Pune, Apr 19 (Representative) The ‘Valmiki Ramayana’ has been brought out in different ways – books, songs, audio-visual programs, films and even TV serials. But for the first-time Valmiki Ramayana is now being presented in a grand manner through a unique eco-friendly ‘Magnum Opus’, comprising a set of ten books, created using state-of-the-art materials, having 200 plus illustrations that will aesthetically appeal to the readers. This special creation of Valmiki Ramayana is priced at Rs.1.65 Lakhs in India and USD 2500 abroad. A masterpiece, a collectable edition that will last for generations has been created by Vedic Cosmos, a noted publishing house. This was revealed during a Press Conference by Hemant Sheth and Bhartti Zaveri of Vedic Cosmos in the presence of Surendra Karamchandani of Venus Traders. It will be formally unveiled in Pune for the first time in India by Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, Treasurer of Shree Ramjan bhumi Nyas on Friday, April 21 at the Sant Dnyaneshwar Hall in MIT World Peace University, Kothrud. Dr Vishwanath Karad, MIT World Peace University founder, will be the guest of honour. Subsequently, it will be exclusively available at all the six branches of Venus Traders for the readers. Sharing details about the Magnum Opus, Hemant Sheth of Vedic Cosmos – the publishers said, “All the 24,000 original m?la-?lokas of Valmiki Ramayana are presented in palm-leaf inspired, wooden-covered, gilt-edged ten books.”
“The Magnum Opus also contains translation of all the seven k???as of the V?lm?ki-R?m?ya?a in English and Hindi in a narrative style. It is preserved in handcrafted-wooden box made using solid maple, walnut and sapele wood,” he added. Another feature is that the books are crafted with eco-friendly materials and its covers are printed on the finest fabric and affixed with precious Swarovski crystals. “We have also created 200 illustrations especially for these books, which are affixed with Swarovski crystals and the painting style is inspired by Ajanta frescoes and paintings of Vijayanagar, Bengal and Mysore regions,” said Sheth. Sheth also said that it took them five years to develop this Magnum Opus, weighing 45 KG and 3000 copies will be printed in the initial phase. Another feature of the Magnum Opus is that the books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and acid-free papers. The text is also printed with environment-friendly vegetable inks made of natural ingredients, added Bhartti Zaveri of Vedic Cosmos. “We have also used vegetable glue, which has been made in Germany to maintain the sanctity. We want the future generation to connect with these spiritual books. The books have a classy look with golden gilded fore-edges and metal corners,” added Bhartti.