bangali-ray-blog

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ॐ तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे महादेवाय धीमहि तन्नो

[bangali-ray-blog]

Book Review "RAM: The Scion of Ikshvaku"

“You live in Ram’s kingdom, hold your head high. Fight for justice. Treat all as equal. Protect the weak. Know that dharma is above all. Hold your head high, You live in the kingdom of Ram….. “ 

The COVID-19 Pandemic has proliferated around the world in 2020 spreading the sense of despondency throughout humanity. Even in such dark times there have been several interesting developments happening all around world. One such instance has been the resurgence of public interest in India for the ancient Indian chronicle of "RAMAYANA". The re-telecast of the 1987 television series based on the account Tulsidas has emerged as a surprise winner when every telecasting platform has been trying to grab eyeballs amidst the lockdown. Hence it is the most appropriate time to revisit another successful attempt of retelling this tale by India's literary popstar "Amish Tripathi".    

SCION OF IKSHVAKU, the first book in the Ram Chandra series by Amish Tripathi gives an amazing mythical re-imagination of the Ramayana without losing the essence of the story. Amish tries to keep every character in the book as real as possible with no traces of Godliness or the magical powers that we are accustomed to knowing in the epic saga. Just like his previous book series "The Shiva Trilogy", here too a great attempt has been made to present the readers with the set-up of the story and world it is set in. The intricate details of the society gives the modern day readers and context for the world in which the tale is set in. 

Although the storyline is the same as the well known classic tale, but it still breathes of freshness. One of the unique feature of Amish’s writing is that although he’s rewriting mythology, but he never resorts to equip any of his characters or the environment with any magical or divine power. He attempts to back up the mighty powers and things in the story with science and technology and it works, it works well. Ram is neither born through divine means, nor portrayed as the apple of everyone’s eye. In fact, the first and greatest point of difference between the traditional Ramayana and Amish’s retelling of the tale is the depiction of Ram as an unloved prince. His father, King  Dashratha, considers Ram’s birth inauspicious and blames him for all his misfortunes. So, the fabulously powerful and wealthy king of Ayodhya is shown to be a defeated old man ruling over a crumbling kingdom. The very foundations of the epic are laid differently in this story. Even Manthara is depicted as a powerful merchant of the Sapt Sindhu. Her actions are justified in the lieu of her daughter's murder which instigates her hate for Ram.     

 Amish also makes use of the feminist wave (on purpose or not), is the portrayal of Sita as a ‘physically’ strong women with scars as opposed to the delicate nature deserves a thumb up. We all know Sita is a strong character, but here Amish pushes the envelope by appointing her the prime minister of Mithila. Even the reasoning why Dashratha was devoted to Kaikeyi, and later forced to grant her, her wish is ratiocinating.     

 At times, the narrative of the book feels like Tokiens. There are points where the creative brilliance shines bright. The description of the city of Mithila is breathtaking. The author jots down minute details about the skills of Archery or the muscular movement in swordsmanship. Also philosophies and ideas from his previous books is also sprinkled here and there.   

Many of the well known characters of the fable gets a bit of makeover. Here Bharat is presented as something of a “ladies’ man”, a foil to the stoic Ram. Vishwamitra, the sage, becomes a conspiring sarcastic leader of a clan and Jatayu becomes a Naga and so would any other characters too with any resemblance to other animals. Ravana loses nine of his heads in Amish’s version and gets a horned helmet instead. The story is told entirely on third person objective and most of the inner struggle faced by the Maryada Puroshottam by the strong resolve abide by the laws is Lakshman’s respect and love for his elder brother Ram, Sita’s strong character, the mutual respect & trust between Sita and Ram etc. has been presented to the readers.But on an overall basis the creative genius of Amish is at play. The books clearly creates a parallel Ramayana and many interpretations of known beliefs are intriguing. All in all this is a light read and interesting book. The first paced narration will keep you occupied for hours. The twisting and the interesting characters sets a strong stage for the remaining books. The book is a pure enjoyment and will leave you refreshed and wanting more.