From: srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil,soc.culture.indian
Subject: Scene 2: Lord Rama gets arrested (NOT FOR SERIOUS READERS)
Date: 14 Dec 92 22:55:52 GMT
Reply-To: srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca (K.Srinivasan)
Organization: IREQ, Hydro-Quebec, QC, Canada
Originator: srini@acr

Part 2. Lord Rama gets arrested. (not for serious readers)

In part 1, Lord Rama in Devalokam wishes for another temple on earth.
He seeks the help of St. Narada, Saint of mischief. (Previous posting).

Rama and Sita think it has been a while since St. Narada started his
work, and so it would be worthwhile finding things for themselves
how things are going on. They land in Ayodhya, according to St. Narada's
directions. They see a procession shouting, "Ram Nam Satya Hai!"
coming towards them.

Rama: "Look, How nice, It seems like the days of Rama Rajyam."

The crowd approaches Rama and the leader of the crowd asks Rama,
"aap hindoo hai, musalmaan hai?" (Hindi: Are you a Hindu or muslem?).
Rama does not understand a word, not a word of Sanskrit in that!.
Rama calmly says, "kim vadhanthi thvam?" (Sans: What are you saying?")
The leader shouts, "Ye vilaathi agent hai, isko maaro!" (Hindi: He is
a foreign agent, Beat him up!.) The crowd turns into a mob, and starts
chasing Rama, who was unprepared for the event. Meanwhile, the police
turn up in trucks, and amidst commotion, round up the trouble makers,
including Rama and Sita.

Rama says to Sita, "What is this, I made Sanskrit the official language
of my Rajyam. Are you sure we are at the right place?"

Sita replies, "The location is all right. When you cast your single vote
as President, to give the one vote majority for the official language,
I thought it will not stand the test of time. No wonder it is dead now.
You know you set a bad precedent. The President should not vote."

They arrive at the police headquarters, and get their turn to meet the
police chief eventually. 
Police Chief: "naam?"           (Name, Rama understood that!).
Rama:         "raam"
Police Chief: "kaam?"           (Hindi kaam = job)
Rama:         "Amaam"   (Rama thought kaam meant the subject matter of
                         kaam sutra. Did not want to get beaten up
                         again by replying in Sanskrit, this time.
                         So replied yes in Tamil.)

The police chief lookes perplexed for a while. Then brightenes up, and
says, " thamizhanaa?, edhukkayya inga vandhu enga kazhuth tharukkireenga,
summa nimmadhiyaa oorukku pOyya. en thale vidhi inga irukkaNum. pOyya."
(Approximate translation: you a tamilian, why are you bothering us here?
go home. It is my fate that I have to be here. Go, get out.).

Rama says to Sita, "We better go for another 14 years forest exile."
Sita replies, "That would be great, I would love to see those
beautiful places again." . They fly south enjoying the scenary.
On seeing some construction going on, which looked like a Temple,
they land.

Rama says, "This is probably what Narada is working on, a Temple for me!".
Sita replies, "Watch out, don't talk in Sanskrit, we may get beaten up again."

Rama asks a labourer, "ennanga kOyil kattaraangaLaa?" (Building a temple?)
Labourer replies, "aamaanga" (yes sir).
Rama asks for whom is the temple, for which the labourer replies,
"yaarO, Rajiv Gandhi-aam, yaar kaduLO enakku theriyaadhunga".
(Some god by name Rajiv Gandhi, I do not know whose god he is).

Rama is dissappointed, and asks the labourer if there was any Rama
Temple in the area. The labourer's face brightens up and replies,
"irukkudhunga, namma vaaththiyaar, M.G.'Rama' chandran kOyil thaanE".
(Of course, there is, we have one for our teacher, M.G. 'Rama' chandran).

Sita says, "Let us go to Rameswaram, and see if the temple you built
for Siva is still there."

Considering the friendly reception, Rama and Sita, decide to travel by
bus, all the way to Rameswaram. The person sitting next to Rama,
talks to Rama, "I think I have seen you some where, aahaa!, I know,
are n't you N.T. Rama Rao, I have seen your movies." [Note: In villages, it
is common for N.T.Ramarao, who comes in Rama, Krishna roles in films to get
a godly welcome.]

Rama and Sita have other memorable experiences. They get the feeling
that they are indeed living in peoples' minds in various forms.
They feel it perhaps was foolish to desire another temple.

Arriving at Rameswaram, Sita says, "Look, It is just as we left it!
I am so happy. Let us pay homage to Siva at the Temple and go to the beach.
Look at the beautiful peaceful scenary on the other side of the ocean.
Look at the little boats sailing back and forth across the strait."

The tranquility in the beach is interrupted, suddenly by an army officer.
Army officer: " Sir, are you an Indian citizen?". Rama looks puzzled.
The army officer starts a conversation about places in Lanka.
Rama and Sita, get a nostalgia and blabber everything, they knew about Lanka.

Then the officer asks, "What is it in that box, sir?"
Rama: "It is my bow and arrow, I carry it all the time."
Army officer: "Do you have a permit?"
Rama blinks like a ten year old caught stealing a mango.

Army officer: "Sir, I have to arrest you. You know a lot about Lanka,
you are carrying a weapon without permit, You do not know Hindi.
You could be a tiger".
Rama was under the impression, that he had taken a human form.

Rama thought, it is the right time to divulge his true identity, to
avoid further mis-adventures. He says, "Look, I am Lord Rama, the god!".

The officer bows to Rama and continues, "Oh Lord Rama, you should
help me. Unless I arrest a lot of tigers, I can not get my promotion.
I have my family to feed. This is the only job, I could get under the
caste based reservation, in spite of my Ph.D in computer science.
They say, my caste is over-represented in computer science jobs.
Please allow me to arrest you as a tiger."

Then Rama replies, "Oh Bhakta! I became a lion for a bhakta in
narasimha avatara, I can become a tiger for you. Here I come.."
--------------------------------
K. Srinivasan at Hydro Quebec.  srini@ireq-num.hydro.qc.ca