The people’s Ramayana: Voices across castes and regions in Karnataka

Ramayana is the first known epic of our nation. It is a part of the cultural ethos that shaped India. Even to this day, the characters of Ramayana are used to guide the young children and nurture them to become good citizens. It is not just an epic, rather, a part of our history, and thus termed as Itihasa. The influence of Ramayana is spread along the length and breadth of India. Many poets across languages have composed stories and verses based on the Ramayana with their creative freedom. Ramayana is not just the tale of Kshatriya Rama, it gives a good view on how a person should behave irrespective of caste, region etc. Be it Hanumantha, a Vanara in present day Karnataka, or Shabari or Guha, belonging to the tribal community, have found their voices in the Ramayana. The Ramayana serves as a binding factor that binds the people of this country together. It is one of the unifying factors in this diverse India. This paper aims to look at the Ramayana as perceived by various people across castes and regions in Karnataka.