Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Television: Ramayan On DD National During Lockdown - Modern Commentary (Rolling)

Due to ongoing National level Lockdown, government decided to air Ramayan TV Serial on DD National TV Channel after many years. I had watched it during childhood. Much time passed ever since I got opportunity to watch it now. And due to many social political events and Lockdown imposed stress, I decided to keep writing a few comments on the scenes going on TV. Hence this can best be understood if you are watching the episode of Ramayan on DD National TV Channel and reading my commentary in parallel. I know it will be difficult to simply read the comments and recall the scene, but I am still posting it to save my commentary as a record. 



Sita ji looking at Durga ji idol in Mandir as if the idol was a real person. What expressions! And wonderful music/songs

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I still don't get it why Shiv dhanush broke while #Ram ji was only picking it up.

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Raja Janak and Rani are visibly disappointed when no one seems to be suitable to marry their daughter. Unlike modern TV inspired "Father of the Bride" types who are jealous of their prospective son-in-law! Time has changed.

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Lakshman disobeyed elder brother Ram and got family into problem. Sugreev disobeyed elder brother Bali and got himself into problem. What is the problem with these juniors?

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Shri Ram trusted Lakshman; so he did not hold grudge against him for losing Sita ji. But Bali suffered from pride, so he punished Sugreev for disobeying him. It resulted in Bali's destruction. Lesson: (1) Arrogance is bad; (2) We should trust family.

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If anyone went in front of Bali, half of his strenght would get transferred to Bali.

Similarly, any country which does business with China loses half of its industrial prowess to it.

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Shri Ram used the word "Vadh" for what he did to Bali. Vadh = Assassination. As per Ram, it is noble if done to protect Dharma.

But modern law prosecutes all assassins with 1st degree murder. Modern law is more Bali and less Ram.

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Bali asks Shri Ram why did he kill him. He says - "Enemy of a friend is enemy." Today no country practices this policy better than the #USA.

While #India follows: "Everyone is my friend because I am a nice guy". Hence we are in a soup.

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Shri Ram was foreign policy genius. He killed Bali and gave throne to Sugreev. He killed Ravan and gave throne to Vibhishan.

Today, toppling foreign govts and doing regime changes to setup friendly govts is a practice done by the #USA.

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Ravan's father was a Rishi (sage). From his first wife, Kubera (god of wealth) was born. But his second wife was Kaikasi, a demon, from whom Ravan, Kumbhakarn and Shurpanakha were born.

Message: If you marry a demon, your children will be demons.

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Bali was not a good person. But he was brave and strong. At his demise, we can feel sorry. It is only because of his few good qualities.

Ramayan and our scriptures teach us that bravery and power are good only if these are combined with Dharma.

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Bali's biggest sin was that he kept Sugreev's wife Ruma after throwing him out. And Bali's last wish was for protection of his wife Tara.

No one thought if Ruma/Tara did not want to be with Bali/Sugreev, they always had option to take their lives. But they chose to re-marry.

For keeping those women with them, Bali and Sugreev became bad in the eyes of others. But for choosing to live with these other men, Ruma/Tara were not defamed.

Here we have society's bias against men at display.

For same reason, in K. M. Nanavati case (subject of movie 'Rustom'), Prem Ahuja was considered "guilty" while Nanavati's wife Sylvia was considered a "victim".

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14 years of 'Vanvas' was a symbol of all the problems married people face in life.

Shri Ram, Sita and Lakshman showed us how to ride over rough tides, with patience, together and mutual respect.

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Just when Lakshman ji was about to get "best brother ever" award, Bharat ji arrived on the scene and pulled the target much higher.

This reminds us of Indian Cricket Team which had so many great batsmen that you never knew who was the best.

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Sugreev got 4 months of home quarantine due to rainy season, and he spent it watching dance performances.

Just like many people confined at home due to lockdown are "quarreling" instead of spending "quality" time.

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As Pacifiers: Hanuman ji is much better at pacifying Lakshman ji than Tara.

Hanuman ji is honest, shows empathy and cites facts. Tara is much preachy - it could have backfired.

