Ekta | wisdomekta

  Growing up, I remembered Raavan as a man of contrasts , of brutal violence and scholarly knowledge… as a proprietor of unlimited wealth but hauling a gloomy soul. He ‘ was ’ a villain in my edition of Ramayana. And then I read Amish’s version of Raavan wherein, I imagine, in some parallel universe he is struggling with his devil soul and is defying all the odds of society and trying to make an imprint in history. My perspective towards him is shifted…and that is definitive. "Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta" is the 3rd novel of the Ramchandra Series. The Amish's Raavan as a teenage pirate was violent… no question, and brutally so, but there were good points to him, too. He was genuinely a scholar, he was extremely well-read. He was a brilliant musician and invented instruments. He had written books. But at the end of the day, the king of Lanka was also the villain whose fearsome resolve is to be a giant among men, to conquer, plunder, and seize the greatness that he thinks is...

  Internet Picture The Indian female mythological figures have always fascinated me. I am forever in awe of their fears and their dares which may either be documented in history or illustrated through the cleverness of numerous writers. Part 2 of the Ramchandra Series by Amish has devoted to the legendary Indian queen heeded as an incarnation of Lakshmi, titled Sita. The portrayal of her is in total contrast to the classic tale of Ramayana.  At th e advent of the book, Sita is shown as a tiny foundling being guarded by a vulture and discovered by the King and Queen of Mithila who rescue her and then bring her up as their daughter. Sita grows into a young warrior and is depicted as the prime minister of Mithila. Her talent and potential are recognized by Guru Vishwamitra early on. It is his idea to groom her into becoming the 'Vishnu' whose duty will be to lead the country's dharma. As her future husband Ram is also being trained to take on the title of Vishnu by Vishwamitr...

Image from Internet   The book is the first part of the Ramchandra Series. Recently the fourth part in the series was released (and have read 50% of it), I decided to pour out my views on the sequel of books in the form of 4 blog posts…starting from this one. "Scion of Ikshvaku '' is about the Nayak of the Ramayana tale…Ram. It traces the story of Lord Ram, the son of Dashrath and the founder of what is known as Ram Rajya. A fictional interpretation based on the many editions of the Ramayana, this book is a fast-paced adventure blended with historical theories. The book is modernized bending and re-telling the implied story with a whooping level of imagination. The story is no secret to Ramayan tale lovers but Amish writing manages to create completely new stories from old ones. The persona of Ram with all the imagined flaws as well as the jewelled recognition is well-balanced and easily digestible. Ram being present as a mere human with godly characteristics - is the best...