About Ashok
Ashok Kumar Banker comes from a family of Anglo-Indians, a tiny minority community of British colonials intermarried with Indian citizens. His British grandmother’s family settled in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The family name was Smith, which was of Dutch-British extraction and they were intermarried with Kelly, of Scots-Irish extraction. They spoke English and Tamizh (Tamil) and were raised in the Anglo-Sri Lankan culture.
The Valmiki Syndrome
In his first major work of non-fiction, Ashok Banker uses the Puranic tale of Sage Valmiki to illuminate the present day problem of the work-life balance.
Mahabharata updates
AKB eBOOKS edition coming soon! UPDATE 6 APRIL 2011: The AKB eBOOKS editions will be issued only in ebook format. There will be no limited print edition issued. The Penguin India mass market edition will be released in bookstores sometime in early 2012. UPDATE 27 NOVEMBER: The final publication draft of THE MAHABHARATA: VOLUME ONE [...]
Sons of Sita
Sons of Sita is on track for publication – it will be released soon after Vengeance of Ravana. The AKB BOOKS edition which was indefinitely delayed (pictured here) will be issued soon. More details and update soon.
Slayer of Kamsa: Book 1 of The Krishna Coriolis
Here’s the final front cover of the mass market paperback edition of SLAYER OF KAMSA: Book 1 of The Krishna Coriolis, published in September by HarperCollins India under their Harper imprint. I really love what designer-illustrator Pinaki De has done with the colours and texturing and graphics. Initially, I was concerned that there were too [...]
“A few years ago, when
“A few years ago, when I still held the illusion that I could write, I remember thinking what a wonderful read it would be if the Ramayana were written in the “sword and sorcery” style of fiction that I simply adore. “Even if I damn well have to write it myself”, I thought (pardon the [...]
“I was reading the Prince
“I was reading the Prince of Ayodhya. Infact, I have just finished the book and thought I will let you know that it was great, sort of an Indian LOTR. The sweep of the canvas was amazing and the characterisation extremely detailed. I loved the inherent evil in Manthara’s character and the completly novel spin [...]
“I want to congratulate
“I want to congratulate you for the Ayodhya cycle. I read the first and can’t wait for reading the next. This is really a great job you do in writing those books. With those books, you make the Ramayana an accessible work for masses and you are successful in describing with a lot of details [...]
“Thank you for writing
“Thank you for writing the Ramayana in a way that is accessible to us like never before. I am an Indian residing in the US and found ‘Siege of Mithila’ in Calcutta on a recent visit home. I was instantly hooked. I went through the first couple of installments of the Ramayana in less than [...]
“More than three thousand years
“More than three thousand years ago, Valmiki, a thief-turned-sage, told a tale. The same tale has been told over and over again ever since. Tulsidas repeated the same tale some five hundredyears ago, and most Hindus start and end their days by reciting his couplets. Obviously, it is no ordinary tale. It is an encyclopaedic [...]
“La plupart du temps
“La plupart du temps lorsque je décris Kali Yuga mes interlocuteurs me demandent si je possède quelques références de livres grand public sur le Ramayana ou le Mahabharata afin de mieux capter l’ambiance du jeu. Malheureusement, il faut bien avouer que nous sommes assez mal lotis en France en ce qui concerne la littérature indienne. [...]
“I have read the first
“I have read the first three books of your Ramayana series, and felt the need to tell you how much I enjoyed them (living as I do in North America, I had to order via Amazon.co.uk to get Siege of Mithila and Demons of Chitrakut). While I am generally familiar with Chinese and Japanese mythology, [...]
“Dear Mr Banker, I was
“Dear Mr Banker, I was recommended the Prince of Ayodhya by my sister and it’s one of the most exciting opportunites i’ve been given. I can’t put into words how important i think what you are doing is. I’ve reading Demons of Chitrakut very slowly in the hope the next books in the series will [...]
“Hello ! I am an
“Hello ! I am an Indian living in the US with my family, and last year got hold of your RAMAYANA : FIRST BOOK – PRINCE OF AYODHYA, while searching in our Public Library. I would like to thank You for writing the Ramayana Books. It was so wonderful to read someone writing about our [...]
“Congratulations on the success of
“Congratulations on the success of the Ramayana, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading thus far and eagerly await the release of the remaining books. Being a fellow Indian that was born and lives in the UK, my education unfortunately has not been as complete as I would have like in Indian history but I have always [...]
“Was really impressed with the
“Was really impressed with the Prince of Ayodhya. Have you thought of making it into an animated movie. Seems to offer a lot of scope and prima facie looks commercially viable as well…” Mahesh Samat, Singapore
“Astonishing power in the author’s
“Astonishing power in the author’s words. The picture painted by him is as clear as a photograph – his version of the Ramayana has inspired me immensely. The reason why his interpretation of the epic has stormed my imagination is because this is how I imagined the heroes of the Ramayana – unfortunately our anglicized [...]
“Ashok K. Banker Le Prince
“Ashok K. Banker Le Prince d’Ayodiâ 10/10! Le Prince d’Ayodiâ de Ashok Banker ou le triomphe de la Sword and Sorcery Indienne. C’est en septembre que va sortir le gigantesque cycle de Ashok K. banker, une Fantasy très sombre empruntant à Clive Barker certains aspects de l’horreur biologique dans un monde sauvage, beau et emprunt [...]
“I might be just another
“I might be just another fan of your extensive writings, however, I feel greatly blessed and honored to be able to read your Ramayana series of books. If I can attempt to simply put one word to your writings, it would be ‘AMAZING’. I finished the first book of Ramayana and before long I recommended [...]
“This modern retelling of the
“This modern retelling of the Ramayana by celebrated Indian author Ashok K. Banker is perhaps one of the greatest epics ever the written. The pace is rollicking fast and the characters breathe as much as we do. While the first book Prince of Ayodhya lays the groundwork for the future saga, Siege of Mithila builds [...]
“Just want to thank you
“Just want to thank you for writing an amazing rendition of Ramayana – nearly finished book 2 and have book 3 waiting to be opened. Hope Manthara gets a good walloping. PS: Am also trying to put together a sci-fi / fantasy story (not of such a grand magnitude) – any useful tips please would [...]
