Scion of Ikshvaku - A Embellished Retelling of Ramayana

Ramayana is not just a part of our ‘itihasa’ but a part of our civilizational conscience. Though it is said that there are numerous versions of Valmiki’s Ramayan, people in different regions of this land have broadly accepted one of the three versions viz., Original Valmiki’s epic, Kamban’s version and Tulsidas’s retelling. Despite these numerous versions having differences in sub-plots and interpretation of incidents, none of them alter the purport of the epic or tweak around with what Valmiki conveyed in the original. Scion of Ikshvaku by Amish Tripathi is one such retelling which interprets the Ramayana through the lens of the present worldview and without harming the base intent of the original.

One of the problems parents and elders today face in narrating our ‘itihasa’ to children is that, the children would have heard or seen a version through various mediums which reduces their interest or hearing or reading it again. The challenge remains to retain the interest of the present young generation and future generations in our ‘itihasa’ and the epics without making it monotonous or boring. Just imagine handing over a Ramayana book published by Motilal Banarsidas or Gita Press to a adolescent. No disrespect to these great institutions, but how many adolescents would be interested to read it? The animated or caricatured versions available today too suffer from the same problem i.e problem of keeping people interested.

In my opinion, Amish has cracked this problem through innovative narration and ornate imagination wherever the original allows him to. The biggest achievement of the author is that though he manages to keep the reader engrossed in his fast-paced and interjected narration, the substance and intent of the original too gets conveyed. For example, the imagined conversations between Rama and his brothers during their Gurukula days and after that appear at several places in the book, builds each of the brother’s characters in the readers mind which is in perfect concert with the image conveyed by Valmiki. Conversations of state-craft between Rama and Bharata, debate between Rama and Sita over duties of King and Queen, etc., are a pleasure to read. Likewise, the details of the way the four brothers were tutored in the Gurukula may seem as a defilement of the original but it finely fits the traits brothers needed later in life to confront adversity and unfavorable situations. There are a few imagine instances, like the rape of a sworn sister of the four brothers, that seem completely out of place while reading but fits into the overall narrative the author aims to achieve.

The persona of each character is built carefully over a several chapters which is in congruence with their revered traits. Through hypothesis, Amish Tripathi reasons out as to why each character turns to be as they are. For example, he tries to answer how and why did Rama become a ‘Purushottama’? Why did Rama choose to be ‘Eka Patni Vratasta’ despite not being the norm then? Why did Lakshmana revere his brother as he did? How could Mantara wield such influence over a queen of a kingdom? Who was Ravana, bereft of his  wizardly characteristics, and why did he become a dreaded king? The author wishes to answer such questions throughout his interpretation.

I wouldn’t say that it’s a MUST READ or a classic but it certainly tells how well one could interpret Ramayana in the our current worldview. Given the ‘modern’ approach Amish has attempted with the Ramayana, it is sure to burn a few hearts who swear by the original. The puritans are right in their concerns that such interpretations might make our epics susceptible to digestion or could dilute its importance in the next generations. While such concerns are legitimate, IMO Amish’s deft handling of his narrative does not give much scope for such incongruent interpretations.

Overall Review:

Who should read? – Youngsters and those who wish to read Ramayana in a new perspective; Those who wish for a easy read of the Ramayana.

Whom its NOT meant for? – Whoever deems the original should not be tinkered with; Puritans who prefer a deep reading of the original.

What goes in favor of the book? – Gradual building of the characters, fast paced and interjected narration gives a ‘filmy’ feel while reading; Attention to details.

What goes against? – Few unnecessary plots that could have been avoided. But cant dictate author’s imagination; At places seems as though it has been written keeping the film version in mind. Nothing wrong with that though.