Rama-O-Rama!
Part 3: The Universal Relevance of Ramayana
Universally regarded as one of the world's most important literary works, Ramayana has had a profound impact on the art, culture, family relations, gender, politics, nationalism and militancy in the Indian sub continent. The everlasting value of this epic tale has been extolled through the centuries, and it has helped in moulding the Hindu character largely.However, it would be wrong to say that Ramayana belongs only to the Hindus.
Long ago the Ramayana became popular in Southeast Asia and manifested itself in text, temple architecture and performance, particularly in Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. Today, it belongs to the whole humanity because it is capable of serving as a code of ethics for all human beings, irrespective of caste, creed, color and religion.
The Popularity of Ramayana
The characters and incidents in Ramayana provide the ideals and
wisdom of common life, and help to bind the people of India, regardless of
caste and language. No wonder, two of India's greatest festive events -
Dusshera and Diwali
are directly motivated by the Ramayana. The first commemorates
the siege of Lanka and Rama's victory over Ravana; the second, the
festival of lights, celebrates Rama and Sita's homecoming to their kingdom
in Ayodhya.
International Ramayana Conference
Every year scholars from different countries get together for the
International Ramayana Conference (IRC). This year the Center for
Southeast Asian Studies at Northern Illinois University, in cooperation
with the International Ramayana Institute of North America, is
organizing the conference on September 21 and 22, 2001, at Northern
Illinois University, USA. The conference will include presentations on
various themes and workshops based on Ramayana. This year's theme
is "Artistic, Cultural, and Literary Variations of Ramayana
Worldwide".
The IRC was held in India three times, two times in Thailand and one time each in Canada, Nepal, Mauritius, Surinam, Belgium, Indonesia, the Netherlands, China, Trinidad & Tobago and the US. The year 2000 meeting discussed, among other things, the supremacy of the Ramayana philosophy and its significance to the whole humankind in the 21st century.