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Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part A

This is a depiction of Rama and Sita's wedding, the result of many years of preparation as hundreds of thousands of people had to migrate to the city for the wedding, and the stars had to align to the perfect position.

I have just begun reading Narayan's The Ramayana and am enjoying it immensely. The descriptions of the characters and the great tales of evil and heroism are fantastic, and Narayan does such a wonderful job of conveying the intense emotions in the original poetry through prose.

My favorite part of the story so far has been the background for Rama not becoming king when we was meant to towards the end of Part A. The ultimate importance of keeping one's word that trumps even the love of the entire world, sending Rama into the forest, is something that I think we've certainly lost today, and something that Narayan conveys very well. I also like all of his descriptions of the relationships between the characters - there are some that are so closely tied it is like death to be apart, and others that rely on proximity alone, but carry no emotional weight. The loyalties of all of the characters to certain others are fascinating to read about, as well.

I like that he spends a lot of time describing the landscape, because I imagine that in the original poetry that was such an important part of setting the mood for every scene/interaction.


Citation:

  • Narayan, R. K. (2006). The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. London: Penguin Books.
  • Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/144060333@N07/30382454521

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