Ramayan Gaan

In India, the reverence for the Ramayana—“from the grocer’s shop to the king’s palace”—is deeply embedded in the nation’s collective consciousness. The Iliad and the Mahabharata recount only the wars of kings, whereas the Ramayana, in the oral poetry of people across time and space, reflects society itself. Alongside Mansar Bhasan, the songs of Manikpir, and boat songs, the songs of the Ramayana are interwoven into the oral traditions of the twenty-four parganas. Here, the characters of the Ramayana largely convey the joys and sorrows of the local people. Even today, the oral Ramayana songs claim a distinctiveness and excellence that surpass written literature. The editor has written this essay after speaking with singers of these oral songs. This book offers a path to understanding the roots of human civilization and culture. The editor, Biswajit Haldar, is engaged in research in the Department of Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University.