Book Review -Ramayana: The Game of Life: Stolen Hope (Book 3) by ShubhaVilas

Title: Ramayana: The Game of Life: Stolen Hope (Book 3)

Author: Shubha Vilas

Publisher: Jaico Publishing House

ISBN: 978-81-8495-532-3

Number of Pages: 312

Price: 299 [INR]

Genre: Mythology

Seek Courage when everything,including hope,is stolen.

This is what I call a  perfect pitch!

And of course a personalised note by the author.

Appreciate that.

This is a book that ones highly recommended by stalwarts like Mr Anup Jalota ,Mr Mahesh Jethmalani and Ms Namita Gokhale. This is all about religion and philosophy and belief in Karma and a huge chasm between good and evil.

Exactly. 

Hubby dear did a double take...

Well, I'm a Game of Thrones person. Where was I getting entrenched in the game of life? 

But books must be read, and reviews must be written.

A little rewind to my review of the previous book by Mr Shubha Vilas -Shattered Dreams  ,will tell you what a disbeliever I am. 

Cynical is not such a good word.

I am entrenched in faith. Krishna is my support system. And were Mr Shubha Vilas not an Iskon person, I would have scoffed some and more.

This book took me a while ,so bear with me...

My Review 

The story begins in a forest of Central India , with Araja ,the daughter of Sage Sukracharya having been ravaged by the banished King Danda of the SuryaVansh. The sage cursed the King and that forest with a rain of fire ,destroying everything it touched. So then this forest rejuvenated as the Dandakarnya forest or the forest of King Danda's misdeeds or the jungle of punishment.

Long after, sages and hermits made this forest their home,but were constantly troubled by demons or Rakshasas. Until Lord Rama came to rid this forest of all their evil.

Essentially,the book is about Ram, Sita and Lakshmana's exile in the forest. 

How they encounter the demons and deal with them , freeing the sages from the 

This is where the trio are spending the last days of their exile. 

Shubha Vilas has beautifully highlighted the relationship of Ram and Sita. Wherein the two believe themselves to be two parts of a whole. One breathing for the other. One living for the other. One thinking for the other . The same thoughts and the same simplicity and the same adoration.

Then there is the relationship of Rama and Laxman. For once,Laxman is portrayed as a normal young man. Not servile, not subservient or just a blind follower. Intelligent and creative.  He's the one who makes their lives comfortable. With superbly designed houses made out of organic material. The rapport between the brothers is also natural,with humour,anger and camaraderie shining through.

The incident in which a fat and ugly , narcissistic demoness called Srupnakha falls lustily in love with Rama.He gently revokes her affections even though she calls Sita scrawny and ugly. (That is called godly behaviour. If any one, ever ,makes fun of my spouse, I will  have his/her eye balls for breakfast.)

And then Lakshmana cuts off her nose. And she goes crying to her brothers Khara nd Dushana ,who in their arrogance move to slaughter Ram and Lakshmana. 

And then their defeat brings in Ravana.

Well, the story we all know...

What I never knew was why Marich agreed to become the elusive deer...

And how Ravana, who I believe was an educated and sensible Brahmin , fell from glory.

Well ,he was the son of the learned sage Vishravas and Rakshasi Kaikashi. He was destined to be great. But the Ramayana portrays him as the antagonist. Someone has to be the anti hero, we cannot all be good.

But I have also read otherwise, and in the states of South India ,the festival of Dussera is not celebrated because they revered Ravana.

Contradictions.

Whether you are a sceptic or a believer, there is a lot for you to learn from this book. And the author ends the book with a little statement...

                            

        Just as only extraordinary species are caged in a zoo for people to view in wonder,the mind only captures the memories of special souls to recollect in wonder.

Just so you know - I do not approve of zoos. Now ,a sanctuary is fine.

Don't read this book as a part of the Ramayana. You already know the story. 

Read this for the nuances that you never knew. 

And read it also for some insight into the way an unblemished mind functions. 

And also to remember that one must always pay his debts. And that hope is what drives you out of the abyss.

So begin  Stolen Hope with an open mind. Only then will you appreciate a work like this.

So what are you reading today???

The Best seller She Wrote -Book Review

A Book review.