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Sita ji was quarantined in Lanka and had no work to do. Hence she sat below a tree and kept thinking about Shri Ram, her savior.

Today, bored people in #Lockdown21 keep thinking about #ChineseVirus, their culprit. That is the difference.

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Sampati tried to reach the Sun. Hanuman ji tried to eat the sun. Both were powerful and hence tried to achieve the difficult task. But both were childish.

Message: Never underestimate the importance of formal education.

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All the demons Hanuman ji is finding enroute Lanka are ugly.

Who says looks don't matter?

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Bali's wife Tara was a good person. Ravan's wife Mandodri was a good person too.

Inference: It seems even bad men do not want to marry bad women!

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While Hanuman ji is scanning entire Lanka, I can't spot a beggar there. It seems there were no homeless and beggars in Lanka.

Oh, I forgot - Rakshas were "non-veg". So are Chinese.

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How to spot Sita: A lady who is sad because of missing husband.

How to spot Ravan: A man who is happily sleeping alone despite having hundreds of wives.

How to spot Ram: A sane person surrounded by monkeys in a jungle.

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No animals were hurt during making of Ramayan serial.

Because humans played their parts.

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Hanuman ji killed Ravan's youngest son Akshay Kumar. Still he sent his other son Indrajeet to fight him. It shows how seriously Ravan loved his "garden" :)

Message: Not all "nature lovers" are nice people.

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Hanuman ji is the perfect combination of humor and wisdom

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The manner in which Ravan's Senapati is swallowing his #thook, it is sure that he is not a Muslim during Lockdown era.

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Hanuman ji first gives 'gyan' to Ravan and when he does not listen, he punishes him.

Problem with modern times is that bad people are given only gyan and no punishment.

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The intelligence with which Ravan understood the "monkey psychology" about their tails, it is clear that he had some experiences with monkeys.

Monkey king Bali had defeated Ravan earlier and punished him too. 

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Ravan saw his Lanka burning; just watched it, did not react, and moved on.

Had it been Modi ji, he would have come on national TV, announced lockdown and merger of 15 banks, and asked people to eat icecream next entire day to cool off the heat.

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Ravan hated Vibhishan, he sent him away but didnt kill him. Bali got angry with Sugreev, sent him away but didnt kill him.

We can clearly see they had mercy on their brothers.

But Vibhishan got brother Ravan killed and Sugreev got Bali killed.

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It is difficult to believe that Ravan and Vibhishan were brothers from same mother and father while they have such different nature.

It tells that each soul is different and making its own journey in life.

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Ravan's messenger was impressive; he pitched it so well. But Sugreev rejected it.

Sugreev had benefitted from Ram, so he was unlikely to change. Had Ravan tried to send similar message to Angad, that might have worked.

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If there are threats, people can support even evil dictators if they are strong and protective - e.g. Ravan or Bali. Or Mughals.

If peace comes, people can support weak leaders since risk is low. E.g. Vibhishan. Or Nehru, MMSingh, Kejriwal.

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Shri Ram is discussing with others in his team about how to meet the challenge of crossing the sea. It was because he respected others.

Compare that to the dictatorial Managers who think employees are not competent to make useful suggestions!

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Shri Ram decided to "ask" the Sea god for a way across the sea. It is unthinkable in usual scenarios.

How often our problems could be solved quickly only if we thought to "ask" others! Only our ego stops us from asking others.

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When Shri Ram "asked" Sea god for something, he did not listen and risked his life. When powerful people "ask" something, it must be taken seriously.

PM Modi knows this. Hence he took Mr. Trump's "ask" (for medicines) very sincerely and did not do same mistake.

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Shri Ram made a Shivlinga (symbol of Shiva) on the sea beach and worshipped Shiva. Some get confused since Ram is God too.

Sri Ram was God himself, taking an "avatar" to teach humans how to live. Worshipping God is part of that teaching as well.

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Shri Ram performed Puja while his army built the giant bridge.

Associating a great work with a noble cause is a great motivator. Productivity will rise if employees know that their employer is a noble person/entity.

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Ravan made his people believe "all is well" through dance performences. Hitler and all dictators play it cool too, to show they are in command.

