THE RAMAYANA

The Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit epic, tells the story of Rama of Ayodhya and his wife Sita who is abducted by a demon king. Filled with great romance, miraculous births, slaying of demons, abduction and supernatural warfare, it contains teachings of ancient Hindu sages, and is considered fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India. This production marks the second fully staged epic by the company after there highly acclaimed production of Homer’s Odyssey.

An example of highest art in storytelling, The Ramayana forces an internal transformation in the audience by challenging people’s moral frameworks through storylines involving questions of family loyalty, infidelity, power, and the nature of evil. It is not always easy to decide who is right and who is wrong in a given situation, and it is equally possible to understand the characters’ actions from both sides of the moral dilemma. In this way, the story reflects the complexities of real life, and helps the audience understand the importance of deep contemplation of cultural codes of ethics. When adapting a work like this for primary school audiences, we resist being literal or simply “acting out” the stories. Our goal is to tell the story verbally, visually, musically, and kinesthetically. We find that young people can understand the complex metaphor and symbology of these great tales when we use creative storytelling devices that inspire them to use their own imaginations.

Why the Ramayana?

Gandhi called the Ramayana “the greatest book in the world.”

Universally regarded as one of the world's most important literary works, Ramayana has had a profound impact on the art, culture, family relations, gender, politics, nationalism and militancy in the Indian sub continent. The everlasting value of this epic tale has been extolled through the centuries, and it has helped to mold the Hindu character. In deed, reading the Ramayana from a western point of view, we find that it has just the medicine our culture so desperately needs, in terms of moral code and ethics. It gives us the best models for human behavior through lively and colorful scenes and characters, in an easily accessible narrative.

Principals in the text

A central principal in the Ramayana is the concept of Dharma. The Sanskrit term Dharma is an Indian spiritual term that means one's righteous duty, or a virtuous path. Throughout Indian philosophy, Dharma is present as a central concept hat is used in order to explain the "higher truth" or ultimate reality of the universe.
The word 'dharma' literally translates as 'that which upholds or supports' (from the root, Dhr, - to hold), and is generally translated into English as 'law'. But throughout the history of Indian philosophy, it has governed ideas about the proper conduct of living - ideas that are upheld by the laws of the universe.
More simply The Ramayana stresses the difference between right and wrong. It holds the values like: Putting the welfare of others first. That to help others has merit, and harming others is wrong. It teaches one to be curious, thoughtful, kind and respectful of others, and to listen to and respect your parents. It teaches dignity. The Ramayana demonstrates that anything can be achieved through sincerity and devotion.

The need for this kind of material is clear. To hear or read this story is good medicine, but to see it, feel it, live it in the immediate and visceral world of the live theatre is the best venue for this kind transformational work. It will plant potent seeds or inspiration, courage and hope deep within the psyche of our audience, and give them the tools for changing this society of ours, one person at a time, one deed at a time.