Ram--Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi

To do justice to the story of the majestic and magnanimous Lord Ram is no easy task. He was god in human form. Amish's writing recreates Lord Ram's life through fairly good narration and vivid descriptions. I picked the book up with the thought that it would be a true retelling of the Ramayana by Guru Valmiki. I'm afraid that's not the case. Amish has taken liberty with the story with his own ideas (the book includes a disclaimer). Despite the disclaimer, the fact that someone has taken liberty with history (or mythology for some) has left me disappointed. I have an objection to books where any character (mythological or real) are distorted in the name of creativity. I vociferously urge people to write only the truth. Write is similar to the Sanskrit word Rith which means the truth. I believe that it indicates that writers be encouraged to write the truth and nothing but the truth. Although, I must confess that I loved reading Amish's work. The simple yet sumptuous narration makes the reading experience a nice one.

The story begins with Lord Ram, Seetha (wife of Lord Ram) and Laxman's life in the forest during exile. Amish then takes the reader to the birth of Lord Ram--thirty years back and the battle of Karachappa (between Dashrath (father of Ram) and Raavana (the King of Lanka). The story weaves the life of the royals, warriors, merchants and common men into an elegant braid of the kingdom. Poverty stricken land and the loss of warriors evokes a sense of dismay at the state of the Kingdom. The author portrays the grandeur and divinity of the land (Ayodhya) before it's destruction by Raavana. Ram was born to forge the people of his Kingdom to an improved social order, he narrates.

As the book progresses, Rama grows in the Gurukul system along with his brothers. One portion that would remain in my mind forever and is deep is Guru Vasishta's discussion on discerning the rectitudinous path. The discussion revolves around whether silence is wrong and amounts to lying? Guru Vasishta argues that it doesn't, if it's for greater good. Another portion about Roshni and the nefarious crime against her suffuses any reader with rage as much--or even more--than the raging river Sarayu.

As we progress, we encounter facts about the fight between the devas and the asuras. The story of ekatvam (unity of mankind) is interesting and a portion to not miss. Thereafter, comes bride Sita's swayamvara to choose her groom. Love first strikes the heart of Rama and it appears that the whole universe conspired to bring them together. From here on, the story gets very engrossing and becomes absolutely unputdownable. A good read that will leave the readers intrigued by the mysticism and elated by the sheer beauty of the legend.

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