Contra was done by PM Modi today when he spoke in empty room through a mask. Since he believes only fear can save people now.

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Ravan was over-confident. And Mandodari was over-panicking.

Whoever said "opposites attract" did not think that sometimes opposites also drain each other out.

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In Ravan's court, Indrajeet is sharing his own opinions but still empathizing with, respecting and agreeing to Ravan.

Indrajeet is an arrogant over-confident person too; still he is able to maintain the fine balance since he respects Ravan.

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Listening to how Ravan is giving military commands, it is clear that he is a War Veteran and his army is Battle Ready.

I am worried that for long time, Indian Army has not taken part into real wars. Hence Supreme Court is inducting women into it.

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The way Vibhishan is guiding Ram and his army, it is clear that he is 'Master Mind'. Had he chosen to play 'double game', Ram's army would have been trapped and completely destroyed.

We should never make our entire strategy based on one man's mind

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Shri Ram has such a pleasant personality that we tend to forget that he is a Prince and well versed in Military affairs.

But the moment he changes his tone and gives command, we get goose bumps. Jai Shri Ram!

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There is no better War Cry than "Har Har Mahadev!"

To the believers it gives an adrenaline rush like nothing else and to the enemies it terrifies and shrinks their hearts like fearful lambs.

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It pains to see young Angad being sent as messenger to enemy camp so near to the war. In today's times it can be said that he was sent because he was "expendable".

Yet Shri Ram gave everyone a chance to be hero. It was Angad's chance to be a Hero.


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Persuading Ravan to surrender and return Sita looks like an absurd idea. Ravan was known to be a great warrior who had even defeated Indra.

It seems the persuasions are more to send a message to public to explain difference between right Vs wrong.

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Seems what Angad did was playing to his "own strength". E.g. if he fought Indrajit in archery, he would have got defeated like Hanuman ji had.

Playing to one's own strenth, one can defeat even much stronger competitors.

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Like Ram wanted to show life of an "ideal man"; Sita ji was also teaching how to be an "ideal wife".

Alas, today's modern women have learnt more from American women than from Sita. I am sure they would be finding Sita and Mandodri regressive.

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Kaikei may be a better role model as per today's feminist morality.

Kaikei took part in wars (men's domain), made her own demands (her life, her choice) and made her husband suffer (feminism's 'nirvana').

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Gada is a weapon of ancient Hindu Gods.

Do you know that Gada originated in India? During wars, the strongest warriors in the army would use Gada as it needed high strength apart from skill.

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Ravan's idea to have 1:1 fight with Ram to settle it should be appreciated. Ram should have taken the offer.

Everyone on Ram's side kept "insulting" Ravan. But now Ravan has easily defeated Sugreev and Lakshman. Actions speak louder than words!

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Seems just killing Ravan was not Ram's idea. That would have been temp relief.

Idea was to openly establish what is right and what is wrong; hence public humiliation and insults to Ravan. And Ram wanted to kill all other incorrigible Rakshasas too.

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Kumbhkarn worshipped his elder bro and gave up his life for him. Same for Lakshman.

In Indian culture, elder bros are fatherly figures. They also treat younger bros like sons.

It was not so in Muslim dynasties where bros killed bros for throne.

I have read that in medieval Islamic dynasties, there was no such rule that elder brother would inherit the throne.

Hence as per custom, brothers would fight and the one who killed or chased most others would become the king. Even if he was the youngest brother.

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Kumbhkarn followed his family dharma by remaining loyal to his brother. He would die with satisfaction.

Vibhishan got his brother killed. He will live entire life with regret.

Vibhishan should have quit Ravan but should not have got him killed.

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Vibhishan wanted to rule Lanka with dharma; hence he gave up loyalty to his family. 

But he forgot that he was not immortal. In a few years a new barbaric king could reign and Adharm could return. So was his disloyalty and blemish worth it?

But if brothers start killing brothers, entire society would collapse. Hence I think Vibhishan was wrong. He should have just abandoned Ravan but should not have got him killed like that. Sri Ram would have found a way to kill Ravan on his own.

