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Shanta : The Story of Rama's Sister
She was a young girl of sixteen. The firstborn, the ‘original’ scion of Ikshvaku, the daughter of Dasharatha and Kaushalya, who came before Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughana. Shanta, as her named suggested, preferred solitude to her royal status of the princess of Ayodhya. She yearned for love—from her parents, who were obsessed with producing a male heir for their kingdom. After the passing of many years, when Dasharatha lies on his death bed pining for his son, Rama who has been banished to the forest for 14 long years, it is Shanta who is besides her father, but watches helplessly as Dasharatha doesn’t even recognize her. In this fascinating and hitherto unknown account, The Story of Rama’s Sister, Anand Neelakantan tells the story of a woman who makes sacrifice her life’s mission, propelled by love, affection and a commitment to the land of her birth, Ayodhya.
38 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2017
51 people are currently reading
741 people want to read
About the author
Anand Neelakantan
31 books1,761 followersAnand 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".
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".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
April 6, 2021
Though I love mythic fictions, I strongly believe in source like Valmiki Ramayana and Vyasa Bharata.
This part, where Ram had elder sister called Shanta is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana, Few folk stories and Oriya Ramayana mentions on this story and even Mahabharata mentions during the King Lompada incident.
The main reason to pick this book to see Raam through the eyes of shanta, but this tale doesn't lights on this... This shows us mostly Dhasharata and his wives, in Shanta's view.
Loved the way writer detailed the small things so beautifully like waves of water, dragonfly wings, branch of a tree etc.
Writer express his grief on the social behaviour of ancient times in his own way and is thought provoking
Loved it...
This part, where Ram had elder sister called Shanta is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana, Few folk stories and Oriya Ramayana mentions on this story and even Mahabharata mentions during the King Lompada incident.
The main reason to pick this book to see Raam through the eyes of shanta, but this tale doesn't lights on this... This shows us mostly Dhasharata and his wives, in Shanta's view.
Loved the way writer detailed the small things so beautifully like waves of water, dragonfly wings, branch of a tree etc.
Writer express his grief on the social behaviour of ancient times in his own way and is thought provoking
Loved it...
January 4, 2021
Touche
Amazing story of Ram's Sister, rarely heard from any mouth. Written well, it's a very nice touch to that character of Ramayan which must be told to give Ram's character more life.
Amazing story of Ram's Sister, rarely heard from any mouth. Written well, it's a very nice touch to that character of Ramayan which must be told to give Ram's character more life.
June 23, 2017
A Good read about Rama's sister. I have heard of a story saying Dasharat had a daughter even before Rama, but not how Anand Neelakantan has portrayed it. As always, the author has done an excellent job in just 35 pages. Looking forward to more short reads from him.
October 31, 2017
It was a delight to read this short story of Rama's sister. I was not aware of the existence of this character in Ramayana till I came across this book. Despite being shunned by her father and given away to a childless couple, Shanta becomes the reason for fulfillment of her fathers desire to beget a son
June 21, 2018
I never knew that King Dasarath had a daughter, that too first-born. And he is so mean to her! The book is concise yet engaging. My takeaway quote from the book is "Everything happens as per the rhythm of the world". I have always enjoyed Anand Neelakantan's books because he makes us look at the mythological stories from a different angle.
September 11, 2020
It is the story of the firstborn in the royal family of Ayodhya and her fate. Shanta was the unwanted and unwished child of the king Dashrath as his priority and desire was always a son. A son who would pursue his legacy and ruled his realm. She always yearned for her father's love & her father always yearned for a son's love. So for him, Shanta was mere an object or sheer disappointment. From the time she could remember, she had tried her best to make up for her father's disappointment to become the son he so desired for, but never succeed. Except for Kaikeyi no one else was ready to teach her anything that a prince was supposed to know.
Kaikeyi and her loyal servent Manthara had played a great role in shaping Shanta's life but after few years Shanta was made to leave both of them due to his father's strange agreement. And her journey after that was a process of regaining self-esteem and self realisation or could be termed as Metamorphosis which is worth reading/knowing.
💌MY THOUGHTS: The Author has not failed to show the patriarchal aspect deeply rooted in a prosperous kingdom. He has also shown the beautiful & impactful personalities of Kaikeyi and Manthara. The Ramayana I have watched has portrayed more of evil faces of them but this story has the completely opposite insights making it a delightful read.
