The Ramayana Project: Vignettes of Ramayana

The essence of the Ramayana has been expressed in a diverse array of regional cultures and artistic mediums across India. In an effort to review the transmission, mobility, adaptation and concrete expression of the Rama theme among different communities and regions in India, and to study at close quarters the power of the ‘oral word’, a series of films have been made under the Ramayana Project of the ICH Division.

One of the most important literary works of ancient India, the Ramayana has had a profound impact on art and culture in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia.It’s stories defy categorization of art as folk or classical, rural or urban, textual or oral. Literary, oral, kinetic and pictorial aspects intermingle to generate multiple renditions of the text in different locales and contexts, each rendition with unique variations and linguistic distinction.

These 17 short films aim to understand and capture the ethos of the Ramayana. They portray how the story in the epic has changed to include local flavour without losing the central theme and message. The films, through experts, bring out the nuances of the distinct Ramayanas as performed in different parts of India. 

For instance, the Yakshagana films from the region of coastal Karnataka illustrate how the performative aspect of the text makes it fluid, accessible and adaptable. It accounts for its preservation, survival, and transmission; with the two distinct styles within it appealing to both a rural and urban audience. These films look at the origins, structure, unique features, character-creation, and training aspects of this art form through exponents, creative artists and scholars in the field like Prof. M. L. Samaga, Dr. Prabhakara Joshy, Prof. Purushottam Bilimale, and Keremane Shivananda Hegde.

Giving the perspective of a scholar, DrShastri quotes Valmiki on how ‘grief flows as verse’, and how the story has impacted the world, to stress the universal appeal of the Ramayana, while DrRomilaThapar gives the historian’s view on the faith and belief element of the narrative. The perspective of an institution is given through interviews with well-regarded acharyas of the Chinmaya Mission, an institution engaged in the dissemination of Vedanta, the science of the self as expounded in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana.

Telling the story of the Ramayana through string puppetry, puppet master BhaskarKogga Kamath says that Uppinakudru puppetry, the puppet play of Yakshagana, is an art form that existed as early as the 12th century, as mentioned in DaasaSahitya and SharanaSahitya. His organization goes back 350 years, with the art form, taught in the guru shishya tradition, incorporating the history and culture of 6 generations. However, the lack of interest and enthusiasm in the current generation toward this dying art form may well be its death knell.

The Ayodhya films express the deep integration between the ethos of Rama and that of Ayodhya. The common man of Ayodhya is far removed from the commercialization, and pomp and show, associated with Rama. The concept of Rama, his story, his values is a part of the daily life of the residents of this city. The devotion with which people touch the waters of the river Sarayu speaks volumes of their belief about the river and its importance to the city. For them, it is linked inextricably with Rama.

For more information please check the link: https://icharchive.intach.org/Detail/collections/67