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May everyone benefit from this wonderful book on the Ramayana.


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Book Reviews in Publications

~ Book Review By Madhuri Pai.

If you thought you had understood the Ramayana from all perspectives, here is a wonderful book that will give you a unique window into this most loved epic story.

While the main storyline of the Ramayana is familiar to most Hindus, there are so many unique and strong characters in the story, that one sometimes wonders how they might have told the story to us, if they had the chance. Rajendra Prabhu, from our very own community, has given them exactly that chance in this interesting take on an age-old story.

What would King Janaka have felt as he gave away his daughter to the valiant Rama? What would Manthara have thought as she provoked Queen Kaikeyi to ask for the terrible boons she did? How would Prince Shatrughana have participated in all the dramatic events that separated him from Rama and Lakshmana? What about Mareecha? Did he really want to be the cause of Sita’s kidnapping or was he the victim of a curse?

“Namaste, I am Rama, and this is Ramayana” does a splendid job of offering us the perspectives of all the major, and many minor characters in the Ramayana. Each character introduces themselves with a “Namaste, I am..” and narrates their part in the Ramayana and shares their thoughts with us.

This book, therefore, gives us the opportunity to dip in and out of the Ramayana, and will work especially well with children. Providing the familiarity that children need while enlarging their worlds with fresh perspectives on a story they already know. While they might have heard the story from parents and grandparents many times, now they can think about a unique character from the book and listen to an aspect of the story they might not have heard before. The eye-catching illustrations also help to bring the stories alive and will be appreciated by readers of all ages.

Rajendra Prabhu has also included profound Sanskrit shlokas and helped readers with pronunciation, by including keys to support anyone that wants to know precisely how some Sanskrit words are pronounced. As a nice bonus, the “Aditya Hridaya Stotram” from the Valmiki Ramayana is included at the end of the story.

The book has many little interesting nuggets that will give the reader occasion to stop, think and wonder. Among these is Rama’s genealogy, on one of the pages, which traces Rama’s ancestry, who is 35th in line after the first King of Ayodhya, Ikshavaku, after whom the dynasty is named.

A unique book, based on the Valmiki Ramayana, and executed with passion and devotion by Rajendra Prabhu, this is a book that has something for everyone.

By Madhuri Pai (a GSB based in London, a reader most prolific) If you thought you had understood the Ramayana from all perspectives, here is a wonderful book that will give you a unique window into this most loved epic story. While the main storyline of the Ramayana is familiar to most Hindus, there are so many unique and strong characters in the story, that one sometimes wonders how they might have told the story to us, if they had the chance. Rajendra Prabhu, from our very own community, has given them exactly that chance in this interesting take on an age-old story. What would King Janaka have felt as he gave away his daughter to the valiant Rama? What would Manthara have thought as she provoked Queen Kaikeyi to ask for the terrible boons she did? How would Prince Shatrughana have participated in all the dramatic events that separated him from Rama and Lakshmana? What about Mareecha? Did he really want to be the cause of Sita’s kidnapping or was he the victim of a curse? “Namaste, I am Rama, and this is Ramayana” does a splendid job of offering us the perspectives of all the major, and many minor characters in the Ramayana. Each character introduces themselves with a “Namaste, I am..” and narrates their part in the Ramayana and shares their thoughts with us. This book, therefore, gives us the opportunity to dip in and out of the Ramayana, and will work especially well with children. Providing the familiarity that children need while enlarging their worlds with fresh perspectives on a story they already know. While they might have heard the story from parents and grandparents many times, now they can think about a unique character from the book and listen to an aspect of the story they might not have heard before. The eye-catching illustrations also help to bring the stories alive and will be appreciated by readers of all ages. Rajendra Prabhu has also included profound Sanskrit shlokas and helped readers with pronunciation, by including keys to support anyone that wants to know precisely how some Sanskrit words are pronounced. As a nice bonus, the “Aditya Hridaya Stotram” from the Valmiki Ramayana is included at the end of the story. The book has many little interesting nuggets that will give the reader occasion to stop, think and wonder. Among these is Rama’s genealogy, on one of the pages, which traces Rama’s ancestry, who is 35th in line after the first King of Ayodhya, Ikshavaku, after whom the dynasty is named. A unique book, based on the Valmiki Ramayana, and executed with passion and devotion by Rajendra Prabhu, this is a book that has something for everyone.

Book Reviews and Feedback from our Readers

We are thankful to our readers who shared these wonderful book reviews and general feedback. We look forward to hear from new readers.

#1 from Nikhila Hegde, a mother of 9-year old twin boys.