The story of Shanta is enchanting but I yearn for more of her. It felt like towards the end of the story the author had hurried a bit and concluded soon. I think few more pages would have satisfied my quest.
Kaikeyi and her loyal servent Manthara had played a great role in shaping Shanta's life but after few years Shanta was made to leave both of them due to his father's strange agreement. And her journey after that was a process of regaining self-esteem and self realisation or could be termed as Metamorphosis which is worth reading/knowing.
💌MY THOUGHTS: The Author has not failed to show the patriarchal aspect deeply rooted in a prosperous kingdom. He has also shown the beautiful & impactful personalities of Kaikeyi and Manthara. The Ramayana I have watched has portrayed more of evil faces of them but this story has the completely opposite insights making it a delightful read.
The story of Shanta is enchanting but I yearn for more of her. It felt like towards the end of the story the author had hurried a bit and concluded soon. I think few more pages would have satisfied my quest.
August 28, 2019
Take an episode from the Oriya/Telugu versions of the Ramayana - add a generous dose (meaning almost scene to scene recreation) of the 1988 Malayalam movie ‘Vaisali’ and you get this “book”.
I’m so disappointed with this slightly longish short story and more so because I loved this author’s Asura that brought a genuinely new take to a mythical tale. This was just lazy writing.
I’m so disappointed with this slightly longish short story and more so because I loved this author’s Asura that brought a genuinely new take to a mythical tale. This was just lazy writing.
July 17, 2017
While the detailed review for this book is available at http://thinkerviews.com/books/english..., here is the summary of it.
The Plot:
The story will be found interesting by a majority of readers because despite Ramayana being one of the most read and adapted scriptures around India, very little is written about "Shanta" - the first born of King Dasharatha and his wife Kaushlya.
In this book we see that Shanta is a girl of age around 16 and she is growing up with mix feelings. His father king Dasharatha is very frustrated of not having a boy-child so far despite having 3 queens, he neglects Shanta. The only solace she can find is in the gestures and actions of her (step)mother Kaikeyi. Grown up in the kingdom of Kekeya, Kaikeyi never has discriminated between a boy and a girl. It is all about skills and capabilities there. She considers Shanta as the perfect choice to be the next ruler after king Dasharatha. She took personal interest in giving her education in almost every field, including the battle! Yes, Shanta was given the training of weapons as well, on the insistence of Keikeyi. Manthara too showered her love on Shanta.
One day, the things took unexpected turn when the king of Anga came with a proposal to Dasharatha. What was the proposal and how it affected the life of Shanta and almost everyone associated (or to be associated) with her, is explored in the book.
Views and Reviews:
What I like the most in the book is the way the characters are explored. Each character has his/her own attributes and as the tale progresses, they are explored in convincing manner.
Some authors, these days, write about something erotic and sexual point of view, especially about women and give it the name of feminism. That is not the feminism. It is all about respecting one for who he/she is. Everyone should be treated equally, given same opportunities and facilities without having any gender bias, that is it. This book thus is the exploration of the same thing. The way Kaikeyi's character behaves and treats Shanta, shows the way she, herself, was grown up.
Also, the reaction of Rishyashringa's father, after knowing about the decision of his son to get married to Shanta, is something worth reading. No anger, no hate, no prejudice, just accepting what happened and what to happen. Now, this what you call a character of a saint or a sage.
The way the book concludes is another positive point of the book.
This book contains some good gems of writing, here is an example:
"… won’t it be a sweet irony that it needed his daughter to fulfil his desperate need for a son? "
On the downside, the book could have been explored in more detail. It is quite short read. Mostly when during some schemes/promotion, even the full-fledged books are available from somewhere between Rs. 21 - Rs. 99 on Amazon (Kindle Ebooks mainly), many readers may see it as costly.
However, if you want to explore the story of "Shanta - The Sister Of Rama" - this book is a good choice.
The Plot:
The story will be found interesting by a majority of readers because despite Ramayana being one of the most read and adapted scriptures around India, very little is written about "Shanta" - the first born of King Dasharatha and his wife Kaushlya.
