An artistic treat awaits you at Ayodhya Rama on October 28 at Dorothy Winstone Centre
Venkat Raman
Auckland, September 30, 2024
The students of Nrityabhinaya, Anuradha School of Indian Dances are now preparing to present ‘Ayodhya Rama,’ one of the largest productions of Anuradha Ramkumar, the Director, Principal and Choreographer.
The magnum opus will go on stage on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at Dorothy Winstone Centre of Auckland Girls Grammar School, located at 16 Howe Street in Freemans Bay.
This Dance Drama is being produced to raise funds for the Temple of Lord Sir Venkateshwara (a Manifestation of Lord Vishnu) in the South Auckland suburb of Ramarama, a name seemingly destined for the Lord’s Abode.
‘Ayodhya Rama’ has been advertised as a Sold Out Show.
Abhishek Ravi, who plays the Title Role of Lord Rama is due in Auckland on October 11, 2024, following the completion of a part of his contract as an Elite Male Dancer with the Royal Caribbean Cruise. He will go through a rigorous process of learning and rehearsals.
As an energetic dancer generating speed and vivacity, Abhishek can be expected to reflect and represent the heroism and magnanimous humanity of Lord Rama as ‘Ayodhya Rama.’
Lord Rama was one of the greatest Bhaktas (Devotees) of Lord Shiva, who as Lord Nataraja is worshipped as the Supreme Master of Dances. Abhishek has in some of his previous performances shown the Grace of Lord Shiva in Shiva Thandavam. It is hoped that Anu will provide us with an opportunity to witness this dance format.
A Great Epic
Ramayana (or Ramayanam), one of the greatest epics of all times is not just a vivid description of the triumph of good over evil but a portrayal of all things spectacular in God’s creation – the landscapes, wildlife, the genuineness of people and the joy of life itself.
Sundara Kandam (Kanda) is one of the seven Kandams or Sections of Ramayan written by Sage Valmiki, almost all of them as firsthand accounts. Bala Kandam, Ayodhya Kandam, Aranya Kandam, Kishkindha Kandam, Sundara Kandam, Yuddha Kandam and Uttara Kandam make up the grand compendium in poetic form. Poet Kamban of Tamil Nadu (12th Century) has omitted Uttara Kandam (which narrates the reign of Lord Rama in Ayodhya, the birth of twins Lava and Kusha and the last days of the Lord on earth) in Kamba Ramayanam.
The Glory of Sanskrit Literature
The Ramayana belongs to the Treta Yuga and the broad classification of Sanskrit Literature known as kavya (poetry), but Ramayana is considered to be an important part of the Hindu canon. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal King.
Ramayana is a Tatpurusha compound of Rama and Ayana (Going or Advancing), translating to Rama’s Journey. Valmiki’s Ramayana comprises 24,000 slokas and seven cantos (Kandams) and with 480,002 words, it is about a quarter of the length of its ‘Cousin,’ the Mahabharata and four times the length of the Iliad, a great poem by Homer.
An important aspect of Ramayana is about Lord Rama exiled to the forest for 14 years, followed by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana and the subsequent abduction of Sita by Ravana and the war waged to redeem her and finally the return of Lord Rama for His Coronation as the King of Ayodhya.
It also contains the teachings of ancient Hindu sages and presents them in narrative allegory with philosophical and devotional elements interspersed. The characters Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman and Ravana are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.
Sundara Kandam
Sundara Kandam is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, who is also identified as Sundara.
According to P R Ramachander, a South Indian Scholar, Sundara Kandam contains poetic descriptions of several beautiful objects, places and people, including Sri Lanka, the Pushpaka Vimana, the Asoka Forest, the Madhu Vana, Hanuman, Sita, Rama, and Ravana.
Describing the Moon in the Fifth Chapter, he says, “The intelligent Hanuman saw the Moon, which was in the centre of the sky, with rays spreading the sheet of light, like an enthusiastic bull wandering in its stable. This section covers some of the exploits of Lord Hanuman. Valmiki describes him as “a shining Handsome Person made of Gold.”
Sri Lanka is also described as a beautiful Kingdom, which had held beautiful Sita as a captive in the beautiful Ashoka Forest.
Hanuman meets Sita and implores her to accompany him to Lord Rama. She refuses the offer saying that it would be an insult to the valour of her husband Rama and that she would not touch another male (According to Sage Valmiki, Ravana had to the entire piece of earth on which Sita was standing to abduct her). Sita hands over her Pearl Brooch as her identity to be given to Lord Rama and recites a couple of incidents as further proof of her identity.
Following a confrontation with Ravana and setting fire to Sri Lanka (as a return compliment to Ravana who torches his tail), Hanuman returns to Lord Rama and recounts his experience.
Thereafter, Lord Rama plans to invade Sri Lanka building the Ram Sethu, a 48 kms long bridge to take his army to conquer Ravana.
It is traditional to begin reading Ramayana with the Sundara Kandam.
According to elders, the initiation is usually by Hindus on Tuesdays or Saturdays, rendered special for Lord Hanuman. It is often said that reading or listening to Sundara Kandam nullifies the malefic effects of Shani Bhagwan (Saturn), the son of Surya (Sun) and Chhaya (Shadow).
This Kandam narrates the story of Hanuman liberating Shani, a prisoner of Ravana. As a token of gratitude, Shani promises reprieve to all devotees of Lord Hanuman.
An alternate take is that at an instance, Shani was caught between Lord Hanuman’s shoulders and the ceiling and unable to bear the pain, he offers his gratitude for immediate relief. The Dharmic faith suggests that its recital brings harmony to the household.
Many Hindus believe that reading Sundara Kandam is as good as reading the entire epic.
Ramayan in other languages
Saint Tulsidas, who wrote the Ramayan in the Awadhi language (spoken in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh), called Ramacharitmanas (or Ramacharitramanasa) in the 16th Century, extends Sundara Kandam to describe the journey of Lord Rama’s army from Kishkindha Mountain to the banks of Rameswaram. Ram Sethu was built from Rameswaram to Sri Lanka.
Kamba Ramayanam adds its poetic version to describe the Vaishnava and Smarta Brahmin traditions of that era.
Ranganatha Ramayanam, a Telugu version of Valmiki Ramayana written by Gona Budha Reddy, also describes this episode.
M S Ramarao wrote the Telugu version of Hanuman Chalisa of Tulsidas and Sundara Kandam of Valmiki Ramayana as ‘Sundara Kandamu’ in Telugu between 1972 and 174. He sang Sundara Kandam in the form of Telugu songs.
A Malayalam independent translation of Sundara Kandam can be found in ‘Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilipattu,’ written by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan. He wrote the translation of the Adhyatma Ramayana, a Sanskrit text connected with the Ramanandi sect.
The Hanuman Chalisa is a different poetic contribution towards the heroics of Hanuman by Tulsidas. Though it mentions his achievements during Ramayana, it goes beyond that, encompassing the complete life of Hanuman.
