[Reader-list] condemning ban on Charandas Chor

Wed Aug 5 12:12:09 IST 2009

Dear Anupam jee,
Origin of a river, past of an ascetic,  mind of a woman are difficult to
understand, so do not try say the wise.

 When ramayana was written, the writer was a changed persona, will you
atleast acknowledge that.......!

Regards,

Rajen.
On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 6:55 PM, anupam chakravartty <c.anupam at gmail.com>wrote:

> dear vidya,
>
> Very kind of you to use such words. It shows your knowledge. Rishi Valmiki
> was a dacoit called Ratnakar or Valia Koli. This is from a children's site
> (
> http://www.bolokids.com/2008/0542.htm) (I am quoting from a children's
> website because i think you are not matured enough to converse in this
> forum)
>
> *Dear children,
>
> I am sure you enjoy reading the biographies of the great visionaries of the
> world. The bed-time stories which your parents or grand parents tell you,
> must have some or other reference to the Ramayana, the great epic of India.
> Do you know the name of the author of this great piece of writing? In this
> update I shall tell you about that legendary, eminent personality of our
> country, Valmiki. *
>
> Valmiki, universally accepted and applauded as adikavi, the first among the
> poets – in India and particularly in Sanskrit – was the foremost to
> ascertain a metrical expression of epic dimension. He had the apparition to
> match the emotional ecstasy of an elevated soul endowed with compassion and
> concern for all living beings. It was in such a state of identification of
> the human being with the universal that his immortal epic, the Ramayana,
> originated from his heart.
>
> Valmiki born as 'Ratnakar' is a legendary Hindu sage . He was the tenth
> child of Pracheta. There is a religion based on Valmiki's teachings and it
> is called Balmikism. The Ramayana consists of 24,001 verses in seven cantos
> (kandas) and tells the story of Rama and Sita. Valmiki Ramayana is dated
> variously from 500 BC to 100 BC.
>
> Maharishi Valmiki is accepted by many Indian communities as the author of
> the Yoga Vasistha, this particular piece of work was taught to Rama when he
> was disillusioned with the world in large. The Yoga Vasistha is an
> incredible piece of text which discusses a wide array of philosphical
> issues. Moreover, it appears to have been written over 5000 years ago. At
> his hermitage he taught both males and females. He gave Sita shelter after
> her banishment from Ayodhya.
>
> The great Valmiki, originally named Ratnakar, was from a Kirata Bhil
> community. Valmiki Muni was from a backward caste community and his name
> before he became the Adi-Kavi (prime poet) who recorded the Ramayana, was
> Vailya. He was trained by the Narada Muni, who is thought to be a devotee
> of
> Vishnu or *Narayana. In another legend that goes, Valmiki, originally Valia
> Koli, was a dacoit and a robber who would rob people passing through woods
> and dense forests. He would not only rob out of their possessions but also
> cut their ears and wear them in the form of a chain. One fine day, Narada
> Muni was passing through this forest and Valia Koli happened to confront
> him. Narada Muni asked Valia if he knows what he is doing. Valia replied
> saying that it is this which runs his family and the family is aware about
> it.* Then Narada Muni asked Valia if his family members would share a part
> of a burden of his sins? Valia was so moved with this, he ran back to his
> home and asked every member of his family if they will share if the
> situation demands. No member of the family, neither his wife nor his sons
> replied in assertive. His wife said that the sins Valia is doing everyday
> are part of his life and it is his duty to feed his family and it is only
> he
> who is responsible for the sins he has been committing. Hearing this, Valia
> changed himself completely, from a dacoit to a Sage. He returned to Narada
> Muni and requested him to help enlighten himself, after which he became
> Sage
> Valmiki by penance.
>
> Once Valmiki was taking a stroll on the bank of the river Tamasa along with
> his disciple Bharadwaja. The river-water attracted his concentration. The
> pleasing and composed movement of the waves seemed to remind the prophet of
> the mature and the reticent qualities of his hero. He visualized the purest
> spark and tranquil of a pious man’s mind reflected in the flowing stream.
> But the very next moment he saw a upsetting panorama of a female bird
> suddenly separated from her partner who was mercilessly shot by a malicious
> hunter. He could not bear the contrast he perceived between the crystal
> clear water reflecting a placid heart and the work of a heartless huntsman
> who shot at the pair of naïve, guiltless birds absorbed in the valid
> gratification of life for no fault of theirs and to no benefit for him
> moreover. These two incidents had an impression on his mind and his
> creative
> art, which led to his composition of the greatest epic on earth, the
> Ramayana.
>
> It is unfortunate that men of letters know very little about this fêted
> poet
> worldwide repute except about his epic composition, the Ramayana. The poet
> did not say much about himself in his work nor could history keep any
> documentation and authentic account of his life – not even of the time he
> lived in. The word Valmika literally means an ant-hill that stands for deep
> meditation in a poised state of penance. Valmiki, the poet, is a product of
> this penance. Kalidasa, a great admirer of Valmiki, glorifies this aspect
> in
> his famous line in Meghasandesa.The revelation and the influence of Valmiki
> are seen at their best while portraying the character of Sita as an ideal
> woman – a sculpt for reticence, a pictogram of sophisticated simplicity, an
> incarnation of elegance and dignity, an austere observer of moral code of