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If he looks funny, if he sounds funny, then he must be funny, right? Kumbhkarn was not your regular funny guy.

All epics show some complex characters who are neither 100% good nor all bad. Reflecting on those, we can get some useful insights.

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Ravan was an unparalleled victorious king. His sons and brothers were great warriors. His capital was made of Gold i.e. he was very rich. Still, he met his end.

If God is not with someone, all his material wealth and powers can't help him.

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If Ram wanted, he could have got Sita back without a war. E.g. a flying monkey warrior or a secret airplane could have brought her back.

But it seems he used this opportunity to fulfill his plan to eliminate all Rakshas from this earth.

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Ravan had an intelligence failure.

It was a blunder to keep a "saintly" Rakshasi like Trijata to guard Sita.

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Can't see Vibhishan fighting yet. He is just busy revealing Ravan's secrets and guiding Ram. Seems he planned to get the throne without fighting.

Similarly, employees with poor technical skills often indulge in office politics to get promotions.

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In childhood, these flying arrows with animated sparks around those looked so fascinating!

After growing up, these arrows still look fascinating!

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It seems "sledging" during Cricket is inspired from wars during Ramayan!

Everyone is chiding others before and during fighting!

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Seems Ravan and Ram had a personal issue. Lakshman insulted Ravan's sister, Ravan abducted Ram's wife. Crimes are personal in nature. Why should there be a full fledged war between two armies? There should have been 1:1 contest to settle the matter.

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Shri Ram watching the war from sidelines while monkey warriors and Rakshas killed each other is not a good scene.

It still seems that there should have been only a 1:1 fight between Ravan and Ram. Innocent monkeys and rakshas did not need to die.

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Use of Brahmastra is being shown lightly. But I have read that Brahmastra was like Nuclear Weapon, it would not only kill the target but would do widespread destruction. Hence it was used only when all other options failed.

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Warriors are invoking divine weapons and using those. To earn those weapons they had done immense tapas earlier.

Tells we can have power only if we do enough sacrifices to earn those. Nothing comes for free. Except free power in Delhi upto Rs 800.

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So many innocent folks died just because Sita ji wanted her pet deer. Just because Surpnakha could not control her lust. Just because Kaikei was too greedy. Just because Manthra was allowed to counsel a queen.

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It was Lakshman ji who harmed Surpnakha, but Ravan took revenge on Ram.

Why?

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Shri Ram did not have kids yet. Perhaps he won't understand Ravan's plight.

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Meghnad is so loyal. His parents would be proud of him. From their point of view.

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Actor playing role of Meghnad should get  national award for best acting. His only competitor seems to be actor playing Sugreev.

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I remember I was impressed with Meghnad even during childhood.

Despite his birth based circumstances, he was brave, loyal, family man, strategist, and confident. He was almost Kshatriya like. He was even handsom; did not have bad hair/moustache.

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Looking at the war, it is clear that Ram's army had decided to kill all enemies and take no prisoners.

Options: Ravan's sons could have been defeated but let go, or cut their hand and let go, or capture them alive and bargain for Sita's exchange.

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All sons and brothers of Ravan are dying. But Surpnakha is missing from the scene. Why is she not fighting the war? If women were not allowed in war, she could have disguised herself as a man and gone to fight it. After all, she started it all.

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I read: Surpanakha is not mentioned in the Ramayan again and Valmiki does not comment on her eventual fate. But perhaps she would have continued to live at her brother Vibhishan's court, when he succeeded Ravan as King of Lanka."

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Whenever an army comes out of Lanka's Main Gate, it appears as if villagers are running away after looting free stuff from Rahul Gandhi's "Khaat Pe Charcha" rally.

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It seems people during Ramayan times did not know any 'gaalis', otherwise there would have been many 'beeps' while Lakshman and Meghnad challenged each other.

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Hanuman ji acted like an Opener in a Cricket match who got out quickly. Now he is not removing his gloves and pads and watching the next batsman hit boundaries with eagerness. "Maar Kohli, maar!": Rohit Sharma.

