Reading and Composition- India in the Writer's Eye

Course Title: Reimagining the Ramayana in Modern South Asia

Description: The story of the exiled prince Rama and his journey to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of the formidable king Ravana has delighted audiences for over two thousand years. This narrative of Rama’s life is often referred to as the “Ramayana,” in reference to the name of the ancient Sanskrit epic composed by Valmiki. While Valmiki’s text is traditionally regarded as the original Ramayana, it is by no means the only one. The story of Rama has been told countless times by different poets, artists, playwrights, novelists, television producers, and filmmakers throughout South and Southeast Asia and the Diaspora. This course focuses on Ramayana retellings that were created in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will investigate how this epic has been used by certain individuals and communities to pursue drastically different artistic, social, political, and religious goals in modern South Asia.