Ashok Kumar Banker (born 7 February 1964 in Mumbai, India) is an author and screenwriter. His writing spans crime thrillers, essays, literary criticism, fiction and mythological retellings.
The author of several well-received novels including a trilogy billed as "India's first crime novels in English", he became widely known for his retellings of Indian mythological epics, starting with the internationally acclaimed and best-selling eight-volume Ramayana Series, which has been credited with the resurgence of mythology in Indian publishing.
The New York Times credited him with making mythology the most successful category in Indian publishing, describing his work as being "better written than many books in the genre that have followed – introduced the Ramayana to a new generation of readers." His books have sold over 2 million copies and have been published in 16 languages in 58 countries.
His Epic India Library is an attempt to retell all the myths, legends and Ithaca of the Indian sub-continent in one massive story cycle comprising over 70 volumes, "an epic library of India". He is frequently nominated and shortlisted as one of India's top thinkers and celebrities.
The upcoming two-film adaptation of his Mahabharata is expected to be the biggest Indian film production to date.
The original Ramayana was written three thousand years ago. Now, with breathtaking imagination and brilliant storytelling, Ashok K. Banker has recreated this epic tale for modern readers everywhere. Sita has been abducted by the demon lord Ravana and held captive in the island-kingdom of Lanka.
Rama is now faced with the bitter prospect of a final, terrible war against Ravana and his rakshasa hordes. Sita’s fate hangs in the balance while Rama’s armies assemble on the very edge of the ocean. Using only their wits and bare hands they begin to build a bridge to the island-kingdom. But time is rapidly running out, and the journey to Lanka appears near-impossible.
At this critical moment Hanuman attains a magnificent apotheosis. Transformed into a being with a single-minded mission, he prepares for a terrifying face-off with Ravana, and makes his awesome leap across the ocean to rescue Sita. Will he succeed in saving her life and averting the final battle? Surely a lone vanar cannot face the crushing might of Lanka and survive? But then Hanuman is no ordinary vanar.