A Celebration Of A Grand Journey, From Ayodhya To Sri Lanka

Score:8/10

New Delhi, April 8 : The tale of Ramayana and the name of Lord Ram is more than just an epic detailing the tale of a god in India. “It is not even a legend, it is a piece of every Indian’s being far surpassing all the religious boundaries — for India is the country of Ram and the Ram Rajya is ours” is the reaction that is evoked when you talk about one of the earliest literature to his followers. It is in this context that we must see Amish Tripathi’s three episode miniseries “Legends of Ramayana” where he goes tracing the footsteps of “Lord Ram” in his epic journey all the way from the sacred land of Ayodhya in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to the beautiful island nation of Sri Lanka, which was at that time, the country of gold, governed by the King Ravana.

When speaking of Ramayana and its characters it takes far more than just a simple look at the text or a glimpse at a TV re enactment of the grand epic for its characters, and the philosophies — as the journey of Lord Ram detailed by Valmiki is a far more complex and multi-dimensional, multi-faceted concept than one can assume at just first glance. An example to further consolidate this fact is the character of Ravana, who is both the villain of the tale and yet a learned scholar and a wise and just king, one who brought prosperity to the land of Lanka, a man well versed in the Vedas and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Ravana cared greatly for his subjects, loved his family and his genius and innovation knew no bounds. So a villain, true, for he coveted and kidnapped the wife of another, but can he really be called evil, that is another question. Several such questions are always there which beckon answers with none really having a straight one.

It is this simple but complicated fact that the show understands very well as Amish and his multi-regional-religious-lingual crew retrace the footsteps of Lord Ram — while he lived in exile in Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh to his journey to Hampi (former Kishkindha) where he met the Vanara king Sugriva and his commander Lord Hanuman. Meeting scientists, scholars, devotees at temples and enroute and sights of devotion, the team physically try living the events of the Ramayana in a way.

The show has a lot of soul and the passion covering the grand epic/legend and it is heartfelt and genuine while awakening our eyes to several of moral dilemmas in the tale, such as why did Kaikeyi become known as the evil stepmother when she was not an evil character in herself, was Shurpanaka a monster or a victim? Ramayana for some time had been dismissed as fable and mythology by many, yet why is it that we find traces of a distant past which has a clear connection established with the so called fable that have been embedded in rocks not speaking otherwise and are supported today by geology such as the forests and caves in Chitrakoot which have abundant fresh drinking water, provides protection from animal attacks and with the presence of wildlife and fruits there is no want of food, such as the coast of the Rama Setu on the island of Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu which forms the best connecting barrier to the island nation of Sri Lanka. Today we have modern science and technology which validates all these claims, so how is that 5000 years ago people were aware of all this knowledge?

Whatever be the case, the show strives to recreate for us the sense of marvel and wonder that is embedded in the Ramayana and the many mysteries behind it today making us gawk at the wonders of our own incredible past which have been near us for so long and yet we have been ignorant of them, what is more is that the biggest victory for the show is that it keeps your interest burning and never goes too much into scholarly debate or droning discussions and gives fire to your curiosity regarding the many intriguing and wondrous mysteries surrounding the grand epic of Ramayana. Fable or myth will be decided on the basis of hard empirical evidence which can’t be discounted anymore? Will it prove the literary genius of Valmiki and the scientific prowess of our rishis all those millennia ago or was it something else altogether we may never really know, though certainly for its detractors, Ramayana can no longer be just buried under the carpet, calling it some mythical tale with no basis in real life. Indeed the Ramayana is far more real than even its believers presume it to be and this precisely what “Legends Of The Ramayana” goes on to show us.

It is hard really to pick out a flaw with the show apart from that it does rush over to cover up all that it can, but its hard to fault it fully for either Ramayana is far too lengthy and varied to cover with its multitude of stories and philosophies to go over in just one show. The production quality, the ambience, the music, presentation and camerawork all do justice to the great story of Lord Ram as we see how Ramayana is an institution in and of itself as it finds itself and its values used everywhere whether it is religion, statecraft, culture, education among more. In an exciting fashion we get to see how modern day historiography, geology, archaeology, arts, literature and science through explanations are able to lend credence to this brilliant journey. Legends Of The Ramayana is far more than an educational Discovery+ series on the grand epic about Ram but rather a passionate celebration of one of the most defining “itihasas of Bharat” that is the journey of a man that many to this day believe was “Purushottam”.