Love, passion, longing, hunger, revenge, righteousness, and truth—do all these things mean the same for the different creations of God? In this extraordinary story by the bestselling author of The Rise of Book 1 of Baahubali -- Before the Beginning (as also Tale of the Vanquished; Roll of the Dice; and Rise of Kali), Anand Neelakantan lets the reader into the mind of Sage Valmiki and reveals the hitherto unknown reason for his choosing the wonderfully empowered Sita as the pivot of the grand epic, Ramayana…
Anand Neelakantan is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter, and public speaker. He is known for writing mythological fictions and has authored ten books in English and one in Malayalam. He follows the style of telling stories based on the perspective of the antagonists or supporting characters of a larger work. His debut work Asura: Tale of the Vanquished (2012) was based on the Indian epic Ramayana, told from the perspective of Ravana—the first book in his Ramayana series. It was followed by series of books based on characters from Mahabharata and Baahubali. His books have been translated to different languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali , Gujarati, Assamese, English and Indonesian Bahasa.
Anand's Asura is one of the 100 books to be read in a life time as per Amazon.[1] The book has sold more than half a million copies across the years. Three of his books have been shortlisted for Crossword Book Award during the respective years. He was listed as one among the "100 top celebrities in India" in 2015 and 2017 by Forbes India. Anand also writes a column for The New Indian Express on current affairs and his fortnightly column is called "Acute Angle".
This is something worth reading. It's not just the introduction or merely snapshot. It's something more than that. Very few would have known about this fact behind the World's most famous Epic and second longest of all. Written well with facts known correctly. However the same one can found as a part of context on Wikipedia but the way it's been told here is enjoyable. Story was binding and gripping, for it was not known from the earlier content that where it'll reach further regarding the title it has been given.
But as in whole its a very good short and complete story in very few words, which shows how the author is good in giving the words their power.
A short read which gives an excellent feeling. Excellent one by the Author Anand Neelakantan! In just 24 pages, the author has captured many emotions and more importantly, the reader can relate to it. I recommend this book for a short, refreshing read!
I love the way author tried to explain that there is nothing right or wrong in this world, it all depends on situation and the way he expressed numerous emotions. Nothing/No one can be beautiful as Sita and the way it is portrayed is great!
An excellent short story about how Valmiki got the inspiration to write about a story of love. A story where every character stands for love of his/her beloved without judging right and wrong. How his perspective of right and wrong changed from a small incident and that inspired him to write the great epic. But the best of them all was how Valmiki concived a character who is selfless, providing and loving like Mother Earth, how he created his Bhoomija.
Another thing I liked about the book is that though it is short it perfectly captures the story of Ratnakar and his transition to Valmiki. All the other characters were lively and well built. Author has done a great job in building such a great story in such a short book.
Brilliant narration by an outstanding story-teller. He did so in his earlier writings that were based based on Indian mythology. He does it again but on this occasion in the form of a short story. The underlying philosophical idea that gets conveyed through the story is profound, "The universe has its own rhythm" and "everything had a purpose". Neelakantan also raises some very pertinent questions, "What is right and what is wrong? What is Dharma?" . It is the perspective that matters.
The book is Sita's story, but why Valmiki wanted to write Ramayana, focussing on one woman, who is the provider, like Mother Earth. The book beautifully narrates why nothing is ultimately good or bad, it is all matter of perspective. It is a beautiful short story.
That's how an epic start. Those small observations add up to something great. Sita might be a reality but this story gives another angle to the story. A fair deal here by Anand Neelakantan
With the current literary scene going abuzz with the reinvented Indian epics, we come across many interpretations. However, only a handful of them tend to stay with us and make us ponder, Bhoomija is one such read.
Wow. A great way to imagine how the seeds were probably sown for an epic! Wonderful short read which showed that such a small tale can still mix all the possible emotions we know of.
Extremely short read. Bird, snake, eggs, next, hunter, saint, hungry kid, helpless mother(both bird and human), loyal dog, fox, Ratnakara turning as saint, all captured in such short read! Beautifully written.
A conclusion on why Valmiki wanted to write on Sita is well captured
I was trilled how the story unfolded and how it defined the Ramayana and its characters and why they are like they are... Anand ji amazed by your understanding or should i say interpretation
I was trilled how the story unfolded and how it defined the Ramayana and its characters and why they are like they are... Anand ji amazed by your understanding or should i say interpretation
This was a very short read. This is a beautiful book by Anand Neelkanthan. He describes everything in so much detail that you would feel the emotion of the character. You would feel the conflict and helplessness. You would question the righteousness of the actions of the characters but would not find one. Because there really isn't anything right or wrong without a perspective. It's a short book but will make you think and wonder about this world that we live in. It would make you realize that we really haven't changed much in spite of so much technological advances.
Ramayana, the epic story showcasing goodness and nobility has always fascinated us in its different Avtars as presented by different authors. This gives a true picture of how the story must have taken birth
"In this world that is real, every truth is illusory. Nothing is right or wrong. The universe has its own rhythm." (from the book).
Read it for the multiple stories - that of Valmiki's journey from a thief to a saint, the struggle of the hunter to feed his family or about the love and loss in the lives of the two birds. All the stories are interwoven with and by love, and the universal rhythm of the universe.
The title of the book does not match with the story narrated at all. The title misleads readers, the story is not at all about Sita but it is about two kraunch birds, Nishada killing male kraunch bird and why Valmiki chose to write Ramayana or about Sita in Ramayana.. Title and Story completely mismatched.
I felt good after completion of this story and thanks to the author for such a great story in short and sweet.woth reading to know the importance for epic Ramayana and Mahabharata..
I felt good after completion of this story and thanks to the author for such a great story in short and sweet.woth reading to know the importance for epic Ramayana and Mahabharata..
Wow. It was like reading a verse that began in the first page and ended in the last. Never have I looked at the life of birds with so much emotions overflowing within me. Every creation in this bhoomi serves a purpose, each one of us and our actions are interlinked. Very well portrayed!
Good short book, shows authors skill in writing. It always feels good to write when the writing / editing is tight and consise. Instead of filling up pages with unwanted surrouding descriptions and words, interweaving of multiple stories and threads ..short to the point good writing is always preferred.
A short story about what inspired Valmiki to write the Ramayana, a story pivoting around women who sacrificed everything for their families and loved ones, suffered throughout their life and ushered unconditional love without much gain.
There's so much of emotional connection in the words. Though a short story, I loved reading this one. I miss watching the show in Indian Television 'Siya ke Raam'. Bhoomija.
Bhoomija. This is the story of Sita's birth. Fascinating. I'm beginning to love Anand's work. The prose was so simple and yet so rapturing. Again I wish this was a slightly longer book.