No matter how old you are, if you are Indian, you can probably recall the first time you heard the story of Rama. The memory could be your grandmother’s voice in a room lit only by an oil lamp, or a book such as Rajagopalachari’s rendition, or pictures in the Amar Chitra Katha or the televised version. Every Indian household has children who have grown up hearing tales from the Ramayana. To those with a humanities background, the idea of many renditions of the Ramayana has never been better captured than in Ramanujan’s essay ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation’ which starts with the memorable lines, ‘How many Ramayanas? Three hundred? Three thousand?’ The epic is indeed one that means different things to different people. Every one of us has his favourite character or event in this glorious epic. Lest we forget, the spell of the Ramayana is not restricted to India but has its versions in the form of ballet and theatre in many South East Asian cultures. Its appeal is universal. The premise of Chaitanya Charan’s book is that there can be no greater source of inspiration than the life of Rama. The book seeks to help the reader improve his relationships (and the way he perceives life) by following the sublime values of the Ramayana. The author begins by setting the context of the teaching. Rama is of course Vishnu in human form descended for the express purpose of ending Ravana’s atrocities. He is unaware of his divinity though. Rama is human and subject to the moral forces of his milieu, and is influenced by his relationships with others. The reader can, therefore, identify with the characters of the epic. Nineteen incidents from the epic are chosen to highlight difficulties in relationships common to us all. Events such as the Manthara/Kaikeyi nexus (harmful advice, improper motives and fear of loss of power and position); Sugriva and Vaali (lack of communication and understanding); Rama’s acceptance of Shabari’s gift (understanding of intention) and Vibhishana’s desire to do right, conflicting with his loyalty to his brother, are explained so that the reader is forced to reflect on his own relationships in a new light. The solutions appear as truisms. This is inevitable; after all, we know the answers — how to change our behaviour is the dilemma. The author’s approach is to link intellectual understanding to an emotion that will drive the change. However, most readers have some prior knowledge and understanding of the epic. Consequently, they have preconceived notions and explanations for motives of the characters. That apart, as with life, contradictions abound not just in the stories but in ourselves as well. When does compassion become weakness? When does faith in one’s beliefs become an inflexible point of view? These and several other questions don’t have simple answers. Another interesting issue covered in this book is the eternal question of fate. Is our behaviour pre-ordained or is it something we can shape? The author…
