Prince of Dharma
Contents
PRINCE OF DHARMA
Ashok K. Banker’s Ramayana series is presented here the way the author originally intended for his retelling. Four magnificent omnibus ebook editions bring together all the eight books. PRINCE OF DHARMA, Part One of the Ramayana Series, includes the complete text of the first and second paperback books published earlier as Prince of Ayodhya and Siege of Mithila. Each of these omnibus ebook editions contains around 300,000 words of text and includes the original Author Introduction and Preface to the Indian print editions, in all major ebook formats hand-crafted by the author himself and made available exclusively under his own AKB eBOOKS imprint. To know more, visit the official website at www.ashokbanker.com
AKB eBOOKS
www.ashokbanker.com
AUTHOR’S PREFACE TO THE INDIAN HARDCOVER EDITION 2007
Unlike people, a broken spine on a book is a good thing. So are battered covers, peeling lamination, torn corners, tea stains, and dog-eared pages.
They’re signs that the book is loved and has been enjoyed often.
In the four years since the first book of my Ramayana series was published, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and signing many such copies of my books.
It’s the best sight in the world to an author. It means you’ve written a book, or in this case, a series of books, that readers genuinely love. Some of those copies even had favourite passages underlined or highlighted. You can’t buy that kind of appreciation with a fat marketing budget or media hype; it has to be earned, word by word, page by page.
As of this writing, each of the six books in the series have gone through multiple reprints. Rather than tapering off after the publication of the sixth and final book, sales have continued to increase steadily—despite my not having publicized the books nor given any media interviews, attended any book launches, signings or readings, for close to two years. If anything, the reader response has swelled overwhelmingly, with the online community showing extraordinary support for the series and for my humble attempt to retell this seminal epic.
And so, four years after the first paperback edition of Prince of Ayodhya was released, the Indian publishers of my Ramayana series have decided that it’s time that this appreciative readership had an edition that was more durable and better designed to withstand such enthusiasm and affection.
With the publication of this hardcover omnibus set, you finally get to see my Ramayana retelling exactly as I originally intended: as one long book split into three continuous parts, rather than six separate paperback novels. The text remains almost exactly the same, I’ve reinstated the original volume titles that I had wanted for the series and the story is now split at exactly the points at which I wanted it split.
Prince of Dharma, the first volume, contains the complete, unabridged text of Prince of Ayodhya and Siege of Mithila. Prince in Exile, the second volume, contains Demons of Chitrakut and Armies of Hanuman. Prince at War, the third and final volume, contains Bridge of Rama and King of Ayodhya.
If you’re new to the series, then turn the page and read the introduction reprinted from the paperback editions, which will answer many questions and hopefully help prepare you for perhaps the most unorthodox and unusual retelling of this classic tale ever attempted.
And when you’re done with that, then I wish you happy reading.
Scuff these shiny new covers, cause the laminate to peel off, spill tea or coffee or cola on the book, bend and crack the spine. Even published in this fancy hardcover edition, this isn’t a book that’s designed to be put on a shelf and admired over the years, it’s a book meant to be read, and reread, and reread yet again…and loved.
Because that’s how it was written, with love. And passion. And devotion. And that always shines through, no matter how thick that hardcover, or how stiff that spine.
May you find many happy hours of pleasure and contemplation in travelling this long, winding road of dharma with its greatest proponent.
Jai Bajrang Bali. Jai Siyaram. Jai Hind.
Ashok Kumar Banker
Mumbai,
April 2007
AKB eBOOKS
Home of the epics!
RAMAYANA SERIES®
PRINCE OF DHARMA
PRINCE OF AYODHYA & SIEGE OF MITHILA
PRINCE IN EXILE
DEMONS OF CHITRAKUT & ARMIES OF HANUMAN
PRINCE AT WAR
BRIDGE OF RAMA & KING OF AYODHYA
KING OF DHARMA
VENGEANCE OF RAVANA & SONS OF SITA