“What is the meaning of a vast, deep sea if love wishes to cross it and dive into it, my friend?” sang Anila.

The monkeys all stopped their work to dance and answer Anila’s riddle.

“The sea will become a lake and love will become a pair of golden puppets on the water’s surface. The depth of the ocean will vanish, the vastness of the sea will be crossed and the pair of golden puppets will bathe in the lake.”

“What is the meaning of two very distant lands if love wishes to unite them, my friend?” asked Cucak Rawun.

“The vast land will become but a handful of earth traversed by the wings of love. Who else, other than love, can fly like a bolt of lightning? Not just land, but even heaven can be crossed in just an instant if love flies with its wings,” answered the monkeys in response to Cucak Rawun’s song.

“What is the meaning of a high and mighty mountain if love wishes to destroy it, my friend?” Kapi Menda sang loudly and melodiously.

“The mountain will be razed to the ground and the lovers who were hiding on opposite sides of it will face each other. Even though they had been yearning for each other when they were apart, they will be shy when the mountain that had kept them apart collapses. But as the power of the mountain crumbles, their shyness will also crumble and they will embrace each other on the remains of the mountain that once separated them,” answered the monkeys.

***

Herding the Wind is a beautiful retelling from the great epic Ramayana. This book tells the story about the journey of Rama and Sita, their exile and pursuit of love. Not only recites divine characters, this book also tells about unique characters like Anoman and bajang child who bring hope and joy. Since it was first published, this book gained widely acceptance among readers.