Kamba Ramayanam: An English prose rendering

Valmeeki, the adikavi, has inspired the poets of this sacred land to retell Rama's glorious life in their respective tongues. Kavichakravarti Kamban's ramavataram, Rama's story in six books, is both a landmark in the history of Tamil literature and an exemplary literary masterpiece. There are few lovers of Tamil who have not been entranced by its beauty of expression, richness of imagery and ethical grandeur. Shri V V S Iyer, the great revolutionary patriot, would claim for Kamaban's Ramavataram and `individuality' distinct from Valmeeki's. He confidently asserts that Kamban's Ramavataram will stand favorable comparison with the Mahabharata, too. He also avers that it excels Homer's celebrated Iliad, Virgil's Aeneid and Milton's paradise Lost. Dr. H.V. Hande, by providing us with this superb English prose rendering of Kamban's Tamil classic, has done the nation a great service - S. Ramakrishnan