The original Ramayana—a classic tale of war between absolute Good and Evil—was written 3,000 years ago by Valmiki, a reformed thief-turned-sage. Now, with breathtaking imagination, Indian novelist Ashok K. Banker has recreated this epic tale for modern readers everywhere. The ill-fated Sita is now the prisoner of Ravana, king of rakshasas. To win her back, Rama and his loyal vanar friend Hanuman have assembled a vast army. Desperate, and using only their wits and bare hands, they must build a rock bridge across the ocean to Lanka. Even as they toil, Sita is sentenced to death by her captors. Her only hope now lies with Hanuman. Meanwhile, Hanuman discovers the shocking secret of his true identity, and his faith in Rama triggers extraordinary new powers. He is quickly dispatched to Lanka, to the homeland of the rakshasa demon race, in one final attempt to rescue Rama’s beloved and to prevent a terrible, tragic war.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Ashok Banker is 38, a full-time writer living in Bombay.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Banker Proves His Story Telling Still In Top Form,
By Richard Marcus (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bridge of Rama (Ramayana series) (Paperback)
Banker Proves His Story Telling Is Still In Top Form, March 17, 2006
Reviewer: gypsyman from Kingston Ontario Canada Once in a while, an author manages to captivate you so completely that you are drawn into the world they've created without even noticing. You open the pages of the book, and the next thing you know you're on page one hundred, two hours have passed, and you've no recollection of when you started reading. What's truly amazing is that you don't even feel like you've been reading. It feels like there is an external voice whispering the story in your ear and the only effort required on your part is to listen. There's no fighting to understand what the author means, or feeling of being spoon fed information in order to lead you to some inevitable outcome. It's like having your own personal storyteller sitting on your shoulder. This is the case with the work of Indian author Ashok Banker. The first four books of his adaptation of the Ramayana have all been like that, and book five, Bridge of Rama is no exception. Bridge Of Rama picks up the story where we left off; Rama's wife Sita has been kidnapped by the King of the Ausras (bestial demon type creatures) Ravana, and taken back to his island home of Lanka. Rama and his allies, the vanar, an ape like people, are massing on the shores of the mainland hoping to find a way across the final hurdle of the ocean so they can rescue Sita. Even when the devoted Hanuman, the vanar to first recognise Rama's inherit greatness, returns at the head of an army of countless number of his own kind, plus an additional army of rksa (bears) the seemingly insurmountable problem of crossing the ocean is before them. After dismissing the idea of building boats to transport them as impractical, they settle on building a bridge. At first, this too seems an impossible task, until one of the vanar strikes upon a plan that utilizes their major strengths, their willingness, and their numbers. All of a sudden, their goal appears within reach. That is until Rama is visited by the shade of his father who informs him that if he is not able to rescue his darling within twenty-four hours it will be too late. Aside from beings of great strength and courage, the bears also turn out to be repositories of all knowledge. They remember their incarnations, and thus all the events of not only this lifetime, but lifetimes dating back generations. They are therefore able to reveal a secret that the Gods have long kept hidden from Hanuman: that he is actually the illegitimate son of Marut, the god of Wind. The events that occur in this story are exciting and well paced but ther are also a means of expressing themes. Travels and journies take place on more than just the physical plane in Ashok Banker's Ramayana. This is a story of faith; faith in one's self and where we find it, and faith in the veracity of our chosen path. Doubts plague us all weakening our resolve and literally bring us to a standstill. Doubt in your abilities to accomplish something and you will never accomplish it. Doubt in what you believe in and you will continually second guess all your actions and be rendered immobile. Blind faith, faith, which has no justification or basis to rest on ends up being hollow and unable to sustain itself. Those who follow Ravana have given themselves over to him body and spirit and have little or nothing left for the nurturing of self. Without that, they are unable to grow beyond their bestial appetites and are continually at the mercy of their baser selves. As Ravana desires complete control over his followers, this works to his advantage as it allows him to dominate through fear and intimidation. But this form of rule is not fertile ground for loyalty or individuality, and contributes to the stagnation of the inhabitants of Lanka. Ravana sees his subjects as objects at his disposal, to make use of as his needs dictate, and thus cares not a whit for their aspirations and desires. Unless of course they happen to coincide with his own, or if, he can contrive to utilize them to achieve his own ends. In the character of Hanuman Mr. Banker shows over the course of two books the process that is necessary for the development and utilization of faith. In Armies Of Hanuman the young vanar learns to recognise and appreciate the values that are