Bharat Ek Khoj 08: Episode 8: Ramayana, Part II
Channel: PublicResourceOrg
Date: 2016-09-02

Bharat Ek Khoj—The Discovery of India
A Production of Doordarshan, the Government of India’s Public Service Broadcaster
Episode 8: Ramayana, Part II

With Salim Ghouse as Rama, Pallavi Joshi as Sita, Ravi Jhankal as Lakshmana, Om Puri as Ravana, Sulakshana Khatri as Surpanakha, Ajit Karkare and Ravindra Sathe as Singers

While the Ramkatha singers are all praise for Rama’s many battles with the Rakshasas (demons), the vignette in Kathakali dance shows the fierce fights between Man and Demon, with defeat writ large for the latter. Ravana now enters the scene, suave and dignified as would befit one whose father was from the higher class and who had received initiation into advanced scholarship. Listening to his sister Surpanakha’s ranting on how she was victimised by Rama and Lakshmana, and her raising an alarm that many demons including Khara and Dushana, Ravana’s kin, were killed in the northern forests, Ravana reluctantly enters into the fray and decides to punish Rama by kidnapping Sita.

In a sage’s disguise, Ravana meets Rama in his Panchavati cottage and receives surprisingly warm hospitality. Convincing Rama to go away and capture the Himalayan Swarna Mriga (golden deer) needed for holding last rites of his departed father, he forcefully and openly abducts Sita. The resistance offered by Jatayu, the super-bird and Rama’s devotee, and his consequent fight to death come alive in the Seraikela Chhau style with masks and musical support by flute and Dhamsa (big drum). On discovering Sita’s disappearance, Rama curses himself. Incidentally, the non—Aryans comprised not only demons but also Vanaras (monkeys). Two rival kings of the latter are brothers Vali and Sugriva, whose fight is enacted in Seraikela Chhau dance, supported by Ramkatha singing. Rama poses as the representative of the Ayodhya-king Bharata and enlists the support of Hanuman to explore Lanka. A vivid Kathakali enactment depicts the burning of Lanka by Hanuman and Seraikela Chhau the fight between Rama and Ravana, describing the fall of the Titan, Ravana.

Just as the above narrative has many departures from the popular Ramayana legends, a fascinating feature here is Rama’s desire to learn the statecraft from his archenemy Ravana. The fallen Ravana is still conscious enough to ignore a haughty Lakshmana, but when Rama sits at his feet, the dying demon slowly opens up with his hard-earned experience as Marg Darshan (road-map) to Rama. Kindness, love and charity to others are quintessential qualities; performing good deeds is important; anger, vanity and hatred are tantamount to bad deeds and to be discarded. Ravana’s mind went for severe ignominy to Sita: intelligent persons would not commit such acts.

Nehru considers the epic Ramayana and its many legends containing enough grains of truth to abide by in the society, such as, truthfulness, keeping one’s words, heroism and, above all, undertaking sacrifices. To stick to one’s ideal may be difficult, but not insurmountable to achieve.