No Title
Kavita Tiwari
LEGENDS OF THE MONKEY WARRIORS by Dipavali Sen. Illustrated by Neeta Gangopadhyay Children’s Book Trust, India, 2020, 108 pp., 190.00
November 2021, volume 45, No 11

The book is mainly based on the story of Ramayana. But it differs from most of the books narrating the story of Ramayana in the sense that other books have Rama, Lakshmana and others as the main characters, but this book gives you a new perspective on the journey of Rama. It depicts the contribution of the monkeys in Rama’s Ayana i.e., Rama’s journey. Whether it was the search for Sita or the construction of a bridge over the sea to reach Lanka, or defeating the greats of Ravana’s army, or bringing the Sanjeevani herb to save Lakshmana, all this would not have been possible without the cooperation of the monkeys. The book also tells us that the role of monkeys in Rama’s journey was not limited to just the Rama-Ravana war; from the coronation of Rama to the organization of AsvasmedhaYagnya, the monkeys had an important role in establishing peace on earth. They supported him till the end of Rama’s life. The stories of monkeys (Hanuman, Sugriva, Nal, Neel, Shatabadi, Gawaya, Dhumra, etc.) dedicated to the work of Rama have been told in great detail.

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