expressed by Prince Rama. As Rama expresses faith in his abilities, Hanuman begins to not only have faith in himself, but when the time comes is ready to accept his godly aspect with humility and awe. His only desire is to utilize these powers in repayment for the faith shown in him. Rama leads by example, never threatening and always grateful. By reciprocating the faith of his followers, he elevates their sense of self worth, which precipitates growth and loyalty. Hanuman's devotion to Rama and his faith in the precepts he adheres to provide him with the strength to overcome all of his inner demons and insecurities. What makes Bridge Of Rama work as both an entertaining story, which it is, and an exploration of faith and other ideals, is Banker's ability to integrate plot and thought seamlessly. Even at the books most philosophical moments, you only ever hear the voice of the character, never the author. His characters are so well created and thought out, that every word out of their mouths is believable and fits into who they are. Rama, Sita, Ravana, and Hanuman are just the tip of the iceberg for this attention to detail. No matter how minor a role the character could have in the story, each has their own distinct voice, and stands out from the rest of the crowd. Mr. Banker's eye for detail, and his descriptive turn of phrase allows the reader to feel like they are seeing their surroundings through the eyes of the person who's there. Sita's exploration of the tower floor that she is being held captive on, and her gradual realization that what she thought was a forest grove is actually something else is a fine example. Little clues are offered up to make her suspicious, but what finally tips it over the edge is the fact that the moonlight covers every surface of everything. Instead of just illuminating the tops of leaves, their undersides are just as bright. As we haven't really understood where she is being held up until that point, the realization that she is in some sort of magical prison strikes us both as the same time. With Bridge Of Rama Ashok Banker confirms himself to be one the best storytellers of our time. Not only does he create memorable characters, but has the ability to describe their circumstances and situations in a manner so vivid that you can almost feel the breeze he describes blowing on your face. Within the context of the series Bridge Of Rama is somewhat akin to the drawing in of breath before the last battle. The forces are gathering in one place for their final confrontation and the leaders are marshalling their thoughts. With Sita remaining Ravana's captive, there is now no other choice for Rama but to invade and attempt to rescue his wife. What will happen when Rama and Ravana finally confront each other? How much of themselves will they each see in the other? In my minds eye I can see the countless bears and vanar beginning to line the bridge from the main land to Lanka making their way across the treacherous ocean. I can't wait to join them for the last chapter of the Ramayana
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bridges bridging generation gap,
This review is from: Bridge of Rama (Ramayana series) (Paperback)
What I love about Ashok Banker's style of writing is the way he engages the imagination of an entire generation of kids being brought up on an intensely audio-visual world with slick productions and video games. I cannot thank him enough for having made this ancient tale come alive for my American-born 21st century kid who proudly takes Banker's books to school for reading hour. Every parent and child out there who need to grapple with issues of identity, cross-culturalism etc. absolutely need to read this series.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Banker's Best Yet!!!!,
By kanjisheik (Pondicherry, India) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bridge of Rama (Ramayana series) (Paperback)
To tell you the truth, I felt that Bridge of Rama is Ashok's best book yet!!! The narrative is fluid, he never lets down the pace a bit, and the book is so so cool... Everything in the book is PERFECT!!!
Rama and the huge armies of vanaras and bears have reached the southern coast of the mainland, and are busy building a bridge to Lanka. Meanwhile, Hanuman discovers his special powers. But sita's life is in peril; hence, Hanuman has to undertake a daring mission- to leap into Lanka and bring Sita back. Hanuman assumes centrestage in this book- he is truly one of the best characters in the Ramayana series. The readers can identify with him, because of his immense faith in his lord Rama. The way the author shifts the narrative from Hanuman's POV to Ravana's POV and back, is just too good, and the battles between Hanuman and the rakshasas are awesome!! The scene where Hanuman and Sita talk to each other, is one of the best moments of the book.. One of the things that set this series apart from other versions is that the author spends a lot of time in Lanka, thus enabling us to understand more about Ravana, Mandodhari, Supanakha, Vibhisena, Indrajit, etc... And that continues in this book too. Banker really scores in the dialogues between various characters. The scene where Hanuman describes the truth in Ravana's court and lavishly praises Ravana is portrayed beautifully. And the climax of the book, where Hanuman sets Lanka on fire, is absolutely magnificent.. At this rate, i'll run out of superlatives trying to describe Bridge of Rama :~)... I think that 10 on 10 says it all!!!!
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