#ReadChristie2024 - 1920s | The Mysterious Affair at Styles is an alluring whodunit that gave to the world, Hercule Poirot…
Walking across an Indian street this time of the year, one would experience exhilarating emotions. There is a wholesome display of happiness and joyous celebrations, with every house on the block decorated with colourful rangolis, bright, fanciful lights and fragrant flowers. The tail end of the English calendar year marks the festival of lights – Diwali, one of the biggest Hindu festivals.
Etched deep within our culture and as part of our traditions, this festival symbolises the return of the victorious Lord Ram to his motherland – the Kingdom of Ayodhya. Ramayana is a timeless epic and a revered Indian Mythology that chronicles the transcendence of Rama from a benevolent King loved by the people to a God worshipped by all.
Penned by Sage Valmiki, the epic is etched word by word into the hearts of every Indian following thousands of years of translations, renditions, and countless adaptations. Consequently, it is an inspiration and moral guidance for us all. I firmly believe that a unique version of Ramayana exists for each of us, and its presence fills a void that we did not even know existed.
Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, the former Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister penned down a simple rendition of the epic articulated especially for children. Written in easy-to-read English, the story encapsulates the adventure with equal parts of fantasy and elements of intrigue akin to a child’s liking. A conversational tone sets the context as Rajaji takes prominent little breaks between the narration to emphasise learning for the young audience.
There are always those who need to scratch below the surface and dig deeper towards the truth. The holy grail of knowledge is their ultimate source of exhilaration. For such enthusiasts, Bibek Debroy, a renowned Indian economist, has translated the entire Sanskrit original. Basis the preserved critical edition of Valmiki Ramayana in the Oriental Institute of Baroda, the lyrical and superlative description of Rama’s journey finds expression in English.
The epic is rendered as a poem in Sanskrit, and various abridged adaptations narratively explore the story. But the poetic descriptions are not enough for those who wish to enter the world of Rama, who want to transport themselves to the treta yuga and experience life and the story as a contemporary. But fear not, the fictional world has alternatives –
Under the umbrella of mythological fiction, Amish Tripathi re-imagines Ramayana, empowering the storyline with dialogues and, subsequently, the reader with a world they wished to visualise. The Ram Chandra series is a guaranteed page-turner, like a brilliant set of thriller novels. While the storyline has liberal alterations, it is built upon a logical train of thought, and the core elements of the source remain intact.
Initially, the Ramayana explores the conflicts of Dharma that Rama faced in his early life and during his battle with the Lankan King Ravana. It is a linear narrative that upholds a singular point of view. And this is the story that has been deeply imprinted upon our minds. The black-and-white concept of good and bad establishes Rama as the human form of “goodness” and Ravana as the evil opposite. But in today’s world, nothing is stark black or white; instead, various shades of grey emerge. A rise in tolerant empathy amongst us beckons many liberal ones to seek the story of the other side of the coin.
“For thousands of years, I [Ravana] have been vilified, and my death celebrated year after year in every corner of India. Why?”
Who was Ravana? Was he evil? What were his origins? Anand Neelakantan explores the story of the “evil” Lankan King Ravana in his mythological fiction, Asura – the tale of the vanquished. It is a starting story of the oppressed asuras. While everyone may not agree with the ideas subtly underlined in the pages, the fresh perspectives make this a fascinating read.
#ReadChristie2024 - 1920s | The Mysterious Affair at Styles is an alluring whodunit that gave to the world, Hercule Poirot…
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How does Ramayana inspire you?