Performing the Ramayana Tradition

Reading Religion Richman and Bharucha's collaboration on this volume of edited essays represents simultaneously a culmination of these research directions, and a corrective, steering towards a more balanced representation beyond the more extensively studied Sanskrit and Hindi Ramayanas...Apart from the masterful introductions and conclusion, there are several further features that render this reader friendly volume perfect for teaching. The inclusion of translations of several dramas makes scripts available for students to perform or draw inspiration from for creative writing. The parts on caste and gender are important for integrating diversity into the curriculum.

Arshia Sattar, The Hindu Paula Richman and Rustom Bharucha are the perfect combination to explore the ideas that are brought together [in this book] -- Richman with her vast and varied knowledge of the many Ramayana stories that dot the sub-continent and beyond, and Bharucha, with his lifelong commitment to dramaturgy and the diverse performance traditions that animate some of our best known and most loved stories ... The book's greatest importance lies in the feeling of security it generates -- that the traditions of subversive and contentious narratives that we fear losing are, in fact, robust and strong.

Theatre Research International The book's most significant contribution to studies of the Ramayana would be its context-specific analyses of the case studies, the range of performance traditions engaged, and the multiplicity of voices. This breadth and diversity - of texts, examples and issues - are counterpointed by the editors' and contributors' meticulous attention to environments and conditions... [The book] performs its message of pluralism, in its mode, form and concerns.

Paula Richman is William H. Danforth Professor of South Asian Religions, Emerita, at Oberlin College, in Ohio. She has edited three volumes and published more than thirty articles on the diversity of the Indian Ramayana tradition. Rustom Bharucha retired as Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. Author of several books on performance, he has also worked as a dramaturg worldwide and was involved in the curation of three Ramayana Festivals at the Adishakti Theatre Laboratory in Puducherry, India.

Preface and Acknowledgements: The Journey of the Book List of Illustrations Note on Transliteration I. Orientations and Beginnings 1. The Ramayana Narrative Tradition as a Resource for Performance Paula Richman 2. Thinking the Ramayana Tradition through Performance Rustom Bharucha 3. Where Narrative and Performance Meet: Nepathya's R=am=aya.na Sa.mk.s=epam Rizio Yohannan II The Politics of Caste 4. Shambuk's Severed Head by Omprakash Valmiki Translation by Aaron Sherraden 5. Recasting Shambuk in Three Hindi Anti-Caste Dramas Aaron Sherraden 6. The Killing of Shambuk: A Retelling from a Director's Perspective Sudhanva Deshpande III Interrogating the Anti-Hero 7. Ravana Center Stage: Origins of Ravana and King of Lanka Paula Richman 8. Ravana as Dissident Artist: The Tenth Head and Ravanama Rustom Bharucha 8a. Script of The Tenth Head Vinay Kumar 8b. Script of Ravanama Maya Krishna Rao IV Performing Gender 9. The Making of RamaRavana: Reflections on Gender, Music, and Staging Hanne M. de Bruin 10. Writing Her "Self": The Politics of Gender in Nangyarkuttu Mundoli Narayanan V Conversations and Arguments 11. Reflections on Ramayana in Kutiyattam David Shulman, Margi Madhu Chakyar, Dr. Indu G. with Rustom Bharucha 12. Questions around Ram Vijay: Sattriya in a Monastic Tradition Sri Narayan Chandra Goswami with Parasmoni Dutta, Paula Richman, and Rustom Bharucha 13. Performing the Argument: Ramayana in Talamaddale Akshara K.V. VI Beyond Enactment 14. Revisiting "Being Rama": Playing a God in Changing Times Urmimala Sarkar Munsi 15. The Night Before Bhor Arti: Play and Banarasipan in the Ramnagar Ramlila Bhargav Rani 16. The Challenges Ahead: Researching the Ramayana Performance Tradition Rustom Bharucha Glossary List of Contributors Index