Chronicles of Kanjisheik: Series Review: The Ramayana by Ashok K. Banker

Well, this is just a sort of sounding board for me to think aloud on the few issues that concern me and the numerous topics that do not! Well, if you want to read the little joys and sorrows of a young medical student, who is juggling with every faculty he possesses, to achieve one plain and neat goal- SURVIVAL, then this is defintely NOT the place! Please note: this is the work of a whizkid-turned-bookworm-turned-cool dude-turned-internet addict-turned-blogger.

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Series Review: The Ramayana by Ashok K. Banker

Ashok K. Banker's Ramayana series belongs to that rarefied category of books whose contents are as good as, if not better than, the blurbs. Let me tell you that this series is not a straightforward translation of the epic; on the other hand, it is a retelling attempted by Banker according to his own imagination. Click on each book to read my review...

Book 1: Prince of Ayodhya
Book 2: Siege of Mithila
Book 3: Demons of Chitrakut
Book 4: Armies of Hanuman
Book 5: Bridge of Rama
Book 6: King of Ayodhya

To conclude, I would rate this Ramayana as probably the best series I've ever read. I feel that Banker's books will achieve the same exalted status that Valmiki's Ramayana in Sanskrit, Kamban's Tamil version, Sant Tulsidas's Ramacharitamanas in Hindi, Ezhuthachan's Malayalam version, and lots of other Ramayanas retold by literary geniuses in their own vernaculars were able to attain... Truly a modern epic. Go read it, people!!!

10 on 10 says it all... :~)

Posted by kanjisheik on August 10, 2006 12:46 PM | Permalink

: Name: kanjisheik; Location: by the side of Daenerys Targaryen!!! :~)

Abu Dhabi Indian School [ADIS], Abu Dhabi-> Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Vidya Mandir [BVBVM], Thrissur-> Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research [JIPMER], Pondicherry. I've lived in the United Arab Emirates for most of my life. Now i'm a 6th semester MBBS student in JIPMER, which is one of the best medical colleges in India. When I'm not mugging for the numerous tests that we have, i either read books, listen to music, write articles on some topic that catches my fancy, practise with members of my rock band,hang out with friends, watch movies, blog... In short, I'm your typical NRI college dude! Or am I? Read on to find out!