RAMAYANA : Divine Loophole (and another swap)

First: The last two posts and the next 2-3 have been drafted and scheduled by me before I have come away on a vacation visiting relatives. I might be able to type out the odd "fresh"one once in a while when I get some online time like now, and am keying in this bit to a scheduled post.

Second:  Zoe at playing by the book is hosting another International postcard swap for families. We had participated last year, and had had a lot of fun choosing postcards, writing letters for the families we had to send them to, choosing a small gift that we could post with each letter and posting them. Then we just had to wait for the letters that we were to receive to arrive in the post. It was like Forrest Gump's mother says about a box of chocolates-"You never know what you would get!" Other than the enjoyment we derived from the whole exercise, A learnt a lot about how the postal system works, as we hardly send or receive any personal letters by post in these days of instant messaging. We also took the opportunity to learn some things about the places we sent letters to or received them from. A lesson in geography and history! As a bonus, we also made some friends that we connected with across the world. In all, a rewarding experience.

So when Zoe posted about the 2011 postcard swap, we were quick to sign up. Anyone can do so, by sending her a mail at zoe (dot) toft (at) kuvik (dot) net and she will send you the details. You may also access her post for the details. As she says, participants have to be willing to send at least a postcard with a book recommendation to at least five families internationally. Have fun!

And now for today's review. The book was lent to me by my good friend Choxbox who in turn was gifted it by Utbt. Thanks, ladies!

Pic courtesy flipkart


RAMAYANA
Divine Loophole
Written and illustrated by Sanjay Patel
Ages 6+
Published by Chronicle books

Indian children grow up with a regular dose of their mythology. Everything in our homes, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the customs we follow, the languages we speak with all the connotations, the festivals we celebrate- all resonate with our mythological stories and folklore. The very first stories at bedtime have the characters Ram, Sita, Hanuman, Krishna, etc., and their escapades. This ensures that these children are no strangers to the great epics of our country- The Ramayana and the Mahabharatha.

Now consider a child who has never come across these stories from our mythology, but would like to read them nevertheless. Just pick up Sanjay Patel's Ramayana- Divine Loophole, and read it.

The book, written by Sanjay Patel, a veteran Pixar studio animator, condenses the epic into bite-sized morsels, pithily titled, and easily digestible by all. For example- pages where he describes Ravana are titled 'Desperate Demon' and 'Cosmic Bully.' Those about Shoorpanakha are 'Fatal Attraction' and 'Nosey Demon.' The page where Rama's army is standing looking across over the sea to Lanka, wondering how to bridge it is titled 'Oceans Apart.' Apt.

The language used is what a youngster will call 'Cool!' The book begins with Ravana, describing him thus-"Since this is an epic story, let's start with the most scandalous of characters: the bad guy. This is no ordinary bad guy; we're talking about a ten-headed demon with bad teeth!"

When Sugriva promises to help Rama find Sita, "Sugriva and Jambavan assured Rama that he would also have the help of their families." This is followed by a page with a full page illustration of a variety of monkeys on trees and many bears too.-"THEIR ENTIRE FAMILIES."

There are many things in the Ramayana inconceivable to modern, especially western sensibilities. The writer, keeping these in mind, does add a bit of his own, eliciting a smile. On the page about the agnipareeksha of Sita, after the war, we have Rama apologising to Sita, and the page ends with "Times have changed, as have customs, but love has always been complicated."

For this is unabashedly for the western reader interested into a first dip into this great epic. After the story, we have a glossory with biographies of all the characters involved- whether Rama, Sita, Dashrath, the queens, the princes, the demons or the monkeys and other animals- Jambavan, Jatayu, Hanuman, Angad, the works. We also have a detailed line-map of the path taken by Rama in his exile, as also a chapter on the actual art of the fabulous illustrations.

I do have a few bones to pick, though. For one, the buildings illustrated are more like those one may encounter in the Middle East and Turkey, and are not at all like those that might have existed in India in the period of the Ramayana. We do have the Taj Mahal and other masterpieces of Mughal architecture, but that was much later. Secondly, Ravana had 10 heads, not 9! Thirdly, the font needs a magnifying glass. Surely no space could have been saved by using such a miniscule one!

As the author says in the foreword, "I'm certain that, for most people, 'Ramayana' (RHA-mah-YAH-nah) is just an unpronounceable word. But for me, the Ramayana is part of my cultural identity...the world of the Ramayana was ingrained in me as a kid through the details of living with Hindu parents."

A read the book at one sitting, and was enchanted by it. I have told her a lot of the individual stories that make up the Ramayana, as bedtime tales, but as she put it after reading the book :"Finally, Aai, I know what the Ramayana is all about!" So now I can introduce the child to more detailed versions, which she is sure to enjoy in context!
I am entering this review for the Reading the world challenge 2011 over at Papertigers for A under the US of A, as it is written and illustrated by Sanjay Patel, who works there for the Pixar animation studio, and his illustrations bear the unmistakeable stamp of someone working in animation.

Also entering it for the Read a myth challenge hosted by by Bina of Bibliojunkie.

Also entering it for 2011 South Asian challenge at S. Krishna's books.