In Kolkata, during my tenure as editor of Jansatta, Yogesh Ahuja from the Punjabi community approached me a couple of days before the Dussehra festival. He requested assistance in organizing a Ram Leela performance at the Brigade Parade Ground. The challenge was to condense the entire story of Ram, from his birth to the burning of Ravana, into a single afternoon show, from 2 to 7 PM. It seemed impossible, but Ahuja insisted. The idea was to showcase this north Indian theatrical tradition in Kolkata, lest the younger generation forget Ram Leela.
Despite the initial hurdles, the performance was greenlit. The task was to condense Ram’s life into four hours. With the support of other individuals, the editor sought help from Syed Mahfooz Hasan Khan Pundarik, the Chief Rajbhasha Officer of Eastern Railway in Kolkata. Pundarik, an expert on Ram Katha and a frequent visitor to the Ramayana Mela in Chitrakoot, was tasked with writing a concise play.
Pundarik suggested starting the play with the Ram Vivah (marriage) and concluding it with the Ravana Vadh (killing). He reasoned that since everyone knows Ram is an incarnation of Vishnu, there was no need to depict his birth. The resulting play was remarkable, covering Ram’s marriage, exile, the abduction of Sita, and finally, the slaying of Ravana.
The Ram Leela commenced at 2 PM and concluded at 6:30 PM. Dignitaries like Subhash Chakraborty, the transport minister of West Bengal, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, Dinesh Vajpayee, graced the event. The minister presented awards to the performers. Afterward, the effigy of Ravana was burned. This Ram Leela was crucial to show the diversity within society, as Ram Leela is mainly celebrated in northern India.
The tradition of burning Ravana during Dussehra is predominantly observed in North India. While weapon worship (Ayudh Puja) occurs almost everywhere during Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, the significance of the day, as the day Ram killed Ravana, is not fully understood. Understanding the bright and dark aspects of Ram’s character is essential rather than merely following the ritual. Ram’s policies towards his enemies are important.
When Ram embarked on his mission to attack Lanka, he was alone, with his wife abducted and his brother Lakshmana, who was quick to anger. Finding allies in a foreign land with different customs and ethics was difficult. Ram’s behavior towards the backward and the deprived was not dogmatic. Ram ate Shabari’s berries and performed the last rites for Jatayu. We should consider our mythological characters in the context of high values. But along with Ram’s character, the Shambuk Vadh and the feeling of adopting a second-class status towards women are also attached.
Every Ramayana says that he is a subject-loving, egalitarian, and just, then how did his character have a feeling of discrimination towards the Shudra and women, no one has the answer to this. Accept the fact that Ram’s ideals are not suitable for today. We should take only those that are eternal truths. Ram’s such ideals are still revered today.
Ram’s decency gives him the form of God. He is the supreme being, but he never does his own thing. Even for the question of whether to give refuge to Ravana’s brother Vibhishana, he discusses it with Sugriva, Angada, Jamvant, and Hanuman. After Ravana’s death, he himself feels sad and says, today a great scholar is leaving this world. Therefore, O Lakshmana, you go to him and ask for forgiveness and humbly get guru-knowledge from him. He shows such respect towards his supreme enemy. This is his greatness.
Maharishi Valmiki wrote in his Ram Katha – Ikshvakuvanushprabhavo Ramo Nama Janaih Shrutah, Niyataatma Mahaveeryo Dyutiman Dhritiman Vashi! That is, Ram, born in the Ikshvaku dynasty, is patient, radiant, and self-controlled. He is known in the world by the name of Ram.
Ram is both worldly and otherworldly. He is a symbol of ideals in the Indian feudal system. When the kingdom was emerging in society, Maharishi Valmiki imagined a king who is Maryada Purushottam. A king who is a symbol of the best qualities in humans. He is a one-wife and risks his all to protect his wife.
He rejects such a vast and magnificent kingdom at his father’s command. He goes to the forest with his wife. His younger brother goes along. But the brother who gets the kingdom also hits the state and waits for the completion of the term of his elder brother’s exile. This is the story of a king who got the place of God because of his high character.