ರ್ದೋವಿಗ್ಲ bali demands that Sita perform the fire purity test, using Sita‘s exile as his justification. Sita then challenges Rama to forget dharma for a moment and bring her back to Ayodhya without the fire test. Rama, true to his nature, cannot ignore dharma even for his dear beloved wife, and so Sita returns to her mother, the Earth herself. Why should Rama have frustrated me, you ask? Well, let me answer your question like this. Whenever I go to a Super bowl party, there is always a fair amount of shouting at the television for the players to make a certain play, etc. That was my reaction to Rama‘s actions in Sons of Sita: in my mind I would be telling Rama what he should do at some point in the story, only to read on and find out that he does the exact opposite! Rama insisting on Sita‘s performance of the fire test was one of those instances. The fact that Mr. Banker is able to evoke such great emotion from a reader is a testament to his writing skill, and the quality of this retelling. In no other Ramayana I have read have the moral dilemmas been so pronounced. His interpretation of the Uttara Kaand (the story after Rama returns to Ayodhya) is the best I have ever read, because it made me reconsider my perception of Rama and his title as the ‚perfect or ideal man‛, the person all of us should aspire to be. My response to Sita‘s challenge was the instinctive one: take her back! But Rama chose to ignore his instincts and follow dharma instead. By far one of the most famous parts of the Ramayana is the vanar Hanuman’s rampage through the city of Lanka. His escapade is described in graphic detail in Book Five, Bridge of Rama. Hanuman dispatches Akshay Kumar (Ravana‘s younger son) easily, swinging his body around his head 1,008 times and then smashing him into the ground. Mr. Banker describes how parts of Akshay were strewn across the battlefield, arms going one way and his head going another. Then, his older brother Indrajit comes along. Now Indrajit is no ordinary warrior. He gets his name from his defeat of Lord Indra himself, King of Devas (Gods), in battle. Indrajit cuts to the chase stringing the celestial arrow of Lord Brahma the Creator upon his bow (this arrow instantly destroys any target). He gives Hanuman the choice of a quick and painless death, or being captured and brought before Ravana. Hanuman chooses the latter, fulfilling his duty as an emissary and telling Ravana to return Sita before the dawn of the next day or else. Ravana, of course, does not heed the warning and has Hanuman’s tail set on fire. Then comes the fun part! Hanuman expands himself until his head is above the clouds and his tail is hundreds of miles long. And then he charges through Lanka, killing millions of rakshasas and destroying thousands upon thousands of buildings, leaving only debris, smoke, and flames in his wake. His rage exhausted, he douses his tail in the ocean and flies back to Rama. The reason this event stood out to me is because of the vividness of Mr. Banker‘s description - it makes you feel like you are within the story itself, witnessing it in person. This effect happens in most other places in the series, and the ability to conjure an image of the scene in the reader’s mind is a difficult skill to master, but master it he did! One does not need to be Hindu or even Indian, to appreciate this masterful retelling of the Ramayana, because it tells a universal story. Ashok K. Banker says in the introduction to his first six books: ‚Let me be clear. This is not Valmiki‘s story. Nor Kamban‘s. Nor Tulsidas‘. Nor Vyasa‘s. Nor R.K. Narayan‘s. Nor Rajaji‘s charming, abridged children’s version. It is Rama‘s story. And Rama‘s story belongs to every one of us.‛ In his introductions, Mr. Banker explains his motivation for writing the series and how it came about. What he does not include is a warning, and so I will add one. Warning: there are some adult themes in this series, as well as detailed descriptions of blood and gore, so this is not a series for the weak of stomach! This series is for anyone who likes action and adventure, and wants a story that can make them reconsider their morals, values, and beliefs about life itself.
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