Indians and our limited minds will never stop having problems with anything that offers a new aspect to our long kept beliefs. Don’t worry this is not an accusation aimed at the uneducated alone, but the likes of the deputy mayor of Delhi and a pro-Vice Chancellor of a north Indian university who have raised a lot of hue and cry at the SC. The reason being an essay called ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas’ by acclaimed Indian writer A.K. Ramanujam in the Second year B.A English Honours syllabus. They object to references in the essay where Hanuman is called a ladies’ man and Sita’s morals are questioned. The intellectuals are angry for the harm the essay has done to the sacred belief of Hinduism.
OK, so here’s the dope! Ramanujam was a great scholar with responsible work to his credit and was even honoured with the Padamashri. And this essay of his throws light on the many many versions of the mythical epic Ramayana. His idea is not to denigrate the revered characters in the tale but yes, he talks of how the story changes in different parts of India to be more contemporary. C’mon Hinduism is all about Anthropomorphism; that means gods are also equated as human beings susceptible to folly and deceit. Well, that’s exactly what ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas’ is all about. It tells that there are almost three hundred versions of the great tale. Let’s great realistic, the most celebrated villain of the Ramayana, Ravana, is worshipped in Sri Lanka. Do we need more proof?
Via ibnlive
Tags: contrroversy, delhi university, hanuman, hinduism, India, protest, ramanujam, Ramayana, sita