Ramayana retold in tribal myths

Madhavan Kadakkayam, a tribal Vattakkalippattu artisté at Pulpally in Wayanad district, explaining a reference in Vattakkalippattu to Ramayana incidents, during the shooting of the doucmentary Wayanadan Ramayana.

An unconventional interpretation of the Ramayana had its first screening at the Wayanad Press Club here recently.

There are many places in Wayanad that bear a close resemblance to the sites depicted in the Ramayana. Some people, especially tribesmen, believe that Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, and Lava-Kushas lived in Wayanad and the epic was written here. The themes of various tribal art forms such as Vattakkali of the Kuruma tribe and other tribal myths are interwoven with the belief.

The documentary, Wayanadan Ramayana , links places such as Ahshramkolly, near Pulpally, where sage Valmiki set up his ashram; Munipara, a rock near the place where the sage took penance; Ponkuzhy, near Muthanga, where Rama is believed to have deserted Sita; and Ambukuthy hills, near Ambalvayal, where Rama and Lakshmana fought Thadaka.

“There are numerous interpretations and adaptations of Ramayana across the globe, which include Malaysian and Indonesian Ramayana. Wayanadan Ramayana and Mappila Ramayana, which are very popular in Malabar region, come under these interpretations,” says Kodur Bais, a mass communication student of Pondicherry University, who has scripted the screenplay and direction of the documentary.

The 15-minute documentary is a collective effort of Mr. Bais and his friends. They took nearly a month to complete it. Ashwini Subash is the associate director of the documentary. C.K. Ashish has wielded the camera and V. Yukthiraj, Renza Iqbal, and J.S. Gopika have done the dubbing.

The team is now engaged in further research on a documentary, which depicts the connection of Malabar with Ramayana.