“Ashok Banker’s Ramayana: A six-volume fictional history”
Apr 11th, 2008 by Ashok
Posted by Harsh Nevatia on Suite101.com
Banker has weaved drama and intrigue into the narrative of the Ramayana without harming the integrity and sanctity of the original tale.
Ashok Banker last year completed his six volume opus on the Ramayana. The work would not classify as “mythology” because Banker has shown a lot of inventiveness. I guess the correct classification would be “fictional history”.
Banker has created events and relationships to heighten the drama. But these have been done with finesse and integrity. For example he has depicted Kaikeyi’s maid Manthara as being dedicated to Ravana and an enemy within the royal household. Sita fights the demon armies of Khara and Dushana alongside Rama in a bitter battle. There is an epic battle between the two giants Hanuman and Kumbhakaran. To reveal more would be to spoil the fun for those who want to read the books.
But Banker has been true to the characters as portrayed in the several earlier versions of the epic and as enshrined in our collective memory. Also Banker has taken adequate care not to offend the sensibilities of the devotees of Rama who would be among his readers. Perhaps “taken adequate care” is not a correct choice of words. It implies something done with forced will. Banker would inherently be aware of the sanctity of the subject matter and would not desecrate it because it is dear to him more than for any other reason.
This is why authors who write fictional history must share the same cultural background as their subjects otherwise they are bound to step over the line as the London based Jaishree Mishra has allegedly done in her novel on Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. She portrays a fictional love affair between the queen and Robert Ellis, a political agent of the British East India Company, which has been interpreted as sleeping with the enemy, and has hurt sentiments.