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Lakshman ji was the first famous person who went on 'coma'. Pray, get well soon

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Meghnad says that a son's dharma is to serve his father. Kumbhkarn says a brother's dharma is to serve his elder brother. There is no problem if a man serves another man. But the moment a woman says it is her duty to serve a man, be it her father or husband, it becomes offensive.

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Meghnad is an underrated character of Ramayan. He looks like an ideal son.

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If Dashrath did a mistake, Shri Ram would just obey him without questioning him. On the other hand, Meghnad would counsel him and suggest. Though if needed, he would even give up his life for father.

Meghnad is an alternative model of an ideal son.

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Divine weapons declined to hurt Lakshman even if Meghnad used those against him. It is "not fair" from Meghnad's point of view. If Shri Ram and Lakshman had to not play within the rules of the game (nature), why all this drama of war etc?

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Meghnad did not do any crime but got punished. So did Kumbhkarn and other warriors of Lanka.

This is why the "leader" should always be ethical and wise. Otherwise a mad king can get everyone destroyed.

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Entire Lanka is getting destroyed just because Sita ji was held captive there. Why did not they, including Mandodri and 'Nanaji', try to set Sita free or send her off secretely so that the root cause of their destruction could be eliminated?

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When Ravan says, "Nana ji", it seems something is wrong. How could a person like Ravan say something so cute.

Human expectations are like that - we expext bad people to be totally evil and good people to be totally flawless. This is "human bias".

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Ravan became unconscious and his sarathi took him away. When he wakes up, he returns to fight. But Shri Ram calls him a coward and accuses him of running away from the war; which was not true. This part of the "script" is weak, Ramanand Sagar Sir.

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Jamwant attacked Ravan while he was fighting with Vibhishan. This must not be as per "dharma". But everyone would look the other way because he is part of the "good guys" team.

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Whenever Ravan's army comes out of Lanka's main gate, it seems loafers are running out of a quarantine facility. And the monkey warriors start fighting them immediately. War breaks out even when the main gate is still open!

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Vibhishan never dreamt of defeating Ravan and hence never dared to fight him earlier. Now he picks up Gada and goes to fight when he sees Shri Ram taking arrow aimed at him. It is an early example of "guilt trip".

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It seems "shields" were not yet discovered during Ramayan days, otherwise Shri Ram need not come before Vibhishan to save him. Perhaps because both bow & arrows and Gada engaged both hands and hence no hand was free to hold a Shield.

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After day's war is over, Lanka's soldiers are once again running towards the main gate in exaxtly the same manner they came out of it in the morning. Seems there is good arrangement of tasty food inside.

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Before this, Shri Ram had killed Tadaka who was female. Hanuman killed Simhika, female shadow-demon. In Mahabharat also, Shri Krishn had killed Putana. Evil has no specific gender. And Ravan would care least about gender before killing someone.

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When Ravan decides to kill Sita to end the cause of the war, an old guy asks him not to do it since women were "avadhya" (non-killable) as per "dharma" and Ravan abandons the idea. As if Ravan really cared about Dharma! This is perhaps weak script.

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Ravan says that only a King should give punishment to others and Ram was not authorized since he was living life of a Tapaswi.

Modern law would tell that Ravan was correct and Shri Ram should have filed an FIR instead of taking law in his hands.

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Ultimately it has come to a 1:1 battle between Shri Ram and Ravan. Seems all others died for nothing.

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All Rakshasas and villains keep laughing aloud as if they are very happy. Their laughter is a symbol of their arrogance.

Earlier PM Modi had joked at Congress's Renuka Chowdhury that "Since Ramayan show, we heard this kind of laughter only today".

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Ravan is dead. Whole world is safer now. More than that the law is established that Evil should be destroyed.

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Vibhishan is telling us that we should say nice things to evil people only after killing them.

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Vibhishan is crying like an evil woman who would torture her husband until he is alive, but the moment he dies she will start crying and saying nice things about him.

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The amount of footage our TV serial has given to Vibhishan seems unnecessary. It is distracting. 50% of our focus is wasted on a Rakshasa named Vibhishan. Main focus should have been on Shri Ram.

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It seems Malyavan "Nanaji" was waiting for this moment. He seems fully prepared for Ravan to die so that he could surrender and save his own life.

