Friday 20 February 2015

Ramayana: The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams (Book 2) - A Blogadda Book Review



"Life is a combination of hope and despair, the one that dominates you carves your personality."

Shubha Vilas's latest novel based on the Indian epic, Ramayana is filled with such wonderful motivational quotes while exploring the incidents leading up to Rama's exile and Laxman and Sita's decisions to join him.

For those not familiar with the Indian epic, Ramayana, here's the briefest of description I could conjure up : Lord Rama, King Dasaratha's son and the rightful heir to Ayodhya's throne is sent off to exile, where his wife Sita and brother Laxman decide to join him. They embark on an adventure taking help from the army of the Vanaras when Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the demon king. Ultimately good presides over evil and Rama and Sita are united.

Shubha Vilas's Ramayana: The Game of life series revisits the epic and gives us valuable insights into the sub plots, the characters and what went through their minds at each stage. I was surprised at how relatable it was even in these modern times and how there was something to learn from each page. The great thing about this book is that it serves a dual purpose, it reacquaints the reader with our roots, our national literature and at the same time offers motivation that reader's can absorb and apply in their day-to-day lives. It reads as a self help book, if you will, but with an actual story we Indians have grown up with. Needless to say it caters to every nationality if they had a mind to read it.

Plot: This is the second book in the series Ramayana: The Game of Life. The author has delved deep into the characters and their minds to bring forth the riveting drama of Rama's exile onto paper. And he has achieved this daunting task with elan and then some.
The story revolves around Rama's coronation; the turn of events that leads to the realization of Kaikeyi's boons,  Manthara's scheming and plotting to have Bharat as the rightful king on the throne and King Dasaratha's decision resulting in Rama's exile.

My experience: I loved the crisp flowing writing style and the eye catching footnotes on almost every page offering insights, thoughts on life and motivational quotes from the author. This book also made me want to actually pick up the unabridged Ramayana and relive the famous epic. The extended storyline of 'Ayodhya Kanda', dealt with in this book, explores family ties, societal values and the complex conundrums of human life in general. To say the least I was enraptured and finished the book within record time. I already picked up its predecessor The Rise of the Sun Prince and am looking forward to the next instalment.

The look and feel of the paperback edition of Ramayana: The Game of Life - Shattered Dreams is pleasing to the senses. The cover is beautiful and the play of colours captures the essence of the story. The pages are of good quality and the font is easy on the eyes. The binding however could have been better.

About the author: "Shubha Vilas,  a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialisation in Patent Law. His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions." - Amazon.in

Rating: 4.5/5. I didn't find any flaws with the plot or the writing style and have thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Genre: Mythology
Publisher: Jaico Books
Publication Year: 2015
ISBN No.: ISBN-13: 978-8184955316
Price: INR 350 for around 400 pages

Final Verdict: Intended for all ages, this book is a must-have on your shelf. I can honestly say that you won't regret picking it up even if you aren't a fan of mythologies!
Pick up your copy here: Ramayana: The Game of Life - #2 Shattered Dreams


P.S. A special thanks to blogadda for introducing me to this series. This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!


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