Exiled from Ayodhya by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay is a 1980’s Ayodhya travelogue that describes the journey of the author from Ayodhya and all the places Ram, Laxman and Sita had gone to while on exile. This journey happened around the time of Ramnavami, the birthday of Ram. To be honest, this isn’t like the mythological books or retelling that we read. The contemporary touch to the story and involvement of real-life people made this book quite interesting.
Ramayana is perceived by different people in different ways. People call it history, mythology, symbolism, fiction, imagination, literature, politics, study etc. The narrative of this book is a mix of the same things plus real-life people. Additionally, we quickly get to travel the long path with the author and know about the places that most of us know only names of. It is always good to read and learn about the fresh perspectives on the stories that live among us for ages. I admire the author for some strong and brave questions raised in this book around Ramayana. There’s a hint of psychology and human behaviour to this book.
I have previously read the work of Mukhopadhyay in the form of the book “ The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die” and loved it. I loved this book as well. A simple yet unique narrative and top-notch translation by Pratiti made this book worth reading.