleeper was released, she’s still searching, but she doesn’t like to talk about him. For the Sleeper’s part, he’s still angry at Krithika, although he still wants to tell her how he feels; he wants vindication.

### **KARA** (daughter)

Kara is the daughter of Krithika and another man she met when she was very young who later died in a car accident. Krithika became pregnant with Kara when she was a teenager, and, feeling it was too much of a burden to care for a child when she was that young, decided to freeze her in time for ten years until she could come back for Kara. However, Krithika became busy and distracted by other things, and by the time she was able to go back for Kara, she had already been adopted by another family. When Kara finds out that Krithika is her mother, she feels betrayed and saddened, thinking that Krithika chose Aru over her and abandoned her.

## **Powers**

### **Panchakanya**

Krithika was destined to give birth to a Pandava.