INTRODUCTION

The
author of this book is Amish Tripathi. This is the second book in Ram Chandra
series written by Amish Tripathi. A
sequel that takes you back. It is a mythological fiction based on
Hindu Mythology . It is preceded by Scion of Iskhvaku and followed by the book
Raavan : Orphan of Aryavarta. It is published on 29th may 2017 by publisher  Westland
Press.  This book is a thrilling adventure that
chronicles the rise of an orphan, who became the prime minister. And then, a
Goddess. 

SUMMARY

India is beset with divisions, resentment and
poverty. The people hate their rulers. They despise their corrupt and selfish
elite. Chaos is just one spark away. Outsiders exploit these divisions. Raavan,
the demon king of Lanka, grows increasingly powerful, sinking his fangs deeper
into the hapless Sapt Sindhu. 

Two powerful tribes, the protectors of the
divine land of India, decide that enough is enough. A saviour is needed. They
begin their search.

An abandoned baby is found in a field. Protected
by a vulture from a pack of murderous wolves. She is adopted by the ruler of
Mithila, a powerless kingdom, ignored by all. Nobody believes this child will
amount to much. But they are wrong. She was no ordinary girl. She was Sita.

 

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS :

 
I loved everything about this book, reading it
in a constant state of amazement at how deeply Amish melds rich mythological
detail without loss of credibility to the modern mind. It convinces even when
presenting seemingly fabulist material such as the Pushpak Vimaan and has interesting
adaptations of what we consider to be modern inventions (eg. surgical strikes
and biological warfare).

The characterisation
is superb, allowing Ram and Sita to appeal to a cynical, questioning reader
without losing any of the divinity that the versions springing from Tulsidas’s
version has conferred on them. The most fascinating part for me, a Malayali,
lay however in Sita’s travels to Agastyakootam, the home of the mysterious
Malayaputras, deep inside present day Kerala and as difficult to get to today
as it would have been for Sita in her time.

 

WEAKNESS :

I expect exotic book titles like we have seen
before “Scion of Ikshavaku” or “Immortals of Meluha”. Second book title is not
as grand as earlier books and this might repel some readers thinking it just to
be another feminist book glorifying females to be warriors. However the book
text proves our early perception wrong.

Many readers will be retched by repeat text
from first book. Fact is that it is a POV book ( Third Book on Ravana is also a
POV ) on part of Sita so one has to adjust with such details. But we uncover many
important details from those repeats like the market fight scene or death of Jatayu
scene.

 

 

CONCLUSION

Far from being a coy, timid princess, Amish’s
Sita is a warrior well-trained in combat and warfare. She has long been
seen in popular culture as the ”adarsh bhartiya naari” – devoted, obedient and
silent. Amish, drawing on the  amazing
Ramanaya and Gond Ramayani, presents a more rounded, strong, proactive
character in his interpretation. He traces her life trajectory while exploring
the kind of mental strength and agility it must have taken to deal with the
challenges she faced. I would highly recommend this book to the readers who are
always curious to know the details of Indian mythology especially The Ramayana.