Growing up in the nineties had its own perks. We have binged on the best cartoons and the best comics. Days didn’t feel complete without the usual round of Tom and Jerry and an Amar Chitra Katha or two. But summers were the best! Switching channels and fighting with siblings to tune into Cartoon Network’s special Sunday offering, The Legend of Prince Ram. And you could watch that cartoon a million times but you could never get enough of it. You felt proud after watching the show as you felt that now you had an idea about Indian mythology and proudly recited the entire story to whoever would listen to you, forgetting a few characters and making new ones on the way.
But that was around a decade ago. How does one keep up with Indian mythology now? How do we engage youngsters in our Indian epics when they are far more interested in the screens of their mobile phones and tablets? What we notice these days is that children as young as five years are more interested in English TV shows than shows that depict stories like the Mahabharata or the Ramayana.
But luckily for worried parents this Diwali is nothing but a ray of sunshine because of the new-age Rishi-Munis in the form of contemporary authors who are here to bring about a change in people’s mindsets. Now, if someone came up to you and told you that Ravan’s Pushpak Vimaan is actually a well-equipped spaceship, what would you do think of the person? Either that the person was out of his/her mind or that what he/she said actually made sense. But that’s exactly what the plan is.
The new way to introduce youngsters to our rich heritage is through the modern retellings of the great Indian epics. Take Amish Tripathi’s Ram Chandra Series, the first book in the series released just a few months ago and anywhere you look, the cover of the book greets you. Read by teenagers and everyone else out there, it’s a sure-shot hit! And how can one forget Ashok Banker’s Ramayana Series.
Fantasy and adventure aptly describe the premise of the book. Ram is nothing less than a superhero in these books.
Simplifying Indian writings is what these mavericks are up to. Getting everyone involved, making shocking revelations, introducing characters in new ways and making people enjoy history is their aim and they are fulfilling it to the core.
For those ones who believe that history should be preserved the way it is and who feel that it is no less than a crime to retell the Ramayana or the Mahabharata, fear not! For the very talented, Devdutt Pattnaik provides his version of the classics in a no-nonsense way in his books. Be it Sita or Jaya, his books have been enjoyed and appreciated everywhere.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your hot new favourites and gift them to your beloved ones this Diwali and get lost in the magical world that is Indian culture!
Tags: Books on Ram Books on Ramayana Epic epic Ramayana Ramayana
