The Hindu mythology is richly blessed with triumphant epics of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and renowned icons such as Lord Shiva, the destroyer of worlds himself.
In recent days, an Indian author has revitalised Hindu mythology by encountering modern world problems from a mythological point of view. Yes, I'm talking about none other than our very own literary popstar, Amish Tripathi. His compelling, yet modest, fictitious mythological worlds are not just admired, but cherished by thousands of readers across the globe.
When I, a high school student, read Tripathi’s Ram Chandra Series, namely the Scion of Ikshvaku, I found the solutions to the problems that had been bothering me laid out within the adventure-rich pages of the novel.
Why I Couldn’t Relate to Ram as a Child
My parents raised me on stories from Amar Chitra Katha and Panchatantra. Ramayan was one of my favourites. My father used to narrate to me a verse from it every week –and at the end, I was supposed to deduce the value presented in the verse and practise it. Ram was portrayed as the ideal man; obviously, he did a number of things that a common man is not at all capable of. And so, I couldn't really relate to him. This left an void in my experience.
And this is where Tripathi's books come into the scene.
Tripathi tries to keep every character of his books as real as possible with no traces of godliness or the magical powers that we are accustomed to knowing in the epics. This helped me compare and contrast myself with the ideal man, Ram.
In Amish's fictitious, yet seeming realistic re-imagination of the epic, one can reflect on his merits and demerits and work on them as he takes his initial steps on the path to becoming the ideal man.
Ram, the ideal man, has not been portrayed as God, rather he is [SPOILER ALERT] blamed for the miserable defeat of his father and denied the love he deserves. Yet, he honours his parents and carries out his duties diligently. He is hell-bent on following the rules and maintaining order. His philosophical talks with his guru, Vashishta, inspired me to favour the common good.
On the other hand, Bharat has an independent and free-thinking spirit, as opposed to Ram who is obsessed with following the rules. Lakshman has been portrayed as blindly loyal to his elder brother Ram – while Shatrughan is a mere bookworm and a big-time nerd.
How Tripathi Has Made Ramayana Accessible
But in the end, Sita turns out to be my favourite character in the book. Her charming appearance is accompanied by fierce fighting skills. She is epitomised by her courage and her witty intellect. Her character persuades my ever-developing character to stand up for the good and reject the evil, even if the odds do not favour you. I believe her ideology should be a part of every Indian’s character if we are to make something good out of this nation.
Tripathi takes on and criticises the modern day vices such as rape, the legal age of punishment, etcetera; in addition, he offers genuine and liable techniques to counter these problems.
All in all, Amish has provided us with an unforgettable and plausible take on the epic of Ramayana with Scion of Ikshvaku as the first part of the Ram Chandra series. The second part of the series, Sita; Warrior of Mithila was also released earlier this year. I look forward to indulging myself in the adventures of Shri Ram and Lady Sita with Raavan; Orphan of Aryavarta releasing next year. His works, like always, persuade one to aim for the common good, the higher dharma, rather than personal greed, personal dharma.
(Sarthak Khurana is the author of ‘A Teaspoon of Death’. He describes himself as a tale-weaver and a wordsmith, always running short of good books and series. He prefers solitude and that's why he doesn't like a company – not because he’s a sociopath, he hastens to add.)
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