Ravana in Parliament

Editorial-December 18, 2013,

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has stirred another storm of controversy. One of its MPs claimed in Parliament on Tuesday that Ravana had been a Hindu king, apparently in a bid to support the so-called homeland theory. He chose to bracket some of the monarchs mentioned in Sri Lanka’s chronicles with the mythical king. What is of interest to us is his tendentious attempt to toss a salad of myths, as it were, with some tidbits from the Mahawamsa thrown in for good measure. However, he is entitled to his opinion.

Let learned historians deal with the TNA parliamentarian’s argument anent the kings mentioned in the Great Chronicle. But, his Ravana claim is, in our book, self-defeating. In this country Ravana has been deified and, of late, there has been a fad for conducting research on him; claims are being made in some quarters that evidence has surfaced to prove that he actually lived here. There has also emerged a Ravana cult of sorts. A section of the media is busy marketing the mythical king. These developments may have influenced the TNA MP to concoct the aforesaid theory.

However, Indians whose support the TNA is canvassing for its cause will not take kindly to its lawmaker’s attempt to convert Ravana, considered an epitome of evil, to Hinduism, so to speak. The Dussehra festival celebrations in all parts of India are not complete without the burning of huge effigies of ‘demon king’ Ravan (Ravana) in public to mark his defeat by Lord Rama. In a small town in Haryana, a Ravana effigy which is as tall as 180 feet is torched annually. Therefore, the TNA parliamentarians may run the risk of coming under mob attacks in Tamil Nadu if they continue to peddle the Ravana theory too much.

Why Indians despise and vilify Ravana is understandable. Millennia ago, according to legend, he resorted to what Rajiv Gandhi did to Sri Lanka in 1987; legend has it that he violated the Indian airspace riding as he did his Dandumonara or wooden airplane. Rajiv’s planes forcibly entered Sri Lanka’s air space to drop parippu and pave the way for saving a pet terrorist. But, Ravana was all out to take revenge. Even Americans may have learnt the art of extraordinary rendition (abducting persons and transferring them to another country) from Ravana, who brought Sita, wife of Rama, in his ‘fighter aircraft’ all the way from India. Ravana’s knack for abductions seems to have got into Sri Lankans’ genes if the spate of involuntary disappearances during the last two decades or so is any indication. Modern-day Sri Lankan rulers whose predilection for flying is monumental may be descendants of Ravana.

Homo sapiens who think no end of themselves are mere Johnnies-come-lately where life on Earth is concerned; they are groping in the dark as regards their own history let alone that of other species such as the green turtle whose ancestors, according to some scientists, even saw dinosaurs evolve and become extinct. So, it is only natural that humans tend to believe in myths in tracing their roots for want of a better alternative.

As for Sri Lankans what is needed at this juncture is not a debate on ethnicities and religions of ancient monarchs, information about whom is lost in the mists of time or apocryphal stories about them. The need is for them to forge ahead as a nation while learning from the mistakes during the past few decades which saw the country run red with human blood. Rhetoric won’t do; it will only make the much-needed reconciliation continue to elude them.