Either of the epics, whether it is the Ramayana, or the Mahabharata would be the favorite of one person or the other. As everyone knows, while Mahabharata was about karma and spirituality, Ramayana was about dharma and righteousness. Ramayana has different versions and perspectives. Each version has its own beauty. Sharda Sharma’s poetry collection “Kavit Ramayan” is a story of Ramayana where the author has written the whole story of Ramayana in verses and poetry format.
As “Kavit Ramayan” is in Hindi language, the book is for those who like to read Hindi literature. It gives the strong sense of being connected with roots whether it is in terms of religion or the message that the epic delivers. The book is very interesting to be read as the writing style of the author is impressive and has the readers in grip from the beginning.
The author has used a language which can be read with the flow of the verse, and this makes the book easy to be understood by everyone. If someone has good comprehending skills in Hindi poetry, then the book would be an enriching and exciting reading experience for that person. The author has written about each incident of Ramayana in detail.
The verses in the book are enriching and full of wisdom. They present an insight which makes the readers ponder and learn at the same time. The author has written each verse with such an honesty that it makes it easier to visualize the scene. The vividness is commendable and the imagination it invokes is noteworthy. For those who know the story of Ramayana, the book would be comparatively easier to understand than those who do not know the story of Ramayana. Since everyone has heard the story through one medium or another as they have grown up, there would hardly be any readers who would not be able to connect with “Kavit Ramayana” by Sharda Sharma.
The book begins with a prayer for lord Ram. Then the author has written about childhood of lord Ram and all the events associated with it. She has written about how ram was in childhood and what kept him busy in childhood. Some important incidents are mentioned through verses. Happiness that has spread through the birth of ram is written in the second verse of the book. “Kavit Ramayan” has more than forty verses. The author has written about Ram’s life with Lakshman. Ram’s life with his parents is also depicted wonderfully in the book. All the Ayodhya events are written in detail in the book. Raja Dashrath and his son, Ram had an unbreakable bond which is presented in the book beautifully through verse. Ram’s wife, Sita had gone through so much along with Ram which is an immensely courageous act to be considered for such a royal queen had faith in morals and ethics a lot. Every relationship was maintained through sacrifice and love by Shri Ram and his wife Sita. In those times, they began loving each other and yet stayed away from each for their parents’ dignity.
The author has written about Ahalya and marriage of Ram and Sita through verse in the book. Incidents like Bharat’s hurtful reactions towards Ram leaving the kingdom for fourteen years have been presented in the book wonderfully.
Each and every war that ram won in his lifetime is written in the book by the author. The author has done an impeccable work through writing verses for the whole story. How Sita got kidnapped by Ravan and Ram’s departure along with the army to take her back is a long journey which the author has written in few verses wonderfully. Jatayu who became a very great friend of Ram during his tough times has been portrayed with respect by the author in the book.
The incident of Soorpankha, the sister of Ravan was that happened when she was trying to woo lord ram and then lord Lakshman which made her noseless is also written in the book. The love of Shabri for lord Ram which was purest is expressed beautifully in the book by the author. Sugreev and Hanuman met lord Ram and considered him as their only mentor is also written by the author. The killing of Ravan and the fight between Ram and Ravan is portrayed with few words beautifully in the book. Sunderkand incident where Ravan’s lanka got burned by Hanuman, the killing incident of Kumbhakaran, the killing incident of Meghnath and such other lesser-known incidents are also written in the book.
While the book is a well-researched record of all that happened, it also presents the insights and allegorical meanings that the epic carries along. It would not be wrong to say that Sharda Sharma’s verse representation in “Kavit Ramayan” would be both an entertaining experience for younger readers and an enlightening one for grown-up readers.
BOOK REVIEW: Akhila Saroha
