RAMAYANA IN TODAYS WORLD

Sangh Parivar - Vasudhaiva Kutumbhkam


Ramayana- still relevant in today’s society

Posted: 03 Aug 2009 01:51 AM PDT


Preparations for Ramleela are on. Dussehra is just a few months away. As usual effigies of the demons shall be consigned to flames. Thousands of people around the country especially in north India gather at corner- stage- shows to watch Ram Leela – story of Ramayana during Navratras ten days prior to Dussehra - enacted by stage artists since ages- year after year. New serials depicting the same story of Lord Rama are launched and old ones are repeated on the small screen but no let up in the popularity is found and viewers make it a point not to miss any of the episodes.


What is special? The Ramayana is a story of human relations. No other book in the world over has ever defined the idealism in human relationship so precisely as Ramayana. Ram as an ideal son and an ideal king, Bharat and Laxman as ideal brothers, Sita as an ideal wife, Monkey king Sugreev as a friend in need, Hanuman as an ideal devotee (servant) and Ravana –an enemy in the true sense of the word – all these characters of Ramayana have ever remained a torch bearer for the society in the past and shall ever remain for the times to come as far as the human relations are concerned.

If Ram as an ideal son sacrificed the princely comforts and the throne of Ayodhaya to keep the word of his father, Bharat waited for his elder brother Ram to complete his exile to handover the kingdom and never enjoyed the palatial comforts during those 14 years. Newly wed Sita set an example as an ideal wife for the generations to come by accompanying Ram to his exile. Laxman sacrificed his married life andother princely comforts and too accompanied his elder brother to the jungle.Hanuman’s character shall ever remain exemplary for master- servant relationship. Sugreev proved the proverb true to its meaning that “a friend in need is a friend in deed”.

The idealism and values of human relations still find relevance in today’s social set up as these have become most wanting in today’s society. Nuclei families are replacing the age old joint family system. Material values are reigning supreme over the human values. We know a person by his status and material holdings. Human values have deteriorated to an extent of a son killing his father for property, wife eliminating her husband to facilitate an extra marital affair, brothermurdering brother to grab his share of property and daughter in connivance with her husband eliminating her parents and brother to become the only legal heir of the leftover estate. Defiance in the son-father relationship is pervasive.The former reasoning it to generation gap tells the later to mind his businessby saying "it is my life”.

Individualism in behavior and denial and disrespect to the human values has led to extreme intolerance in individuals. Set aside helping some one on the road, a car driver is thrashed to death just for asking side from a driver ahead of him.

Individuals have become so selfcentered that there seems to be no interaction with even next door neighbor. Living a shell like life, people are so disinterested even in street, mohalla,locality that the integrated social fabric in a country like India comprising numerous communities, religions seems to have become a distant affair. Lack of brotherhood is indirectly helping the vested interests to have their way individing the society in the name of sects, religions and regions.

Disintegration in the societyis so widespread that one just passes by leaving the accident victim to die on the roadside. Gap between parents and children is so wide that a daughter and domestic servant are hammered to death in the adjoining room in the house and parents come to know only in the morning. And the dual murder becomes a mystery to solve for the intelligence agencies of the country. Elders in the families are considered as liability and left to help themselves. Number of old age homes is on the rise. The younger lot has no time to care and maintain old parents.

Contrary to the concept of RamRajya exhibited in Ramayana, the rulers are conniving with criminals to loot public. Corruption is on the rampage. Leave others aside, even the decisions of judiciary can be thought to be influenced by money power. Elected representative are on sale to share power at any cost. Politicians don’t even spare the sensitive religious issues from capitalizing for vote bank.

Terrorism is another face of inhumanity. Killing innocents, attacking worship and crowded places has become the modus operandi by the terrorists’ groups to inflict maximum causalities for settling scores among enemy countries.

We watch Ram Leela and epic serials very keenly. A few intellectuals may even challenge a scene or event enacted for its veracity but how many of us try to imply the moral of the epic in our lives and propagate in the society.

Family is a smallest unit of social fabric. Individualism in the family disintegrates the society. Human relations, if valued and respected properly, can prove to be vital in building a well webbed society free of knots of ego, selfishness and false pride. Wejust need to go a little above individualism. An individual is known by his different characters in the society viz. a son, a father, a brother, a husband,a friend, a neighbor and so on. Let us be true to each of the roles assigned to us by the God.

Article By R.P.Malhotra