I have been living on a diet of thrillers and murder mysteries for the past month or so. Ruth Rendall and Patricia Cornwell have been keeping my spectacles company, thanks to my friendly neighbourhood librarian. Dr Scarpetta seems to be walking in the ridges of my grey matter. 

More words to wander in.

"The BestSeller She Wrote" arrived in the mail a few days back. 

So I set my part mouldy, part dog eared books aside to make room for an Indian author. Full attention to Mr Ravi Subramanian. 

After all Mr Modi insists that we must Make in India.

First impressions are hard to shake.

So I'll put those down first. 

Yellow. 

Ugh. 

Not a very reader friendly colour.

"Soon to be a motion picture."

Obviously,next we'll hear of the author being embroiled in a brouhaha about movie rights and script rights etc. Been there,seen that.

What was the big idea of releasing a book if it must be made into a script?

Fame? Money? Vanity?

Ravi Subramanian revealed some secrets of the publishing industry in this book. So all he budding authors, read this book.

Next on, the guy on the cover. You can't pass a 25 something to be 40 years old. 

This is not a Mills and Boon Romance.

It took me a day to get over the cover.

Time was ticking, I had to review the book in 7 days and also be part of two events.

Sleep deprivation and reading in the washroom was so not worth it.

I don't want to be the toxic bitch here, but I'll try to put in some nice words.

The books revolves around a successful author-full time banker, part time family man, part time author, almost Chetan Bhagat like in stature- only this one is supposed to be handsome.

How he manages to write his books and work in a bank that needs all your attention seems to be akin to Hawkeye from The Avengers.

Superhuman. 

Someone give me that power. 

Or maybe a couple of pairs of invisible arms. 

So much to do and so less time.

Happy family, wife Maya, is the contented IIM lady involved in social work ,working for guess who? Neeta Ambani.  

Young Child ,Aryan, who never finds a mention,except for his name.

Banker and author Aditya Kapoor is a superbly charming guy who is VAIN, Selfie conscious and all that. 

He has the bestest friend a man can have ,Sanjay ,who always has his back.

And who is a voracious reader.

Chance encounter with a young lady Shreya, who is arrogant and rude but converts to his bestest fan overnight when she reads his books.

So ,she joins his bank ,Hindi movie style and then hooks her talons into his helpless (sic) skin.

And Aditya falls hook ,line and sinker.

And then there is seduction ,of the style of the 70's Hindi movies. When two flowers were shown coming together because the censor board did not permit it.

We have a reference to eroticism and Aditya's inability to express a sexual encounter. And EL James is even there. 

So where's the sex? 

Oh yes, we're Indian, we just do sex in erotic bestsellers.

And then the author weaves a sordid tale where he justifies attraction and betrayal .

Then Aditya's wife falls ill. And he realises his mistake and tries to get away from the leech.

But she has other things on her mind.

She needs to ensure blackmailing him to get her book published.

And the book gets published. Before time .

And then becomes a bestseller because of all the sordid interest created by the gutter press.

And the Aditya Kapoor redeems himself by offering the truth to the whole world and ends up painting Shreya with muck.

Intentional?

She was bad, but the entire million odd words had nothing good about Aditya Kapoor. He finally realises that Cheating on his spouse is like throwing away a diamond and picking up fool's gold. So he was greedy. I knew it.

So well, I don't want this post to be a spoiler, because the end is the best part of the book. 

Aditya Kapoor acknowledges that cheating is not a mistake,it's a choice.

But the blatant violation his marriage vows and continuation of the affair was what put me off. That and repeated references to authors like Amish , Chetan Bhagat and Ravi Subramanium himself was another cheesy bit.

The friend was not really a friend,if she went along with that neurotic ,obsessive,possessive tendencies that Shreya possesses. 

The end reinstates that what goes around,comes around. 

And that by vitiating someone's reputation and family life , it's not going to spell something good for you either.

But as a woman, I need to know...

Why did Aditya walk away and Shreya take the brunt of the ill will?

You'll need to read this to know the way out.

My verdict.

I'm all about Love ,sex and dhoka.  

And blood and murders and complicated relationships. 

And loneliness.

And bad childhood memories.

And good books.

If I had to buy this book to read it.... I wouldn't have been really happy.

I'll give this book 2 stars out of 5.

I am reviewing  ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!