In this book we see that Shanta is a girl of age around 16 and she is growing up with mix feelings. His father king Dasharatha is very frustrated of not having a boy-child so far despite having 3 queens, he neglects Shanta. The only solace she can find is in the gestures and actions of her (step)mother Kaikeyi. Grown up in the kingdom of Kekeya, Kaikeyi never has discriminated between a boy and a girl. It is all about skills and capabilities there. She considers Shanta as the perfect choice to be the next ruler after king Dasharatha. She took personal interest in giving her education in almost every field, including the battle! Yes, Shanta was given the training of weapons as well, on the insistence of Keikeyi. Manthara too showered her love on Shanta.
One day, the things took unexpected turn when the king of Anga came with a proposal to Dasharatha. What was the proposal and how it affected the life of Shanta and almost everyone associated (or to be associated) with her, is explored in the book.
Views and Reviews:
What I like the most in the book is the way the characters are explored. Each character has his/her own attributes and as the tale progresses, they are explored in convincing manner.
Some authors, these days, write about something erotic and sexual point of view, especially about women and give it the name of feminism. That is not the feminism. It is all about respecting one for who he/she is. Everyone should be treated equally, given same opportunities and facilities without having any gender bias, that is it. This book thus is the exploration of the same thing. The way Kaikeyi's character behaves and treats Shanta, shows the way she, herself, was grown up.
Also, the reaction of Rishyashringa's father, after knowing about the decision of his son to get married to Shanta, is something worth reading. No anger, no hate, no prejudice, just accepting what happened and what to happen. Now, this what you call a character of a saint or a sage.
The way the book concludes is another positive point of the book.
This book contains some good gems of writing, here is an example:
"… won’t it be a sweet irony that it needed his daughter to fulfil his desperate need for a son? "
On the downside, the book could have been explored in more detail. It is quite short read. Mostly when during some schemes/promotion, even the full-fledged books are available from somewhere between Rs. 21 - Rs. 99 on Amazon (Kindle Ebooks mainly), many readers may see it as costly.
However, if you want to explore the story of "Shanta - The Sister Of Rama" - this book is a good choice.
November 1, 2017
Anand Neelakantan has been known to retell our mythologies from a different perspective - be it Ravanas's story in Asura or the Kaurava's story in Ajaya. This short story is about Shanta, the first-born of king Dashratha and the true heir of Ayodhya. Bud sadly, she is hardly known to us. Even Dashratha ignores her and pines for a son; and even gives her up for adoption in hopes of begetting a son. Even on his deathbed he is unable to recognise her. Kaikeyi, her step-mother and Manthara, her nanny are the only two who understand and encourage her.
The story is beautifully written and perfectly capture the emotions of a girl caught between her ambition and her love for her family. What makes the story even more poignant is that even today a boy is valued much more than a girl child. As it is said in the book "... although she (Shanta) would have brothers, but they were not going to make her father happy... ." If this story is indeed a part of our scriptures, it needs to be more widely known so that people understand that they should love their daughters equally.
Highly recommended!
The story is beautifully written and perfectly capture the emotions of a girl caught between her ambition and her love for her family. What makes the story even more poignant is that even today a boy is valued much more than a girl child. As it is said in the book "... although she (Shanta) would have brothers, but they were not going to make her father happy... ." If this story is indeed a part of our scriptures, it needs to be more widely known so that people understand that they should love their daughters equally.
Highly recommended!
October 4, 2017
Honestly, I didn't know she was the Scion of Ayodhya. I read of the character before in brief as the daughter of Manthara. If this book is true. Then her sacrifices should never have been erased from our religious history, we only shout in the name of Lord Ram, we never follow his principles or teachings, just bloody political motives to fulfil. Women don't see the limelight much anyways. Even today when they are way ahead of men, they are still looked down upon. Very few parents actually & honestly welcome a girl child amidst them.
I am glad to have read this book. I feel everyone should read this. Fiction or not This book teaches us a lot of things;
Learn to forgive, only then will you be able to live wholeheartedly, freely.
Happiness comes from within, a flower blooms merrily to bring joy to the onlookers, a withered flower never brings joy. Be happy yourself, to keep everyone happy around you.
