It is necessary to bring Ram’s character in life
When I was the editor of Jansatta in Kolkata, then already two days before Dussehra, Yogesh Ahuja of Punjabi fraternity came to me. His request was that he wants to get Ram Leela done in the brigade ground every day of Dussehra, so I should help him. In a single day, it was also impossible to take off from the birth of Ram from 2 to 7 in the afternoon to Ravana Dahan. I said, this is not possible. Said, it is absolutely possible to cut the Ram Katha. It was a very difficult task, but this drama of North India should be performed in Kolkata. Otherwise our children will forget Ram Leela!
Bhatia Saheb said and Mrs. Chopra fell behind. I said, okay let’s see. But it is not easy to cover Rama’s entire life in five hours. But Ahuja showed Subhash Chakraborty’s consent and permission letter.
Pilgrimage
Subhash Chakraborty was the Transport Minister of the Left Front Government of West Bengal. He was said to be close to Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. At the same time I called Syed Mahfuz Hasan Khan Pundarik, Chief Official Language Officer of Eastern Railway in Kolkata. He told him, you write such a play of Ram Leela which is completed in just four hours. Pundarik ji was a penetrating Ram Katha and often used to visit Chitrakoot’s Ramayana fair. I had the first meeting with him there.
He said, Ram should start with marriage and Ravana will come and finish the slaughter. Ram ji is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and it is known to everyone. Therefore, there is no point in showing his birth. He prepared a wonderful drama. Ram marriage, and then Ram Vanwas, Sita Haran and then Ravana slaughter.
Ramavatar in the country of Goddess Durga
In this way, Ram Leela, which started at two o’clock, ended at 6.30. Subhash Chakraborty and Kolkata Police Commissioner Dinesh Vajpayee (who later became Director General of West Bengal Police) came to see this Leela. The Minister also distributed prizes encouraging the artists. After this, the effigy of Ravana was burnt. This Ram Leela was necessary to show the diversity within the society. Because in Sharadiya Navratri, there is no Ram Leela except Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal and Jammu.
Different colors of Durga Puja appear in the rest of the country. Somewhere the praise of Mahishasura Mardini and somewhere Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. The same festival is different. Therefore, no one knew Ram Leela there.
What is the benefit of beating the line of Ravana Dahan!
Similarly, the tradition of Ravana Dahan in Dussehra is also in North India only. However, in Dussehra, ordnance or arms worship is almost everywhere. It is also called Vijayadashami. There is a belief in our Puranas that on this day Rama killed Ravana. At some places Mahishasura celebrates it as slaughter. That is, as the victory of good over evil everywhere. This tradition has been going on for years, but attempts have never been made to understand its good and bad aspects.
What is the bright side of Rama’s character and what is the dark side, until it is understood, what is the benefit of beating the line like this! Ram Leela took place for nine days and Ravana was blown on the tenth day. Just finish the story! We are unable to see a very bright side of Rama’s character and that is the policy adopted by Rama towards the enemy side.
Making friends in unknown country
When Ram went out on his campaign for the purpose of climbing Lanka, he was alone. His wife was killed and he was accompanied by a younger brother Laxman, who would get excited on the matter. It is difficult for such a person to find friends in an unknown country. That too in a country whose legislation is completely different from their region. Their moral limits were different and the policies of war were also.
From Kishkindha to Lanka, witchcraft, Totka and Duality were the area of war. He was unaware of the art of arrows, command and bow running. They would either fight mutual wrestling, battle mace or attack with a sharp weapon. These people were elusive, but they did not know how to target the enemy from far away. When Rama befriends monkeys, he also teaches him to run these modern weapons then.
Finding your assistants in enemy country
This character of Rama suddenly makes him generous towards enemies. And in this way they also find their friends in the enemy country. Rama’s behavior towards backward and deprived sections is not unknown. They eat Juthe plum of Shabari and perform the last rites of Jatayu. We should take our mythological characters in terms of such high values. But along with the character of Rama, Shambuk slaughter is also associated and a sense of adopting second status towards women.
In every Ramayana, he has been called Praja Vatsal and Samadarshi and judge, then no one has the answer to how his character was different from Shudra and woman. Accept the truth that Rama’s ideals are not suitable for today. We should take only those who are the era. Such ideals of Ram are still revered today.
Even a sense of respect for Ravana
This dignity of Rama gives him the form of God. They are surveyors. But anywhere they do not run their own. Even if Ravana’s brother Vibhishan should be given shelter or not, he discusses Sugriva, Angad, Jamwant and Hanuman. After the death of Ravana, he himself is sad and says, today a great scholar is departing from this world. Therefore, O Lakshman, you go to him and apologize to him and take a guru from him with a disgrace. They also show such respect for their supreme enemy. This is their nobility.
Maharishi Valmiki has written in his Ram Katha- Ikshvakuvansh Prabhavo Ramo Naam Janai: Shrut: Nutatma Mahavirayo Dutiman Dhritiman Vashi! That is, Rama, born in the Ikshvaku dynasty, is patient, Tejashwi and Jitendriya. He was known as Rama in the world.
Take this side of Ramayana in life
Ram is both cosmic and supernatural. They are symbols of ideal in Indian feudal system. When the monarchy was rising in the society, Maharishi Valmiki imagined a king who is dignity. A king who symbolizes superior qualities in humans. He is a wife and puts himself at stake to protect his wife.
He rejects such a huge and glorious state by the father’s command. Goes to the forest with his wife. His younger brother walks along. But the brother who gets the kingdom also stumbles the state and waits for his elder brother’s exile to complete. This is the story of a king who got the place of God due to his high character.