Adaptation
A new recipe
R. KRITHIKA
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In Ashok Banker's hands, the Ramayana comes into its own.
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The Prince of Ayodhya; Siege of Mithila; Demons at Chitrakut; Armies of Hanuman; Ashok Banker, Penguin, Rs. 295 and Rs. 350.
COMPARED to the Mahabharata and its play of passions, the Ramayana has always seemed a rather bloodless tale of a "perfect man". And after Ramanand Sagar's garish and puerile TV serial, it was impossible to even read the story without seeing the vapid faces of Arun Govil and Deepika Chiklia. In fact, the serial left me feeling sorry for Ravan. Why on earth did he want to saddle himself with a glycerine bottle wrapped in a sari?
The Ramayana (strictly translated, it means The Journey of Rama) has been through many hands — an oral tradition ensured that none would know which was the interpolation and which the original. A bit like cooking — add two tablespoons of family love to one of jealousy; add a pinch of lust, a dash of devotion and coat it all with religion and, presto, a tale is born. It's just that, so far, the Mahabharata mixed its ingredients better.
A different spin
But, in Ashok Banker's hands, the Ramayana (four books so far) comes into its own. Using the bare framework of the story, Banker's Ramayana reads more like Terry Goodkind or Raymond E. Feist or even Terry Brooks. There is the young prince (Rama) on a quest to end the evil represented by Ravana; the wise mage-mentor Vasishta or Vishwamitra; the loyal brother; the loving wife and the faithful friend. If Western fantasy stories have their imps, goblins, trolls and what-have-you, the Ramayana has its nagas, urugas, yakshis, rakshasas, bird men, the vanars...
Banker has turned the "original" story on its head. So you have Ravana interrupting Sita's swayamvar and the rakshasas laying siege to Mithila. Rama is forced to invoke the Brahma-astra but loses the divine protection Vishwamitra has bestowed on him. Ravana also dictates Rama's exile — Manthara is Ravana's disciple and has enslaved Kaikeyi with her black magic.
Thirteen years of Rama's exile are spent fighting demons at Chitrakut, courtesy Surpanakha's unsatiated lust. She eggs her brothers and cousin to take revenge for her disfigurement. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana organise a rag-tag bunch of exiles and bandits into taking on the rakshasas. Banker also introduces Valmiki as one who fights by Rama's side at Chitrakut. The Bersekers in Armies of Hanuman are vaguely reminiscent of the Creepers in Terry Brook's Shannara series. And for once, Sita is no cowering woman. She is a fighter on a par with Rama and Lakshmana, fighting Ravana in an attempt to free herself.
In his introduction, Banker refers to K.M. Munshi's Krishnavatar series, which approached the story of Krishna from a different angle. But Munshi held firm to the supremacy of Dharma (or the Word, as he referred to it). In fact, the religious angle and the need to establish Dharma permeated the story.
Just a tale
Banker, on the other hand, has no such problems. He's just telling a good tale as he sees it. But the clear-cut demarcation between good and bad seems too finely drawn. Either you are good or bad — no shades of grey are allowed. Many folktales and legends depict Ravana as a learned and good man led astray by temptation and too proud to admit that he has made a mistake. This would explain why he left Sita alone in the Ashoka vana. Banker's Ravana would have no compunctions about forcing himself on Sita — which is why it'll be interesting to see how the author will handle Sita's imprisonment in Lanka. More use of magic to protect Sita's chastity?
The other personal crib is the demonising of Vali. Of course this does allow him to whitewash one of the black spots on Rama's character, since the killing of Vali especially by stealth has always been a troubled area. Banker has Rama in a face-to-face confrontation with Vali who offers to help him bring Sita back if he'd just kill Sugreeva instead.
But these are minor issues in an otherwise well-written story. It's high time the Ramayana was told for a more modern audience and Ashok Banker is doing a good job of it.
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