“The passages whirl past and the book becomes a page-turner” – Reader Zed’s review of Siege of Mithila

Excerpt from a review posted on Zed’s blog. Read the full review here

The pace quickens
Siege of Mithila : Book Two of the Ramayana – Ashok K Banker

‘Siege of Mithila’ [...] introduces a character as important to the ‘Ramayana’ as Rama Chandra himself – Sita Janaki. Ramayana is as much Rama’s journey as it is Sita’s. This is established early on in the manner of Sita’s introduction. The inter-twining of their destinies has been done in a way that, once again, tells of how much leeway Banker has allowed his imagination. Their meeting – completely circumstantial and with a touch of predestination to it – is a harbinger of what is in store for the couple. The leads have been stripped of their legendary aura and status, rendered afresh as people first. The reputations preceeding them are never allowed to blur their edges. Likewise, Sita is initially presented as a person with deep concerns and strong feelings. The ideals she has come to personify are but a manifestation of what she feels for Rama over a period of time. Their interactions and thoughts about each other are portrayed without any gravitas. It would have been all too easy to fall prey to the temptation of making their mutual love seem intense, eternal even, at the very beginning. This comes to pass eventually but the burden of having to draft their relationship within the bounds of what they have signified to Indians over the years is shrugged off by the author. Here are two young, strong-willed, independent-minded people driven by a sense of purpose who meet, interact and find that they enjoy each other’s companionship. That they are Rama and Sita is secondary.