Ramayana

The Original Existential Hero

Arshia Sattar

We stay with Rama-the-human because of his resemblance to us

Return to the Ideal City

Bibek Debroy

There was no room for falsities in the welfare state of Rama as depicted in the epic

The Great Indian Way

Makarand R Paranjape

The rebuilding of the Ram temple is the triumph of resacralisation

In Sita’s Footsteps

Ram Madhav

Her lifetime sufferings changed the way the world perceives woman’s strength

Ravana’s Salvation

Lakshmi Bayi

Rama sat by the feet of the fallen demon king to gain knowledge from him

Epi(c)demic

Kaveree Bamzai

The Ramayan’s success was remarkable, and the public response was far greater than anyone anticipated

How Did Indian History Become Myth?

Nanditha Krishna

Rama’s memory lives on because of his extraordinary life and persona

Rama: A Reasonable Man

Bibek Debroy

The Rama story is about being true to a pledge regardless of consequences

Justice has been meted out for a historical wrong. Hindus waited for this moment for five centuries and have taken it with dignified restraint. A majority of Muslims too have understood that they were misled by vested interests and it was wrong to destroy and appropriate the places of worship of others

The Epic Epiphany

Keerthik Sasidharan

The abiding attraction of the Ramayana to Indian society, and to the Indian mind, lies in the innumerable idealised social relations that abound in the epic. Its importance as a template for social bonds is what is often missed in the textual discussions that preoccupy scholars