Book review: Faith in god is the main theme of The Green Forest
The Green Forest by Shailen Panda is a novel, structured in the style of a fable. This children’s fiction describes the interdependent relationship between nature, human beings and God, who is omnipresent and helpful to all his creations.
The novel commences on a joyous note but soon the mood changes as soon as Gopal, the protagonist loses his parents.
His life changes when he gets ignored by his aunt but Govind or Lord Krishna arrives to help him and give him courage to live his life, not only for himself but for everyone!
Gopal, from the very beginning is interlinked with God’s other creations and nature because his friends include all the animals and birds, who have the ability to talk.
He comes across several challenging situations at a very tender age. Will he be able to overcome all these challenges? What does fate hold for him at the end?
The novel explores all these facets to gift the readers with a beautiful and happy ending!
The concept of divine superiority can be found in the novel, with the arrival of Govind and his conversations with little Gopal.
Due to Govind’s flute, Gopal is able to overcome all his sorrows and finally he becomes the King of the Green Forest.
King Gopal also finds his beloved Ranimala and saves her from the curse of a hermit.
The novel concludes with the happy communion of King Gopal and Princess Ranimala.
Animals, who are also the creation of God, are depicted as helpful and kind to human beings, especially Gopal because he is considered to be God’s chosen one.
The transformation of Gopal into King Gopal is also highlighted here. He brings rain in the Green Forest by appeasing God and thus becomes the great king of the forest.
‘If we are pure and true to ourselves and others, God is always there with us’ ---- this idea reverberates throughout The Green Forest.
The novel is written in simple and lucid language and the author has tried to paint pictures through the usage of words, which would be very easy for children to visualize.
Priced at Rs 500, the book will shortly be available on amazon.com, flipkart.com and power-publishers.com.
(Reviewed by Sayantani Sengupta)
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