IN a certain outlying sylvan setting of some Ramnagar, Ramchandar hurled a daily greeting at his friend— “Ram, Ram, Ramkhilavan” to which came a quick reply—“Ram, Ram, Ramchandar!” And soon enough this enquiry into the wellbeing of each other transformed into a sense of daily duty. It had to, that is how it is. All of us living in India have been a witness to such a quotidian Ram. But what did they mean to communicate in this mirrored cultural alliteration and who is this Ram, and where is he? In many parts of India, the truth of Ram is invoked when carrying bodies to crematoriums i.e., in death is seen the truth of Ram and yet other times the victory to Ram is celebrated seeking hegemonic power for him. But whose Ram is he? In south Asia, Ram is a potent cultural trope—right from the poetic hero in the Ramayana of Valmiki to the popular hero of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, to the impersonated pure compassion of Bhavabhuti’s play Uttararamacarita, to Mullah Sa’dullah Panipati’s Muslim Ram in Masnavi-i Ram va Sita, to Kabir’s universal Ram and to sceptic philosopher Ram of the Maha-Ramayana, also known as the Yogavasistha, and all the way to the BJP’s political Ram. The Adhyatma-Ramayana hails Ram as a metaphysical reality (Brahman) while the poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal’s Ram is the ‘spiritual leader of India’ (Imam-e-Hind).
Denne historien er fra March 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra March 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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The 'Invisible' Dalits
The debate over sub-categorisation of castes is likely to shape the political discourse in the upcoming state elections
Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.