Vayu Naidu provides a unique take on an epic which is a house-hold story for most of us. Using the shape of the memory of key characters as the voice of narration, Sita's Ascent, begins once Sita is left behind at Valmiki's ashram and ends at Lav-Kush's first meeting with Ram.
In between, a series of characters meander down memory lane. I particularly liked the chapters of Hanuman, Lakshman and Mandodari. Hanuman doesn't speak a word, but the narration is loud. Lakshman is featured on his death-bed and his remembering of the encounter with goddess Nidra is quite brilliant. Mandodari's take on Sita's early life is interesting. Overall a new take on the epic.
I would recommend this read for all mythological buffs.
Rating : 3 / 5
