The Clash of Narratives

The personification of Raavan as a Dravidian king and a symbol of resistance plays a vital role in Tamil Nadu's political history

- Shahina K K

IN an imaginary courtroom in 1982, Raavan stands ready to defend himself.

This extraordinary retrial challenges the verdict pronounced by the 13th-century Tamil poet Kamban, author of the revered Kamba Ramayana. Kamban's portrayal of Raavan as a "merciless demon" has echoed through the centuries, shaping perceptions and damning the once-mighty king. Hence, Raavan is standing in the court before the 'God of Justice cross-examining' Kamban, the poet. Both Raavan and Kamban materialise before the celestial bench, their presence charged with the weight of history and myth. The air crackles with anticipation as Raavan prepares to present his case, determined to shatter the notions Kamban set in stone.

This is a scene from the play Neethi Devan Mayakkam (The God of Justice in Slumber), written by CN Annadurai, a prominent leader of the Dravidian movement and a disciple of Periyar (E V Ramasamy), and the first chief minister of Tamil Nadu. His play illustrates how Raavan, believed to be a Dravidian king, was wrongly portrayed as a villain who abducted Sita. According to Annadurai, the gods of Aryan mythology, such as Agni, and sages like Vishvamitra, had done injustice to Raavan.

While the Ramayana became a prominent political theme in most of India only in the late 1980s, following the television serial that portrayed Ram as a divine figure, Tamil Nadu has a much longer history of politicising the epic. In Dravidian mythology and culture, Raavan was seen as a heroic king, not the villain portrayed in the traditional Ramayana. In Tamil Nadu, Ram embodies the Aryan invasion, while Raavan represents the Dravidian resistance against it.

Raavan Leela: A Counter-Narrative

While Tamil Nadu does not typically have temples dedicated to Raavan worship, the figure of Raavan has been conceived as a symbol of resistance against the Brahminical hegemony promoted by Hindu right-wing organisations.