In the tradition of Stephen King’s ‘Dark Tower’ and Toliken’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ comes Ashok Banker’s ‘Ramayana, Book I’. Prithvi, Banker’s universe is as mystical a place as Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings. It is a fable with monsters similar to those from Greek mythology, of mystics like Merlin of the Arthur legend.

The Prince of Ayodhya packs fantasy, gore and romance much like novels of the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre of our time. While a devout Hindu may cry out ‘Abomination!’ I for one was blown away with this lucid, gripping book.

To each personality of the epic, Banker adds his distinct creative touch. This Ramayana also has new episodes concocted by Banker’s fertile imagination. These include Rama’s confrontation with rowdy Pahadis, a catfight among Dasaratha’s queens and an imposter posing as Vishwamitra.

The septuagenarian king Dasaratha, rules the kingdom of Ayodhya, with tall spires and streets creatively named Raghuvamsha Avenue and Harischandra Avenue. Hindi and Sanskrit and several other languages are spoken here. (Reminiscent, once again of ‘The Lord of the Rings’.) Ayodhya even has a museum with skeletons of half beasts, collected during prior wars with Asuras. Dasaratha has advisors who tell him that he must diet and exercise more often.

Ravana, the lord of Lanka, having suffered defeat from Dasaratha two decades earlier, is hell-bent on revenge. He is constantly sending spies to infiltrate the kingdom of Ayodhya. One of them is Jatayu, half-man half-bird. Another is his cousin Soorpanaka who assumes the shape of a gentle doe.

When Soorpanaka woos Rama in Valmiki’s Ramayana, she assumes a monstrous form. Kamban ‘s Soorpanaka on the other hand, assumed the guise of a beautiful damsel. Doubtless, we will see Baker’s own Soorpanaka woo Rama in a forthcoming installment of the epic.

Banker’s Rama is a lithe, handsome and righteous like a medieval knight. However, Banker also makes this Rama delightfully human. Rama has a crush on Sita, his childhood playmate. He can battle dangerous Rakshasas or sing to pacify an angry mob.

The story begins with a teenage Rama woken up from sleep by a grisly nightmare. In it he sees Asuaras and other beasts wreak carnage on the citizens of Ayodhya. Then we see the ‘shape shifting seer-mage’ Vishwamitra arrive in Ayodhya in the guise of a hunter. He has broken a two-century penance to save Ayodhya from impending danger.

In the first few chapters we are also introduced to the hunch back maidservant, Mantara, a clandestine Asura worshiper who works with a ganja addicted Tantrik priest. We also meet Kaikei, Dasaratha’s second wife who is recovering from a wine hangover from the night before. Dasaratha’s trusted advisor, Vasista has the ability to perform levitation and even telepathically instruct the king in times of emergencies.

Vishwamitra takes Rama and Lakshmana on a heroic dangerous mission to battle against Ravana;’s monsters. This part reminded me the tutelage of young Luke Skywaker under Yoda in the Star Wars trilogy. Vishwamitra transforms the lads into superhuman warriors who will take on the challenge of Tataka and her cronies.

Tataka, a demoness has come to this world from the netherworld, Patal, thanks to a portal created by Ravana. Rama and Lakshmana must annihilate Tataka and her ‘mutant’ armies if humankind is to have a future on earth.

Kudos to Banker for giving the timeless epic a makeover for this millennium. Though I was groomed with the traditional Ramayana, the unfolding of the plot of this book held my suspense till the very end. Doubtless, it will attract some controversy and may offend some. I hope that critics of our time are more broadminded and give this book the warm welcome it deserves. We must allow Banker the same poetic license given to Tulsidas and Kamban in altering a few episodes of the original Valmiki epic. If this is the shape the Ramayana must assume to make it into the bookshelf of today’s teenager or into a Hollywood screenplay, so be it. I cannot wait for the next installation of this epic, titled the ‘Siege of Mitila’.

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