Book Review: Scion of Ikshvaku (Ram Chandra #1) by Amish Tripathi

इश्वाकू के वंशज by Amish Tripathi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is no doubt one of the great work by Ameesh. I am very inspired by his writing style and thinking pattern. The success of this writer is his new methodology of imagination beyond the traditional Ithihasa. The Life of Ram, with new flavor and color. The raise and low inside the story is amazing. Jai shree ram

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Bending and re-telling the actual story with whooping level of imagination is Amish’s usual way of entertaining and he strikes again, “The Scion Of Ikshvaku” is for the people who do not whole-heartedly believe in the Raamayan.

Ram. The prince of Sapt Sindhu. Son of Chakravartin Samrat Dasarat. Yet he is considered inauspicious and his birth year is marked as tainted 7032 for the defeat Dasarat faced. While Sapt Sindu is facing bankruptcy, Raavan’s Lanka is blooming with golden streets. Ram knows that his father’s ways of ruling are not efficient. But as ideal son, he refuses to rebel against Dasarat. He gains the hatred of elites to whom Bharat is dearly. Ram needs to regain back his misinterpreted name among his people. And Lakshman, Ram’s shadow, finds that their guru Vashista is associated with a naga. At the corner of his mind, he believes that Vashista could harm Ram.

Kaikeyi plays fair to make Bharat as the crown-prince and all the pieces of the puzzle are falling into her chamber with the wealthy Manthara’s guidance. On the other hand, Kausalya and Sumitra are trying to establish their statuses in Dasarath’s palace. While Ram stays idealistic, Bharat grows up to be practical and real. Ancient India had paved way for many civilizations that followed the two ways of living (rather rebelling): masculine & feminine ways. Ram needs to choose between the two. And the Vayuputra counsel is with the Asuras. While guru Vashista allies with Nagas, Guru Vishvamitra is allied with Malyaputras. Ram helps Vishvamitra in tackling the asuras who attacked Akatsyakootam. And yes, Ram seeks a woman to love and respect. He doesn’t believe in polygamous marriage and in his wife, he doesn’t want a soul to compete for equality but wants to be complimentary, completing each other. He finds his companion in Sita. And once again, the demon king Raavan crosses Ram’s path and Ram knocks him down with Daivi Astras after which he’s banished from Sapt Sindhu for 14 years following Dastrat’s orders. Kaikeyi plays her role perfectly.
Excellent remodelling of the ancient epic. I loved the efforts Amish has put to bring up the description of Ayodhya, Mithila & Lanka. You could actually imagine the way the cities were built and the organization of the people. Raavan comes here and there in few chapters, yet you can understand the mightiness and fear he had cultivated. The first part of RamChandra series ends with Sita’s abduction and in the second part, if am not wrong, we’ll be facing Ram’s hard hitting fate, Sita’s strong will, Lakshman’s incontestable support, Hanuman’s undisputed royalty and the furious Raavan en masse.

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The parts I liked the most:
•The death of Roshini reminded me of Nirbhaya. And the juvenile who was spared by Ram reminded me of Kasab. It was very realistic and proved how rules are bended for the criminals to escape. Atlast, Manthara has got a strong reason to hate Ram.
•The part where Ram met Sita for the first time was hilarious. The short-tempered quick-witted Lakshman scores in that particular chapter.
•At many places, I found myself denying Ram’s ideologies and agreed with Bharat’s ideologies of ruling. Yes, he sounded diplomatic and dynamic.
•Ram and Sita names their piece of land as the “land of pure life” and the name Sita opted made me rejoice

•The meeting of Lankan Surpanakha and the Ayodhi brothers was bitter as expected. Jatayu’s death left me paralyzed.

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Negative :
Sita’s suyamvar. Too much of imagination and the entire suyamvar has been modified.

Amish’s sophistication in the contemporary writing is lime-lighted through the thoughts he had expressed throughout the book… I would like to share few quotes that I cherished.
1. There is a school of thought which states that brute force can only be met with equal brute force. One fights fire with fire, Ram.
2. Dharma and death are interlinked. In a sense, a tally sheet was drawn at the end of one’s mortal life. If there was an imbalance, the soul would’ve to return to physical form in another mortal body; if the accounts were in balance and karma was in alignment with dharma, then the soul would attain ultimate salvation release from the cycle of rebirth, and reunification with the ultimate soul, the paramatma , the ekam, the brahma.
3. True leader will take sin upon his soul for the good of his people

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P.S. Will be waiting to discover the dark side of the descendant of Ikshvaku clan. Oh Amish ! Release the second book of Ram Chandra series ASAP