#2 from Śrīnāth Mohandās, Assistant Professor at Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Piravom, Kerala, and his cute 6-year-old niece, Chinmayi

Śrīnāth Mohandās: "My 6-year-old niece Chinmayi Suraj narrating the story of Rāma to me by going through Children's Rāmāyaṇa authored and illustrated by my friend Rajendra Prabhu. It was her birthday yesterday and I gifted her the book. You can see that she's a little irritated by my queries which she thought were too basic. 😃

"She is not old enough to read and comprehend but thanks to the beautiful and colourful illustrations by Rajendra, she recounts each episode looking at them. The most beautiful thing about her is that she considers every character of the epic as her own people! Rāma and Sītā are her friends. Hanumān is her protective elder brother. Vānara sena are her play mates. Even Rāvaṇa is a friend, more like a bully from her senior KG classroom. Chinmayi is the daughter of Suraj Sudhakar and Lakshmi Suraj.

"I must say that the book is an excellent resource in English. It is a quick retelling of Vālmīki Rāmayaṇa for kids. Its unique rendition introduces 50 plus characters of the epic in a way that connects to children. I am told that Rajendra authored (and illustrated) the book for his own 2-year-old. Extremely glad that he has published it and made it available to all kids (and parents) around the world.

"I would recommend each of you to get a copy of this book and gift it to the young ones you care about. Do talk about it to all young parents in your circle as well. 

"Śrīrāma Jayam!"


#3 from Manish Shetty, an IT Professional and father of a 4-year-old girl: 

"The book is wonderful. My daugher is loving the stories with pictures. The book is really great to teach kids about the reality and struggle of Lord Rama. Thanks to Mr. Rajendra Prabhu for this amazing book."


#4 from Surekha Prabhu, a Pharma professional, and mother of a girl: 

"Rama, means the one who delights all,” says Rishi Vasishtha, the Kulaguru of Ayodhya kings. And so begins the beautiful narrative of the four brothers in the simplified version of Ramayana by Rajendra Prabhu. The book is a delight to read for all and the illustrations are simply captivating. The book has described the Ramayana in very simple child-friendly language which can be understood and visualized by kids.  As said by someone “Writing that lacks simplicity reveals thinking that lacks understanding”. The simplistic narrative style clearly indicates the depth of understanding of the author. We got our copies on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami and would recommend it as a must-have for all young parents."


#5 from Sudhir Nayak, an IT Professional, who bought multiple copies of the book for young readers in his extended family: 

"The book 'Namaste I am Rama' is an excellent book for people of all age groups. In today's fast-paced world reading such Puranas daily is helpful for the overall development of a person. In my own life, I have made it a habit to read this book daily, especially 'SUNDARA KANDA,' and I am seeing the benefit in my family, and after a week, I have again ordered 2 books for my nephew and niece who come under 'kids' category. So my sincere request to all is to have a copy of this book and make your life fruitful!"


#6 from Ami Ganatra, the author of the book 'Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History": 

"A beautifully illustrated book on Valmiki Ramayana for kids by Shri Rajendra Prabhu. The book makes an introduction to various characters in Ramayana in the first person and has attractive images and sketches throughout that will keep kids and adults engrossed. But the striking feature of the book is the playful introduction it makes of some beautiful and relevant Sanskrit shlokas from Ramayana. I loved it. Am sure you will too."


#7 from Srilakshmi PS, a mother to a 9-year-old girl and school teacher for children in Grades 1-3:

"We had an English fest with Ramayana as the theme and 6 -7 year kids were to be prepared for it. Since our school prioritizes local language, our children do not have much exposure to speaking in English. This book which is in very simple language helped me in helping them with character narration.

"My 9-year-old daughter enjoyed reading this book.

"I loved the illustrations as well."


#8 from Madhu Prabhu, whose five-and-half-year-old daughter Akshara has enjoyed the book so much that she takes it around with her wherever she goes. She has already completed 20 readings of the book. Here she is, reading a few paragraphs from the book:

#9 from Dr. Mridula A, who has some encouraging words to share:

"I bought the book for my daughter who is just 18 months old now. So you know, she cannot read it yet, but I am telling her the story using beautiful illustrations. She gets very animated and has a great time.

"I must say that you have made a conscious effort to present many aspects of our Sanatana Dharma thru this storytelling approach, which is commendable. I have made note of all the valuable points in your book, and shall soon send you a detailed review.

"Most importantly, my husband who has been far away from reading scriptures till this date has been inspired to read the complete edition of the Valmiki Ramayana. He has just ordered the volumes for his personal use. So in more ways than one, your book has had an impact on our family. We are grateful to you for that.

"Jaya Sri Rama."


#10 from a US resident* and mother of two girls (ages, 8 and 5):

"We recently finished reading your book. Kids had a good time and mostly understood a lot more than before about the (Ramayana) story. Thank you. My older one was impressed by your illustration skills. She particularly liked the concluding sentences on the bad guys' pages -- 'My life ends here', and laughed every time."

(*name withheld on person's request.)