Ram is in the news. What with various politicians laying claim to his legacy and historians debating his existence, Ram’s found a mention in the sound bytes. Was he a god that once walked the earth? Was he a king? Was he real? Or was he a composite character, drawn from heroic exploits of India’s many tribal kings?
We don’t have answers to any of these. The reason is that every time, we try and talk about our mythology, religion gatecrashes the party. Thus if we want to study the character of Ram, we cant. Because if we were to raise questions about his birth, it would be un-Indian. To question his moral authority, is disrespectful.
And yet, his sons did that in the Ramayana indicating a strength of character that we seem to lack today. His wife delivered the harshest judgement of all when she walked out on him, choosing death over her marriage. But, do we discuss this. Of course, not.
We cant debate any of these issues without holding up the invisible shield of faith. Mythology is rolled into the jumble of stuff that constitutes ancient Indian culture; the culture that we fail to uphold but never tire of eulogising. In the name of Ram, lets drop the blinkers. Let us talk about him, let us allow for an objective study of our myths and let's go with the Indian tradition of argument and debate. It would help us discover -- not whether Ram existed or not -- but the true meaning of his life story and a lot more about the times he lived in. I am sure that his creators – human or divine – would approve.
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