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It seems there was no "democracy" in those times. Who should be the king of Lanka was decided by a foreign power Shri Ram.

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Vibhishan is a role model for "dhongi" people. How can he cry like this when he wanted this so much for many years and had worked so hard to get to this day?

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Ravan's effigy is burnt every year so that people are reminded that evil needs to be destroyed.

Evil should not be allowed to die a natural death because then evil's evil children will continue to rule. Evil needs to be stopped now, ASAP.

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Lakshman ji did "Rajyabhishek" of Vibhishan as well as Sugreev. Not Shri Ram.

Tells that devotees of Ram (God) have to do much of the good work themselves. God does things by the hands of devotees.

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Sita ji is frozen after hearing the good news. Sometimes you wait for something for whole life and when it comes, you don't know how to react!

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It may look like Shri Ram has saved Sita, but it can also be understood that Sita ji has also saved Shri Ram. Her very "faith" would have inspired Shri Ram to do impossible tasks.  Metamorphosis of a Prince into God.

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Sita ji and so many sages and saints were saved because of their "faith". If they did not keep faith, Shri Ram would have just passed by and they won't have recognized him and would never get saved. Hence it said that faith can move mountains.

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The fire ritual (Agnipariksha) was a symbolic ritual to show the power of a 'Sati' woman. That such a woman becomes so divine due to purity of her soul that she can do impossible tasks like walking in fire.

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Some egoists quote "Aham Brahmasmi" to prove that they are also God. But Shri Ram who is God, is saying that he is "manav". It is humility.

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Dashrath ji is now taking back his "shraap" (curse) on Kaikeyi. Logically, if he could take his curse back then he could also have taken his boon ("vardaan") given to Kaikeyi back earlier!

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After winning two states, Shri Ram is now returning to his home state. He had that clarity and control.

In Game of Thrones on the other hand, after winning key battles, good queen Daenerys decided to go on further; and became "Mad Queen".

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Bharat ji had done no crime. But he suffered every moment in guilt for 14 years. Sometimes children have to suffer due to bad Karma of their parents.

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Shri Ram's footware were kept as a symbol by Bharat so that Ram can be the symbolic King while Bharat acted as a trustee.

During #ShaheenBaghProtests, the women also symbolically left their footware at the protest site when they couldn't continue.

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Widows of Dashrath ji are wearing all white clothes; white being symbol of purity as well as grief. But today, except in villages, Hindu widows can be seen wearing colored dresses. If they are young, they can also remarry and make fun.

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Valmiki Ramayan ends after Shri Ram's coronation. The later part called "Uttar Ramayan" is a later addition and it has all the controversial but not real parts like Sita's exile or Shambuk vadh.



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- Rahul Tiwary 

Ads During Ramayan On DD National 

Divyanka Tripathi is giving better returns on equity to #Ghadi Detergent than Amit ji. Kyonki unke paas bhi Ghadi hai!

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In #Goldi Masale Ad, when Salman Khan says, "Jahan bhi jaye Rishte banaye", he has that knock in his voice which borders on some evilness.

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In #PolicyBazar ad, when the guy says, "Mahanga Nahi hai!", it is a perfect mixture of begging, boosting, helping and giving one gentle final push into the well.

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In #IRDAI Ad, man craves for oily food, woman stops him. Man fails to do Yoga, women pity him. Woman is shown fit and jogging.

But this is not "gender bias" since here only all "men" are shown stupid.

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The girl in Zalim lotion ad should get national award for gender equality because she said, "hame bhi hota hai!"


So far only men were defamed in all anti-khujli medicine ads.

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DD is showing Ads of #Mahabharat during Ramayan.

It is like bride's sister comes along with the bride to meet the boy. It is confusing and better be avoided.

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Seems #IRDAI is spreading misconception by saying, "tum dono ne apna beema karaya?"

Conceptually only earning member should take Life Insurance to protect dependents. If both husband and wife work, no one is dependent.

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DD is showing Ads of #Mahabharat during Ramayan.


It is like bride's sister comes along with the bride to meet the boy. It is confusing and better be avoided. 

- Rahul Tiwary

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