“Around 3 months back, while browsing through Crossword, I stumbled across a book called Prince of Ayodhya…”
Apr 16th, 2008 by Ashok
Posted by reader Anshul on his blog at MingleBox
Around 3 Months back while browsing through crossword,I stumbled upon a book called Prince of Ayodhya by Ashok K Banker.The book was first part of the 6 part Ramyana series by the Author.Before laying hands on that book , the only other ramayan book I had read was RamCharitManas by Maha kavi Tulsidas.
My introduction to Ram and his tale was done by my Nani.She introduced me to the folklore of Rama and Lakshman.The deeds of the monkey God Hanuman and the unpardonable sins of Ravana.Numerous times she told me of this War between Adharm and Dharma in which Dharma won.
Nest time it was after my class 10th Exam that my mother handed me down Nani’s Ramayana.I read that book as if I had been given a treasure.I could feel that I was not reading the words, but listening them through my nani’s voice once again.I read that whole ramcharitmanas two or three times, sometimes as religious book sitting by the Temple in the house and other times like i read jeffrey archer.
RamCahritManas introduced me to the concept of dharma, the charm and love of Rama and the love for Hanuman.But reading the book by Ashok K Banker introduced me to a totally different world of Ram.A world which was like tulsida’s world but was quite different.Banker based his book on Valmiki Ramayana, heavily borrowing from it.It could be said that his book was an english version of the Valmiki Ramyana.
Tulsidas’s Ramyana was an work of devotee .It was his tribute to divinity of Lord Rama rather then being realistic story of Rama.Valmiki’s ramayana was a more realistic apporach ,since it was supposed to be first hand account of what the Sage had seen and experianced.Banker has mostly struck to the version by valmiki , here and there borrowing form other version’s like Tulsidas , and Kumbam.
He has divided the Ramayana into six parts.
Visit Anshul’s Blog to read his synopses of the six books.
At the end of book I waited for book to describe the UttraKhand of Ramyana in which Ram banishes Sita, I wnated to see Ashok Bankers’s viewpoint on most conroversial point of whole Ramyana.But Banker steers clear saying that Uttra Khand was not work of Valmiki , but must be added later on.He says that it’s impossible to beleive that rama could have banished sita from his wife.
The whole series transported me to the world of Rama and in fact it brought me more closre to him.I found myslef attached to him not as a God but as a human being ,the mortal whose song is Ramyana.And the coincediance that I finished the six part today, a day before RamNavmi, the birthday of Rama himself.With new beliefs and learnings from the books,Banker brought me more closer to my lord.
Jai shree Ram