Women are not objects, stop treating them as such. They have been oppressed since ages and are still treated worse in rural areas. Stop those non-sense, open your eyes, they deserve way more respect than we can possibly imagine, for without them men are nothing(saying this even being a male chauvinist).
The universe works in simple ways, its us who wants to find the mystery within simple things, hence end up complicating and confusing ourselves.
The beauty of life is not in scheming, its in living.
Thank You for writing this book so plainly. I believe everyone can clearly understand the message.
Please read this once and understand and implement in your life and your surroundings what you understood.
I am glad to have read this book. I feel everyone should read this. Fiction or not This book teaches us a lot of things;
Learn to forgive, only then will you be able to live wholeheartedly, freely.
Happiness comes from within, a flower blooms merrily to bring joy to the onlookers, a withered flower never brings joy. Be happy yourself, to keep everyone happy around you.
Women are not objects, stop treating them as such. They have been oppressed since ages and are still treated worse in rural areas. Stop those non-sense, open your eyes, they deserve way more respect than we can possibly imagine, for without them men are nothing(saying this even being a male chauvinist).
The universe works in simple ways, its us who wants to find the mystery within simple things, hence end up complicating and confusing ourselves.
The beauty of life is not in scheming, its in living.
Thank You for writing this book so plainly. I believe everyone can clearly understand the message.
Please read this once and understand and implement in your life and your surroundings what you understood.
March 19, 2019
Everything in life happens for a reason, we just need the courage and forbearance to accept the pattern of life and wait for things to come. The poignant tale of Shanta, the rarely spoken of sister of Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya.
It leaves us with a thought that is relevant even today - why the obsession with having a son to carry forward the family name? Why is the girl cast to the sidelines? Acceptance and acknowledgment of a woman's individuality, capabilities, and skills is a struggle that we face even today. When will that change?
It leaves us with a thought that is relevant even today - why the obsession with having a son to carry forward the family name? Why is the girl cast to the sidelines? Acceptance and acknowledgment of a woman's individuality, capabilities, and skills is a struggle that we face even today. When will that change?
August 16, 2017
Incredibly engaging and I like it that its a short one , so finished it soon
Anand is seasoned story teller and has been successful in capturing the readers who prefer short books.
While I may have read about shanta in some of Devdutt Patnaik books , this book from anand is memorable
Anand is seasoned story teller and has been successful in capturing the readers who prefer short books.
While I may have read about shanta in some of Devdutt Patnaik books , this book from anand is memorable
December 10, 2017
This book entirely changed views how we see Rama and Ayodhya. I never thought king Dasaratha ever had biases towards son or daughters. Shanta's story tells us how engraved social evils were at that time too. I wonder how images of Kaikeyi's and Manthra's are projected in Ramayana. Shanta's story tells us how dedicated & giving women are and were always.
** Timings of Shanta's adoption, drought in Anga and marriage of Shanta are speculative, still its a very good retelling.
** Timings of Shanta's adoption, drought in Anga and marriage of Shanta are speculative, still its a very good retelling.
December 27, 2017
Long back I read a poem somewhere about Ram's sister Shanta and since then it has been a curious topic for me. I have been trying hard to find the evidence of the same and what happened to her, but unable to do so. Some scholars quote Valmiki Ramayan, but I have not been able to find those references. According to some texts, Shanta was born to Dashrath and Kaushalya around 4449 BC. She was later given away in adoption to the King of Ang, and married to a hermit Rishyashringa later on.
It is commendable that with the limited historical references, the author has been successfully able to describe the mental and emotional state of Shanta, her desire to be recognised as a child to her father.
A very good short read.
It is commendable that with the limited historical references, the author has been successfully able to describe the mental and emotional state of Shanta, her desire to be recognised as a child to her father.
A very good short read.
June 18, 2018
A quick read about Dashratha's first born and the heir to Ayodhya. However in an era where heirs are only male, she gets adopted by another king who asks her help to end the drought in his kingdom.
Not worrying about authenticity it was just surprising to read about an existence that I never knew in the supremely famous world of Ramayana.
Not worrying about authenticity it was just surprising to read about an existence that I never knew in the supremely famous world of Ramayana.
