Title: Rise of the Sun Prince (Ramayana: The Game of Life - Book 1)
Author: Shubha Vilas
Place: India
Publisher: Jaico Publication House
Publication Date: 2014
Genre: Mythology
Edition: 2014
Pages: 252 (Paperback)
ISBN: 978-81-8495-530-9
Goodreads blurb - Here
My thoughts -
First of
all, I have to admit that I was completely mesmerized by the front cover of
this book. Kudos to the artist for the cover illustration. I was left gaping at
the masterpiece observing the vibrant colors, the depiction of the scene and
expressions of the characters. Every subtle nuance has been captured so
beautifully that you never wish to shift your gaze. To add to it - the way Lord
Rama's lotus eyes and the look of sheer determination in them has been
accurately envisioned by the artist to match the author's words is commendable.
For once, I felt it right to judge the book by its cover.
Moving on to
the book, remember how we have come across the story of Ramayana time and again
since childhood of how Lord Rama kills Ravana and rescues Sita? Well, I would
say that was only one percent of the entire book.
With this
book be ready to experience the real story of Ramayana. Being the first book of
a series, this book takes us on a never-before journey to reveal the characters
and their stories. The reason why this legendary epic was written, the reason
why Valmiki turned out to be the chosen one to write this epic, the history of
the kingdom of Ayodhya and its ruler - Dasaratha, the great tales of bravery,
compassion, kingship and beyond.
What's
different about this book is how every character, instance and situation
relates to our present day. Never before did I read the epic to understand and
find answers to my life. The author enlightens us with elaborate descriptions
to shift our focus from the situation in hand to reveal an underlying way of
better living. It helps us to identify ourselves and adorn a clearer perspective
towards life.
At many
points while reading, I stopped to ponder and ask questions about a particular
character or situation. Enter the footnotes. The footnotes at the end of the
pages answered my questions in mind-boggling ways.
When it
comes to the characters, I experienced Dasaratha’s pain and rejoiced in his happiness
as the story progressed. Thanks to the flawless depiction of relationships. The
author perfectly portrays the father’s love, care and concern for his son and a
teacher’s eye for talent in his disciple. The comparison of perspectives – one
for love and attachment and the other for duty made me twirl as my mind
transported to the era when unfulfilled commands weren’t merely brushed off
instead they were came with free curses.
The only showdown
for me was few missing pages from the book. That’s right. My copy of the
author-autographed book seemed to miss 8 pages towards the end of the book and
that dampened my spirits since I didn’t want to miss the continuity of the
narration. Nevertheless, I won’t let that affect the rating since that would be
like eating a delicious, sumptuous banquet and not thank the chef.
The glossary
describing the 24 qualities of a complete hero reminded me that we are
imperfect beings who reside in an imperfect world. We need constant reminders
to align ourselves internally and externally so as to conduct ourselves with
utmost poise and accuracy.
My rating
for this book stands at a perfect 5/5. J
I completely
read the book and I was happy to have encountered this version of the epic in
addition to what I already knew.
Go ahead and
read this book. Indulge yourself in those magical times !
Thank you Shri Shubha Vilas and BlogAdda for this magical book.
"Dasaratha loved Rama, but Vishwamitra knew Rama."
"Celebration means sharing your joy making other people happy."
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Yours' truly,
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