Ayodhya was readying itself for the coronation of Prince Rama, the eldest son of Dasharatha, when Kaikeyi — the king's youngest queen — called in two boons she had been promised long ago. What followed was an exile that became an epic: fourteen years of forest, war, friendship, and the testing of a prince's every virtue.
Asmita Sapre Ranganathan retells Valmiki's Ramayana in the champu-kavya form — an ancient style that alternates poetry and prose. Some poems are narrative, driving the story forward. Others are lyrical or reflective, pausing on a moment or a character's inner state. The result is a book that neither compresses the epic into a children's summary nor requires the reader to work through an unabridged translation. It is complete enough to follow the full arc of the story, and concise enough to read in one sustained engagement.
For readers who grew up hearing the Ramayana but have never read it straight through, or for those who want to return to it in a form that preserves something of its literary character, this is an accessible and considered retelling.
ABOUT THE BOOK:- The land of Ayodhyā was preparing for the coronation of her beloved Prince Rāma, the eldest son of King Dasharatha. Just then, Kaikeyi, the youngest queen of the king, asked for the two boons that the king had once promised he would grant her. Would the coronation happen as planned, or did the prince have a different path written in his destiny? What adventures would he face? What friendships would he make while navigating this path? Would his virtues and integrity be his friends in this journey? This book tells the story of Vālmīki's Rāmāyana, an ancient, much-loved epic, the very fabric of Indian culture, in the author's own words, using alternating poetry and prose. This is an ancient style, the Champu-kāvya. Some poems are narrative, others are reflective, and some are lyrical. Simple and concise, this book helps any reader grasp this vast epic with ease.
.png)
