Why are we obsessed with Ravan and DUSSEHRA? Well, the childhood obsession and excitement mainly pertained to availability of attractive teer-kamaan(bow/arrow) and gada(Mace) in the markets. We loved buying them and playing different characters of Ramayana with our friends. Our daadi/naani/mom had told us stories of all these God’s present in our temples and homes. We had also seen the popular movies “Sampoorna Ramayan” and “Lav Kush” in theatres as kids.
Then came Ramanand Sagar’s serial Ramayana in 1986 which used to cause a near curfew in India at 9am on Sundays. Arvind Trivedi as Raavan and Arun-Deepika as Ram-Sita mesmerized one and all. I never could fathom the sacrifices which Sita had to make in her marriage.
Then came the powerful narrative yet again in 2015, Siya Ke Ram which took Star Plus to new heights! The handsome hulk Karthik Jayaram packed a punch as Ravana while Ashish and Madirakshi dazzled as Ram-Sita. This time the story was told from Sita’s perspective. Lot of doubts cleared. The Vishnu-Lakshmi avataars had come to teach the world how important it is to respect women. Sita’s power-packed speech, before she calls on mother earth to swallow her, was infact very revealing. She decries that the earth doesn’t deserve her( read women).
Why are we obsessed with Ramayana? Why did the Ramayana serial become popular yet again in Covid times?? Why is Mahabharata remade successfully again and again?
Maybe because we see some parts of Ram-Sita-Ravan-Draupadi-Duryodhan-Pandavas in us. Maybe because we see bits and pieces of the Ramayana and Mahabharata sagas being played around us.
It is important to take home the vital messages. Instead of getting satisfaction from seeing the effigy of Ravana burn we have to resolve not to fear these demons and fight them bravely. Let’s stand stronger and taller together, adopting a zero tolerance policy towards violence/abuse.
