In fact, traditional folk tales and songs abound where Ram is taken to task for the treatment he meted out to Sita. So, despite the problems the central character in the epic poses, what explains the hold that Ram has on the imagination of many? Writer Shashi Deshpande says the epic is a fascinating story. "I look upon the Ramayana as a beautiful story but not a real story. I look upon Ram as a human being trying to be good. Idealising him as a perfect human is a contradiction because of how he treated Sita. I think there are various aspects to Ram that will pose problems to an intelligent thinking person’s interpretation of the story," she says.
Here is what women find objectionable about Ram:
- After rescuing Sita from Lanka, Ram (influenced by common talk) casts aspersion on his wife’s character. She is subjected to an agni pariksha.
- Despite Sita proving her innocence, Ram abandons his wife
- He is an irresponsible father, leaving Sita to fend for herself and to bring up their two sons in the forest
- Ram is portrayed as the perfect Hindu male and Sita the ideal subservient woman.
But from time to time, the legend of Ram has given way to several interpretations and has been appropriated down the ages. Says writer/publisher Urvashi Butalia, "In one sense, Ram has been turned into many things and the bjp has turned him into a warrior prince wielding the bow and arrow. But in public discourse there are very few discussions on how a man could think so ill of his wife." But the real problem, says Deshpande, arises when Ram is treated as a real human being and people start looking for proof of his existence or deny the same. "If you believe in him, you won’t go hunting for proof or make statements like ‘was he an engineer or not’." But Deshpande feels Ram may not have the same resonance now as he did 20 years ago. "I don’t think raising an issue like Ram Setu will strike a chord because most people are just keen to get on with their lives," she says.