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July 7, 2017Magical
God I loved the book...what a narrative way that is magical as well as informative. The first book I read on less known mythological characters
God I loved the book...what a narrative way that is magical as well as informative. The first book I read on less known mythological characters
November 9, 2017
I picked up this short read to just meet Goodreads readers challenge for the year. But disappointed that it ended so soon. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
March 29, 2018
A very good short read! Before reading this story I was not even aware that Lord Rama had an elder sister.
July 12, 2019
Simple and short and yet beautiful!!
December 7, 2017
Short, sweet and compelling read.
May 14, 2018
Yet another masterpiece by Neelkantan
This is yet another masterpiece by Anand Neelkanthan. The story of Shanta is going to take you on a ride full of emotions, knowledge, righteousness, life. This is a beautiful and short piece of writing about Ram's elder sister, Ayodhya's first born.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
This is yet another masterpiece by Anand Neelkanthan. The story of Shanta is going to take you on a ride full of emotions, knowledge, righteousness, life. This is a beautiful and short piece of writing about Ram's elder sister, Ayodhya's first born.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
December 18, 2018
I never knew about Shanta... This story really tells the essence of life...
I never knew about Shanta... This story really tells the essence of life... Giving meaning to character which is lost in the grandeur of RAM is exceptional...
I never knew about Shanta... This story really tells the essence of life... Giving meaning to character which is lost in the grandeur of RAM is exceptional...
September 1, 2017
Everything has a purpose, the nature has a rhythm. Wonderful short story! Anand neelakantan always amazes me with his thought process.
May 11, 2018
good short intro of character
nice and short..seldom heard story...skillfully wooven and explained character in mere 35 pages...looking forward to learn about more such characters
nice and short..seldom heard story...skillfully wooven and explained character in mere 35 pages...looking forward to learn about more such characters
September 20, 2018
Very well. The book is appealing. There are many sacrifices which might get often neglected by main stories. For years, I didn’t know Lord Ram had a sister. It was Star plus show “Siya ke Ram” which introduced Shanta to me first time. Still didn’t know much to the story so, glad that I got to read this book. Would definitely recommend this book to those, who like to read the characters from mythology that often get neglected or say deserved to get a little more importance.🤘🏻
April 29, 2018
Short story of an encounter between Meenakshi, the sister of Ravana who was disfigured by Lakshman and his sister-in-law Sita as she was being banished to the forest.
Though not as good as Shanta, this book makes for a good read especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Though not as good as Shanta, this book makes for a good read especially on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
October 8, 2018
Simple, fast moving
Quick read
Describes the back story to the ramayana. Interesting read. Crisp and to the point in the story telling
Quick read
Describes the back story to the ramayana. Interesting read. Crisp and to the point in the story telling
September 14, 2020
What is better than buying books? Buying books for free, right!? So when I got some cash-back for the purchases that I had made a month ago, I didn’t stop to even think and splurged them all into buying a few ebooks that would last me a month or so given that my reading speed which was riding on the accelerator since the last 3 months has now gone into the first gear.
Shanta (The story of Rama’s sister) by Anand Neelakantan is a short story about the title protagonist, how she became a catalyst for the birthing of the Maryada Purshottama and his brothers from an ignored child of her parents Dhashratha and Kaushalya.
Shanta was never loved. An unwanted child in the royal family of Ayodhya, ignored by her father, her only console is her stepmother Kaikeyi, who wishes only good for her. But when she is given away for adoption to the king of Anga, she loses the affectionate yet firm Kaikeyi too. In a new land, amongst new parents and citizens, Shanta finds herself torn between her duty to her new kingdom and her self-respect. What she does will go down in history, and she will be seen either as a savior or as a selfish snob.
It did not matter that Kaushalya had given birth to Shanta. She did not count. She was just a girl.
Whenever I read about women characters, I feel them so deeply that I often forget my own issues, because theirs always seem greater. Shanta is one of the lesser, or we can safely say, the least of the known characters from the mythical Ramayana and yet, she plays such an important role in the arrival of Rama and his brothers. If you read my reviews, you must be aware that I don’t particularly consider these stories anything more than folk tales because I don’t believe that the supreme power is so haughty to consider the female folk as lesser mortals (or immortals in such cases), so considering this as a work which may or may not be true, I’ll write down what I feel.
