Ramayana-The Game Of Life:Shattered Dreams-Book Review

Shattered Dreams is the sequel to the national bestseller, Rise of the Sun Prince, in the new spiritual and motivational series Ramayana – The Game of Life. Twelve joyful years have passed in Ayodhya since the wedding of Rama and Sita at the end of Book 1. The book is divided into 9 chapters and is around 250 pages. It is easy to read with simple language and fluidity in writing. The first part of the series is mainly about “balakanda” or the early life of Lord Ram.

This book is a sequel to the first part of the series called “Rise of the Sun Prince” which ends at Ram & Sita getting married. 12 years have passed since then and this book narrates about the coronation of Ram, the banishment to the forest & Bharat’s efforts to bring them back. I am not going to go through the basic story of Ramayana all over again as it is very well known but what fascinated me in this book was the way how each character is developed and given equal importance as all other characters and Ram. The book also depicts the romance between Ram & Sita very beautifully. Sita is shown as important as Ram in the shaping of events. The subtle details about how Bharat tries to bring back his brother & sister-in-law are nice to read . Other character sketches I liked are of King Dasharatha and Sage Vishvamitra. In fact this book is equally about Sage Vishvamitra as it is about Ram.

If I have to review this book as an avid reader that i am, it is a very “beginners” kind of a book. A very simple language, a story well known, and some very mundane dialogues. There is nothing new that you will know after reading this book except some subtle details here and there. I would have liked it if Vilas could have included some unknown facts about the story or concentrated on any other aspect of Ramayana than the well known plot. After reading other fascinating and binding books like “The Shiva Trilogy” of this Genre, I am not very impressed with this book. It offers nothing new in terms of the storyline. If you want to know just about the fables of Ramayana and teach them to kids, it is great but definitely not for serious readers. If I have to suggest a book in this Genre, it will definitely be “The Shiva Trilogy” by Amish Tripathi. They are un-put-downable and so rich in our history and traditions!

About the Author

Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization in Patent Law. His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions.

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