MADISON, Wis. , Aug. 10, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- India is greatly known for its culture, its people, its historical events, and its current competitive standing in the global economy. While a lot could be learned from India, there has not been any common person's reference that focused on the nation's epics and its distant past. In his new book entitled 'The Story of Rama: A Mythological Novel', the author, Narendra K. Sinha, tells his readers about a saga of epic proportions, filled with extraordinary bravery and values that very much reflect today's global conflicts.
Set in the 8th century B.C., The Story of Rama is about the courage-filled life of Rama, who was born as a royal heir to King Dasharatha and his wife, Kausalya, in Ayodhya. At the age of 25, when Rama was to be consecrated as the kingdom's crown prince, he suddenly finds himself deprived of everything, as one of his father's wives, Kaikeyi, secured the crown for her son, Bharata, by smart, feminine maneuvering.
Banished by his own father, Rama left for the forest with his wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshmana. From there on, Rama fought to protect the sages and seers in the jungles and safeguard their interests from invading Rakshasas. It seemed that the banished prince had found his true place in the land, but then he suddenly suffers another emotional tragedy when Ravana, the king of Lanka and leader of all the Rakshasas, abducts his wife. Struck by the abduction, Rama sets off to the kingdom of Kishkindha and forms a bond of friendship with Sugriva, whom he helps to regain the throne from his insolent brother. Rama went on to wage a great war to recover Sita.
Aside from bravery and war stories, The Story of Rama also features a great message for abiding by exemplary family values, upholding truth and righteousness, respecting public opinion, and maintaining noble character and high public conduct. Over and above, one also finds in it elements of India's exotic culture, such as prehistoric myths, legends, and the supernatural. Having humanized Rama, Narendra K. Sinha wrote his book not only to provide the grandeur of the story, but also to show its relevance for the modern day society concerning our dilemmas, conflicts, and governance. Readers who are fond of history, politics, the war on terror, and Indian culture will find The Story of Rama a very striking and relevant book to read.
About the Author
Born on August 2, 1932, Narendra K. Sinha is currently an honorary fellow at the Center for South Asia, University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.A., an affiliation he took up after retiring as a director of rehabilitation services. He has extensive teaching, research, and publication to his credit in the fields of language, literature, and linguistics. He had shown his literary flare at the early age of 11. Since then, he had been writing poems and plays in his school days. He took to writing fiction lately, only after his retirement.
The Story of Rama: A Mythological Novel -- by Narendra K. Sinha
Publication Date: May 17, 2005
Trade Paperback; $24.99; 471 pages; 1-4134-8267-8;
Cloth Hardback; $34.99; 471 pages; 1-4134-8268-6
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x 837. Tear sheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Christina Tinapan. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x 876.
Xlibris is a strategic partner of Random House Ventures, LLC, and a subsidiary of Random House, Inc. Xlibris books can be purchased in any major bookstore, or online at Amazon; Barnes & Noble; Borders; or Xlibris. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at www.Xlibris.com.