In a world where we talk about gender equality, it’s no less than blasphemous to yearn for a male child, more so when one already has a child, albeit female. A lot of people have this thought process of not being able to keep their bloodline in this world if they don’t have a male child and it couldn’t get more foolish. Is it a matter of education? No, it is a matter of being enlightened. Entire races take birth from a woman’s womb, yet when a girl is born, she is destined to suffer, given that she lives beyond the first few hours or for that matter, the first few months of her being conceived. I wouldn’t go deep into the much done and dusted man vs. woman but I will definitely say this, our Earth is called Mother for a reason.
Written plainly, Shanta’s character is unloved all her life, till the time she stays in her birth kingdom. It is only when she is adopted and has a use that she finds respect in the eyes of her family. Her saving grace is her ability to entice a sage, to have coitus with him, and bring him down from his place of meditation to alleviate the suffering of the people. Although I found her character to be highly submissive, I found her the most patient and forgiving in the entire Ramayana. Even when she does all that she does for those who never treated her with love, she has no qualms about it. Like her husband, she truly becomes one with his mind and attains what should be life’s purpose, peace. With no fancy words or subplots to push the reader off track, her story is laid as bare as the hypocrisy of her royal family.
I would recommend this short story for a quick read, a lesson in human nature and woman power.
Shanta (The story of Rama’s sister) by Anand Neelakantan is a short story about the title protagonist, how she became a catalyst for the birthing of the Maryada Purshottama and his brothers from an ignored child of her parents Dhashratha and Kaushalya.
Shanta was never loved. An unwanted child in the royal family of Ayodhya, ignored by her father, her only console is her stepmother Kaikeyi, who wishes only good for her. But when she is given away for adoption to the king of Anga, she loses the affectionate yet firm Kaikeyi too. In a new land, amongst new parents and citizens, Shanta finds herself torn between her duty to her new kingdom and her self-respect. What she does will go down in history, and she will be seen either as a savior or as a selfish snob.
It did not matter that Kaushalya had given birth to Shanta. She did not count. She was just a girl.
Whenever I read about women characters, I feel them so deeply that I often forget my own issues, because theirs always seem greater. Shanta is one of the lesser, or we can safely say, the least of the known characters from the mythical Ramayana and yet, she plays such an important role in the arrival of Rama and his brothers. If you read my reviews, you must be aware that I don’t particularly consider these stories anything more than folk tales because I don’t believe that the supreme power is so haughty to consider the female folk as lesser mortals (or immortals in such cases), so considering this as a work which may or may not be true, I’ll write down what I feel.
In a world where we talk about gender equality, it’s no less than blasphemous to yearn for a male child, more so when one already has a child, albeit female. A lot of people have this thought process of not being able to keep their bloodline in this world if they don’t have a male child and it couldn’t get more foolish. Is it a matter of education? No, it is a matter of being enlightened. Entire races take birth from a woman’s womb, yet when a girl is born, she is destined to suffer, given that she lives beyond the first few hours or for that matter, the first few months of her being conceived. I wouldn’t go deep into the much done and dusted man vs. woman but I will definitely say this, our Earth is called Mother for a reason.
Written plainly, Shanta’s character is unloved all her life, till the time she stays in her birth kingdom. It is only when she is adopted and has a use that she finds respect in the eyes of her family. Her saving grace is her ability to entice a sage, to have coitus with him, and bring him down from his place of meditation to alleviate the suffering of the people. Although I found her character to be highly submissive, I found her the most patient and forgiving in the entire Ramayana. Even when she does all that she does for those who never treated her with love, she has no qualms about it. Like her husband, she truly becomes one with his mind and attains what should be life’s purpose, peace. With no fancy words or subplots to push the reader off track, her story is laid as bare as the hypocrisy of her royal family.
I would recommend this short story for a quick read, a lesson in human nature and woman power.
August 16, 2020
"If you think good thoughts, the results will follow. That is the law of the world, the law of KARMA."
.
A very concisely written story of Ram's sister, Shanta.
Ramayan has its different interpretation and modification according to different regions and beliefs. I wasn't aware of this version of Ramayana until I read this book.
.
Shanta, is portrayed as Dashrath & Kaushalya's first child who was later given away in adoption to Romapada, King of Anga.
She always yearned for her father's love while Dashrath kept yearning for a son. She wanted to become a warrior but she was prohibited from learning any skill saying that women of Suryavansha don't belong to war field.
