How Ramayana Is Playing An Important Role In India’s Outreach To Ten ASEAN Countries
In the run-up to the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit to be held in New Delhi on the Republic Day (January 26), the on-going Ramayan Festival in the capital has troupes from all ten ASEAN nations - including Muslim majority Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - taking part in the plays and musicals based in the epic.
The Ramayan Festival, a five-day event that began on 20 January, seeks to celebrate Ramayan’s place as the shared heritage of the eastern world, reported Outlook.
The event is being organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and will also be held in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata and Ayodhya after the capital.
"Ramayana is a joint heritage of the eastern world in a way. This is the signature epic of this part of the world and its influence is not confined to India boundaries," ICCR head Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said.
The heads of state of all ten ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries - Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam - are the chief guests for India’s Republic Day parade in New Delhi this year. The 10 heads of state will also unveil a set of commemorative stamps on the Ramayana.
The summit celebrates 25 years of India’s engagement with the grouping of South East Asian nations and the Ramayan festival seeks to celebrate this civilisational link India and the ASEAN nations enjoy.
"Ramayana as it is performed in these nations is not only a reflection of the strong cultural and civilisational links we have with them but is also a bond which is their common heritage and binds them to each other," Sahasrabuddhe added.
The 31st ASEAN summit held last year in the Philippines also featured a play based on the Filipino version of Ramayan, Rama Hari, as its main event in the summit’s inauguration.
The summit was attended by several world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.