Enduring appeal of the Ramayana

SAURASHTRA RAMAYANU (Saurashtra): Thata Subramaniam; Sreshta Saurashtra Sahitya Sabha, 97-B, West Masi Street, Madurai-625001. Rs. 50.

THE STORY of Ramayana has inspired poets and literary men through the ages. Loftiness and grace attach to the Ramayana and its characters. So it has been rendered in almost all the major languages of the world. The present book, published on the occasion of the silver jubilee of Bhashabhimani, is a welcome addition to the Saurashtra language literature.

In the last century after Kavi Venkatasuri's Sangita Ramayana we have Vachana Ramayana by Prof. Rama Rai. These books have been written in classical style requiring the assistance of scholars to understand them properly. But the book under review is presented in a simple language for the benefit of the common people. The movement of stanzas is natural and unimpeded. The pictures are perfect and straight. The author's talent as an excellent poet is reflected in the poems, saturated with imageries, natural depictions, melody and other literary beauties.

Following Valmiki the author has presented the theme adorning it with local colouring and reflecting the regional customs and habits and cultural pattern. He draws parallels from the art of weaving and weaves words to shine like silk fabrics. He compares fish in a brook rushing hither and thither to a shuttlecock moving in opposite direction in handloom weaving.

The work consists of six cantos with 1023 songs written in clear, crisp and modern Saurashtra language. The 275 stanzas in Sundara Parva are superb.

Apart from using existing words in the Saurashtra language, the author has coined new words and phrases and one can collect about 5000 words which will enrich the language. At a time when young scholars are preparing a new Saurashtra-Tamil-English Dictionary on the model of Saurashtra -English Dictionary by the Japanese Professor, Uchida Noriko, this book will be very useful. In the story the author has omitted incidents such as the fire ordeal by Sita before joining Rama as he felt that it was not in tune with the noble characteristics of the hero.

The author has rendered a great service to Saurashtra language and literature and the book deserves to be preserved in the houses of those who love the language.

R. V. SOWLEE

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