She was given for adoption in the belief that her adoption will lead to the birth of a son, the heir of Ikshvaku clan.
After her adoption, Karma plays the game.
.
My views:
🍁It was a very short yet compelling read and the author has done a brilliant job in just 35 pages.
🍁 I'm not sure about the facts penned in the book but I can say that it was a delightful read.
🍁I loved the picturization of Kaikeyi and Manthara's character as a supportive person rather than a negative one.
🍁The reader can clearly visualise the foul beliefs and male dominance that prevailed during those times.
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I think it is a MUST read to know the other part of Ramayana.
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Author appreciation: Anand Neelakantan is an Indian author particularly from Kerala, India. He has done a brilliant work in Indian literature through different mythological fictions that he has written.
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A very concisely written story of Ram's sister, Shanta.
Ramayan has its different interpretation and modification according to different regions and beliefs. I wasn't aware of this version of Ramayana until I read this book.
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Shanta, is portrayed as Dashrath & Kaushalya's first child who was later given away in adoption to Romapada, King of Anga.
She always yearned for her father's love while Dashrath kept yearning for a son. She wanted to become a warrior but she was prohibited from learning any skill saying that women of Suryavansha don't belong to war field.
She was given for adoption in the belief that her adoption will lead to the birth of a son, the heir of Ikshvaku clan.
After her adoption, Karma plays the game.
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My views:
🍁It was a very short yet compelling read and the author has done a brilliant job in just 35 pages.
🍁 I'm not sure about the facts penned in the book but I can say that it was a delightful read.
🍁I loved the picturization of Kaikeyi and Manthara's character as a supportive person rather than a negative one.
🍁The reader can clearly visualise the foul beliefs and male dominance that prevailed during those times.
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I think it is a MUST read to know the other part of Ramayana.
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Author appreciation: Anand Neelakantan is an Indian author particularly from Kerala, India. He has done a brilliant work in Indian literature through different mythological fictions that he has written.
March 7, 2021
Shanta, the daughter of Dasharatha. I was curious about reading this book as I was not aware about Shanta, My grandmother told me about her.
It's a journey of Shanta, who married a Saint, who was not accepted by her family, who was always neglected by the family, who's family was more focused on having a son in the family.
This book started in a wonderful way which will astound you.
The bond between Manthara and Shanta, Kaikeya and Shanta is something I loved the most. It's a beautiful story and heartbreaking too. The moment when Shanta had to go from Ayodhya to the moment when Shanta got married it's beautiful.
I loved the way the author narrated her journey, her thoughts, her pain. With an intriguing writing style and simple language, it's a book that you are going to love. The fierce woman full of self-confidence was sent away from Ayodhaya, and that's when her journey started, that's when I fell in love with her more. How courageous she was.
Not to forget the surprising climax that teaches us about the Law of Karma. How we get what we deserve. Her journey with her husband and how she and her husband became a reason for the happiness of Ayodhaya even though she was neglected by her family.
I still have many questions like, did she Met Ram, how her brother's reacted when they came to know about Shanta?
It's a beautiful book that you must read if you want to know more about Shanta. A light, beautiful and emotional read.
It's a journey of Shanta, who married a Saint, who was not accepted by her family, who was always neglected by the family, who's family was more focused on having a son in the family.
This book started in a wonderful way which will astound you.
The bond between Manthara and Shanta, Kaikeya and Shanta is something I loved the most. It's a beautiful story and heartbreaking too. The moment when Shanta had to go from Ayodhya to the moment when Shanta got married it's beautiful.
I loved the way the author narrated her journey, her thoughts, her pain. With an intriguing writing style and simple language, it's a book that you are going to love. The fierce woman full of self-confidence was sent away from Ayodhaya, and that's when her journey started, that's when I fell in love with her more. How courageous she was.
Not to forget the surprising climax that teaches us about the Law of Karma. How we get what we deserve. Her journey with her husband and how she and her husband became a reason for the happiness of Ayodhaya even though she was neglected by her family.
I still have many questions like, did she Met Ram, how her brother's reacted when they came to know about Shanta?
It's a beautiful book that you must read if you want to know more about Shanta. A light, beautiful and emotional read.
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