ON October 6 last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) official X handle uploaded a poster of Rahul Gandhi dressed as Raavan, sporting metallic war-guards and seven heads. The muscular image of the Congress leader accompanied a politically charged caption: "The new age Raavan is here. He is Evil. Anti-Dharma.
Anti-Ram. His aim is to Destroy Bharat." Interestingly, this poster popped up just three months before the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple, which was presided over by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.
The contest over the portrayals of Ram and Raavan in Indian political narratives is not new. In December 1974, a year after the death of Dravidian activist-scholar Periyar, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supporters organised a Raavan Leela in Chennai (then Madras), where they burnt effigies of Ram, Lakshman and Sita. This Raavan Leela was a political response to Indira Gandhi's participation in a Ram Leela event.
Denne historien er fra October 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra October 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee
