About a thousand years ago, a remarkable thing happened in India. We find a rapid rise of regional languages and scripts giving rise to the modern languages of India. And the first, and most popular piece of literature to be composed, and recomposed, by several poets in most of these languages, happens to be the epic, Ramayana. Here, the nayaka (ideal protagonist) of earlier Sanskrit plays, the avatar (abbreviated form of the infinite divine) of the Sanskrit Puranas, becomes bhagavan, or God. Every one of these poets claims to be inspired by Valmiki Ramayana, composed over 2,000 years ago, but each one gives the story a twist of their own. What is consistent is the regal nature of Ram, his nobility and augustness. He is, after all, the only form of God in Hinduism to be visualised as king. When Western academicians started studying the Ramayana, they did so, naturally, with Western prejudices, which included on the one hand the notion of Christian God who died for the sins of man, and on the other, the doctrine of equality and social justice. Viewed through this template, all Hindu gods appear inadequate, especially Ram, the God-king.

Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik