Last week I was reading this new
book of the Ramayana – The Game of Life
series titled, Shattered Dreams by Shubha Vilas. It is in fact the
sequel to an already popular first installment of the series Rise of the Sun Prince. And as the title
suggests it’s based on the epic Ramayana. So how has been the book? Read on for
the review.
Though I had not read the first
book so I read this one without any anticipation and thought it would be the
known Ramayana told in a different way. The story opens with King Dasarath’s
turmoil and his decision for the coronation of his most able son – Rama. You
have the scheming Manthara and queen Kaikeyi’s wishes that leads to Rama’s
exile. The citizens love Rama and his valor and are devastated with this decision.
It also describes the agony that Rama’s younger brother and Kaikeyi’s son
Bharat goes through when he finds out the truth.
Shattered Dreams, uncannily is
not a story depicting Sita’s love and sacrifice for Rama, or the might of
Ravana – the kind of Ramayana we all are accustomed with. In fact, we see the
author etch the other characters beautifully – something you don’t see in most
Ramayana editions.
Have you ever thought why king
Dasharath was named so? I never knew that before. He could move his chariot in
ten directions at the same time and defeat 'asuras'. I also didn’t know earlier
that Kaikeyi was not only his wife but his most trusted charioteer and it was Kaikeyi
who in adverse situation had placed her finger within the chariot wheel to
support it and ensured maximum support to Dasarath in a war.
Shubha Vilas’s Shattered Dreams follows the Ramayana in
its purest form. He has kept the essence of Valmiki Ramayana intact and has
taken influences from Ramcharitmanas and Kamba Ramayana. The author doesn’t
twist tales but offers minute details of emotions and devotion of people. He
gives an extensive narrative of the journey to the exile. From emotions to the
beauty of nature - he has made everything come alive.
As we all know Ramayana is the
epitome of brotherhood. It is the story of devotion of brothers too. Characters
of Lakshmana and Bharat have been developed pretty well here. They both stand
true to their characters – standing by their elder brother and facing the
different hardships.
You don’t see much of Ravana in
this book, only a brief intro – I think he will be appearing in the next part.
But there are several interesting anecdotes which tell you a complete new story
about Ravana – who he was, how he got transformed and his encounter with Yama.
As you read through, you see
these footnotes which offers good knowledge on the backstories and trivias. You
might think you know Ramayana pretty well but there are several facets that you
will get to know for the first time may be.
About the Author
Shubha Vilas is a motivational
speaker and a spiritual seeker. This is his second release after the successful
Rise of the Sun Prince. Apart from being spiritual he is also a law graduate L.L.B
Specializing in Intellectual Property Law : Patent Law. He also blogs at Thought Sutras.
My Rating – 3/5. Overall a nice read of the already popular epic.
| BOOK DETAILS | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Jaico |
| ISBN-10 | 8184955316 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-8184955316 |
| Genre | Mythology |
| Number of Pages | 404 |
| Publication Year | January 2015 |
| Language | English |
