Thursday 28 January 2016

Book Review - Ramayana – The Game of Life : Stolen Hope



Name of Book : Ramayana – The Game of Life : Stolen Hope
The Author: Shubha Vilas
Year of release : 2106
Published by :Jaico Publishing House
No. of Pages:312
Cover: Paperback
Genre: Mythological / Epic
Book Price: Rs. 299
Copy: Blogadd Review Copy
 

The wealth of knowledge that lies within our ancient Indian scriptures is unparalleled in the world. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are epics in their own right, and we’re sure that there are answers to any moral, social, political and even spiritual questions that you might have hidden in their pages. All of us can learn a lot to learn from these books, but lack of time and will power to flip through such huge tomes are obstacles in our way. To remedy this, Author Subha Vilas has presented the third volume of the ‘Ramayana – The Game Of Life’ series for us.

About the Author:
Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization 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

About the Book:
In the evil labyrinths of Dandakaranya forest, human values are put to test. Rama’s righteousness, Lakshmana’s loyalty and Sita’s endurance reflect our own sense of values and judgment in difficult times. The story unfolds the facets of human life – the conflict and trickery, the praise, the slander and above all, the hope and the despair in the eventful forest life of exiled royals.

Stolen Hope is about extreme deception and extreme love. It is about arrogant power and deep devotion. With every twist and turn, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana find themselves robbed of whatever and whoever they valued the most.

Exploring the dynamics of human relations – between father and son, husband and wife, teacher and disciple – and the complex game of power and greed, Stolen Hope mirrors our own dilemmas in the modern world and teaches us how we must overcome them.

About the Story:
Ramayana – The Game of Life : Stolen Hope, is an account of thirteen years of Rama’s exile along with Sita and Laxmana who accompanied him in the arduous mission. This time, the story starts with King Danda violating the modesty of Shukracharya’s daughter Araja and thus cursing of Shukracharya that his kingdom would turn into a place of animal-like humans and will become home to the jungle humans ever known. Due to the curse, within some time the kingdom becomes jungle known as ‘Dandakaranya’.  

The story then moves with how Rama, Sita & Lakshmana wander the forests relocating to Dandakaranya forests, where they learn many things meeting sages and relieving people from curses, etc., A storm hits the story when Shurpanakha falls in love with Rama when she sees him.  

The story then deals with the abduction of Sita. And finally ends with Lord Rama meeting Shabri who hands over a map to the duo to find the wonder monkeys in the Kinkishdha forest for assisting them in rescuing Sita.

Opinion:
We all have heard or rather read about the story of Ramayana  however, what makes this book different from others is the extreme detailing and the interpretation of acts which contributes to the development of our own perspective about the Ramayana.

The main USP of this book according to me are the footnotes. The author has added footnotes on the take-aways and learning that can be imbibed from this epic. The author has also done the great job by providing the summary of the past two books in the inception of the Book 3 which makes the readers to read and follow the story easily.

After completing the reading of this series,  I am eagerly waiting for the next (4th) part where Rama will meet Hanuman and Sugriva. The trailer of part 4 sparks the curiosity of readers..

Final Word
I will strongly recommend this book to everyone who loves epics.


This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Sunday 24 January 2016

एक मुर्देमे जान आयी

एक मुर्देमे फिरसे जान आयी
रंग रंगीली दुनिया उससे फिर भायी

हॉटेलमे जाकर खाना मंगवाया
उसे देखकर मालिक घबराया

दफ्तर में जाके कोने में छुप गया
दोस्तो की आवाजे सुनने लगा

एकने कहा मरा भी तो ऐसे दिन मरा
मेरी एक लीव्ह  बर्बाद कर गया

दुसरे ने कहा लडका पास हुआ है
नौकरी की तलाश में भटक रहा है

अब एक सीट खाली हो गयी है
मेरे लडके की तकदीर खुल गयी है

एकने कहा, बडा लफडेबाज था
रिश्तेदारो में बडा बदनाम था

दुखी होकर घर पहुचा
घरमें  पराया मर्द पाया

लडके आपस में झगड रहे थे
बट्वारे की बात कर रहे थे

जिंदगी की सच्चाई मरने के बाद समझ में आयी
मुर्दे की तो जान ही खतरे में आ गयी

कहत कबीरा सून मेरे भाइयो
सुखी होना है तो मुर्दा बनके ही रहीयो!!!

- नंदिनी मुळ्ये (कुमुद)