Raavan : Enemy of Aryavarta

I just finished the much awaited book by Amish Tripathi. Halfway through the book, I knew who Sita was going to be and why Raavan would kidnap her. However, Amish Tripathi never fails to surprise you. 

Raavan or Ravanan to me is the most interesting of the three books of the Ramayana series. Tripathi justifies the kidnapping of Sita which took me by surprise. Raavan is the protective brother who becomes a thief. The thief who becomes a pirate. The pirate who becomes a warrior. The warrior who becomes king. The king who is shaped by enmity between two men to become the ultimate villain which he is definitely not. One tends to be able to read this book and sympathize with the ultimate villain. Maybe because heartache and heartbreak is something universal that all people can relate to?

It is a book that doesn't follow the epic and the villain bashing that is practiced during Dusshera. Zipping through his childhood, the boy spurned by his father, his chance encounter with a little girl who he is unable to forget and whose memory always makes want to be a better person, the young man who loves books, music, painting and becomes an accomplished artist, the scholar who becomes a trader, the trader who becomes a warrior, the warrior who finally becomes Lanka's emperor but would do anything for his younger brother and son. The story zips through 60 years of Raavan's life before he kidnaps Sita whom he has never seen!

It is an amazing story along with the birth of his brother Kumbhakarna from whose birth on, their mother and the sons are on the run for their lives. Kumbhakarna is equally interesting as this book as much as about Raavan as it is about Kumbhakarna, the brother Raavan saves from being murdered on the instructions of his father.The rest come much later. It is interesting balance to the usual Ram-Laxman duo who are praised while the other brother duo is usually forgotten Raavan-Kumbhakarna which Tripathi highlights.

The twist in Vaali's tale was so surprising that I couldn't help but wonder. Same for Vishwamitra and Vashishta.

I can't wait for the next book even though we all know how it will end. 

If you are interested in reading the book, you can buy it here

Can Unconditional Love Go Wrong?

Truly till the end of Time
By Abhishek Sanwal
BlueRose Publishers, 2019
Genre: Fiction

                               

Luv (named after the eldest son of Sita) gets a mysterious text from his college buddy Adi years after they graduated and settled down. It reads, “The biggest achievement in life –tears in someone’s eye for you. The biggest failure in life – tears in someone’s eyes because of you.” Worried, he rushes over to meet Adi. Adi’s wife and parents are completely unaware of the state Adi is in. He finds Adi in a darkened room alive and just when he is relieved Adi is okay, Adi gives him something to read – his diary from four years ago when they were still students. 

Set in Chennai, this is not just the story of four college buddies Adi, Jhilmil, Luv and Chabbi but also of Neel and Ria. It uncovers the life of north Indians in South India and the author shuts out the southern atmosphere, people, language, culture,  using blah, blah which is amusing and irritating  at the same time. The characters speak English, Hindi or Hinglish. Just when you think it might get boring or you know what is going to happen next, there are surprise twists and turns that keeps you reading taking you along paths which shock you. The ending is a big surprise.

While reading the book I realized how men are allowed to retain their friendships by Indian society while women slowly drop out of contact because they are forced to move after marriage – an unfair deal or the ending might have been different.  The story carries with it some insights into how Indian society works, especially for a north Indian person in South India and their terms of acceptance of South Indian culture.

The writing is slow in the beginning and picks up pace as the story moves forward. The prose style leaves a lot to be desired but the author will go places if he gets a good editor. Otherwise a nice summer read.

If  you wish to buy the book,click  here