Blurb (from the jacket):
Osamu Tezuka, the godfather of Japanese graphic art, brings ancient India to life, lavishly retelling the life and times of 'the enlightened one' in his critically acclaimed eight-book masterpiece: BUDDHA. The fates of real and imagined characters are deftly interwoven as they engage in fresh and unexpected adventures, playing out Tezuka's philosophical concern with overcoming fate and the uselessness of voilence.
In book two, The Four Encounters, Prince Siddartha – fated to become the Buddha – is confronted by the harsh penalties of social injustice within his own kingdom, fuelled by selfish warlords and villains like the depraved warrior, Bandaka. The tragic fortunes of his loved-ones, such as Tatta the rogue and Migalia the fierce female bandit, force the Prince to choose between love and destiny; Siddartha must forsake his heart and begin his pilgrimage.
My take on the book:
Having read the first part in a day, I started reading this book the next chance I got.
I have basic idea of Buddha's story. When I small - smaller - I had watched this cartoon about the story of Buddha on how he was bound to the royal palace, how he came to know and question death, how he escaped the royal guard of the palace and finally, how came to enlighten? Basically, it was death that intrigued him on taking up the journey of enlightenment. I was equally clueless of death as the Buddha character in the cartoon, so I was bewildered, too. The very thought of death frightened me. My mind was brimming with countless questions of the existence and death with no suitable outlet.
But the stories these books depict are nowhere same to the story of the cartoon I have so admired when I was small - smaller. However, it is ethics of screenplay to never be the same as the original, perhaps, that changed the story. That throws me into a dilemma of how true is the story depicted in these eight volumes? Well, history tends to be always a mystery. No account can be proved legible until seen with the very own eyes. So I give up the questions of the credibility and go on to the enjoy the story.
Unlike, the first part where only the birth of the Buddha is discussed, this book concentrates majorly on Buddha and the characters that originate in the first novel have their references and scenes every now and then. I can't fathom how the author plotted the story so smoothly, in spite of all the confusions and characters.
Overall, it was a quick read, just like the first one, and needs utmost admiration for authors skill in narrating a story without a background narration and just dialogues. Sequential Art narration at it's best...
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Title: The Four Encounters
Author: Osamu Tezuka
Series: Buddha #2
ISBN (edition I've read): 9780007251667
Rating:
Read between: 25-09-2014 (one day)
Publishers: HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 417
MRP: ₹ 399
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