An Epic For The Young (Abridged Raamayana)

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Our culture as revealed in our epics Raamayana and Maha Bharatha is ancient yet ever renewed, traditional yet constant, old yet everlasting, striving for new beginnings. Vaalmiki's Raamayana presents a galaxy of models an ideal man, an ideal woman, an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal friend and an ideal devotee. It is a treasure house of values and an epic of all times. As prophetically forecast in the beginning in a sloka "As long as the mountains and the rivers continue to exist in the world, so long the story will continue to be told in this world."

The story is so instructive and interesting, many authors wrote Raamayanas. They are either faithful translations or adaptations or their own imaginative versions. This book in English prose is written by Sri A.N. Sharma, as stated by him in 'A Word of Mine', for the benefit of the western youth and Indian teenagers living in India and abroad. It is not faithful translation as confessed by the author but a delightful adaptation in dialogues and characterization without distorting the original story. By giving a natural touch to the conversations such as we Find in every day experience, he made them very interesting. We find captivating description of natural beauty of the forest life of Raama and Seetha in places like Panchavati surrounded by mountains and streams.

The book is chapterized in accordance with the arrangement of'Kaandas' in the original poem. The events in each section are related faithfully with his own comments here and there. As the author is well versed in Sanskrit, we find apt quotations with English translations.

Although Sri Sharma is a retired postmaster by profession, he is a writer by propensity. He has already written books of short stories, one act plays and a novel in English which made him popular in literary circles. Being widely read, and having toured many Arabian, European & American countries, he has command over English. Being pious and an ardent devotee of Sri Raama, he has written this book, which I am confident will impart values and our traditional culture to the youth who live in India and abroad. This book deserves to be in all libraries.