author: ashok k banker
reading time: 20 metro rides atleast (became a slow distracted reader this time)
prince of ayodhaya is book 1 of a series of 6 books of the ramayana. very interestingly written. the language is quite fluid. reads almost like harry potter with ravana taking the space of the “dark lord” and vishwamitra sounds as if he is a replica of professor dumbledore.. and the forest where ram fights tataka (or tadaka if you please) is the “bhayanak van” or the “forbidden forest”.. the book is rich with anecdotes from the childhood of ram and laxman… the naughtiness, the curiosity.. the early expectation of marrying sita and uttara… i think the book would have been even more enjoyable if i had not read other versions of the ramayana or not read harry potter… but nevertheless it is a must read just for the sheer pleasure of reading.. amazing work… ends with a lot of mystery as well. so that you would be bound to buy the next in the series.. which i have already done… coming up soon.. but chetan bhagat precedes reading that.. i didnt want to get obsessed with banker…
final analysis: absolutely a must read… must must must read…. then again.. if you are religious and want to read only the “true” story of the ramayana.. then this is not the book for you… banker has elaborated, exaggerated and gone beyond the imaginable interpretation of ramayana to please many a religious minded.. but if you are like me, who can read and appreciate anything… this is a must must must read 🙂