> behavior, an exceptional paradigm of ultimate love and a singular
> amalgamation of valor and kindness. There are three important characters in
> the Ramayana who made significant contribution to the advancement of the
> march of Rama from Ayodhya to Mithila, Kishkindha and Lanka. They are
> Vishwamitra, Lakshmana and Hanuman—and these characters were created by
> Valmiki with utmost care.
>
> The Ramayana, as envisaged by Valmiki, is a stride in search of man – a man
> whose humanity stands out spirituality by the asset of its translucent
> transitoriness. Rama, the central figure of this march of cult presents a
> rare amalgamation of individual decorum and celestial ignite. He kept the
> sparkle to himself and within himself and widen the bouquet of complete
> love, warmth, concern, restoration and healing to the planet around him.
> These are the vital human values and virtues more accomplished than
> sermonized by Rama, the man of Valmiki’s vision. These traits of the main
> character by their instinctive penchant dominated almost all the other
> characters in the Ramayana. Good and bad are only virtual terms for a great
> soul like Rama. They do not have any unconditional meaning for him from a
> comprehensive point of view. They can be changed, altered and converted if
> the human advance is maintained with valor, obligation and kindness. The
> effect of this policy and the values of life finds abundant design
> throughout the Ramayana.
>
> The creative distinction of Valmiki lies in his genuineness in experience
> and ease in expression. There is tenderness in his words, equilibrium in
> his
> emotions and innate glibness in his commentary. He speaks less and makes
> his
> characters articulate for themselves. He has an inherent approach into the
> soul and a spectacular expertise in restraining the movements and the
> historic actions of his characters. The secret of his success as an epic
> poet of predictive vision lies in his all-absorbing penance or tapasya and
> unassuming firmness.
>
> The intermediary and the communication are equally imperative for the epic
> poet and Valmiki has accomplished both. He never thought that his sincere
> concern for the pair of birds divided by a cruel shot would result in the
> magnum oeuvre campaigning the basic human qualities like adoration and
> compassion. It assumed the form of a world classic with a message for each
> era to come and for the entire living beings. Valmiki is revered as the
> first poet, and the Ramayana, the first kavya.
>
> ENDS
>
> It is a fact that there are several versions of Ramayana written in several
> languages. Infact, the Prime Minister in waiting L.K. Advani has written
> about Valmiki: http://lkadvani.in/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=5792
> My point here is not to cite Ramayana or the mythological stories around
> its
> creation. My problem lies with the fact, how a play is being banned
> selectively by the Chattisgarh government by making tribals as the
> scapegoat. Just like how many other opportunists operate in that area
> and cash in on that tribal sentiment.
>
> -with regards
> anupam
>
> On 8/4/09, Vidya <joshvidya at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > He was just one of the writers of ramayana. and when he wrote it he was
> not
> > a dacoit you ignonramus ass hole. That he was a dacoit is also not proved
> by
> > any reliable sources.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "anupam chakravartty" <
> > c.anupam at gmail.com>
> > To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 2:01 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] condemning ban on Charandas Chor
> >
> >
> > The Chattisgarh government perhaps doesnt realise that mythological epic,
> >> Ramayana was written by a dacoit.
> >>
> >> On 8/4/09, prakash ray <pkray11 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> Press Release condemning ban on Charandas Chor:
> >>> We are shocked to learn from press reports that the BJP government of
> >>> Chhattisgarh has banned Charandas Chor, a classic of the modern Indian
> >>> theatre, written and produced by Habib Tanvir. The play was first done
> in
> >>> the 1970s, and is originally based on an oral folk tale from Rajasthan.
> >>> Habib Tanvir worked on this tale, introducing into it elements of the
> art
> >>> and beliefs of the Satnami community. Satnami singers and dancers have
> >>> performed in this play, and it has been seen by members of the
> community
> >>> several times. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, there are several
> >>> rural
> >>> troupes who are today performing some version of this play.
> >>>
> >>> The play itself is the story of a thief who, under the influence of a
> >>> guru,
> >>> pledges never to tell a lie. He sticks to his pledge, even at the cost
> of
> >>> his life. This superb tragic-comedy, in a thoroughly entertaining and
> >>> artistic manner, brings into focus the moral and ethical degeneration
> of
> >>> our
> >>> society, in which, paradoxically, it is a thief who ends up being more
> >>> honest than those who supposed to be the custodians of our morality.
> >>>
> >>> Charandas Chor remains Habib Tanvir’s best-known play, and has been
> >>> performed literally hundreds of times by his world-renowned Naya
> Theatre
> >>> troupe all over India and in several countries across the world. It was
> >>> made
> >>> into a film by Shyam Benegal, with Smita Patil in the lead, in 1975,
> and
> >>> was
> >>> the first Indian play to win the prestigious Fringe First award at the
> >>> Edinburgh Theatre Festival in 1982. It then did a successful run on the
> >>> London stage.
> >>>
> >>> We demand that the Chhattisgarh government immediately revoke this
> absurd
> >>> ban.
> >>>
> >>> Arvind Gaur
> >>> Brijesh
> >>> Govind Deshpande
> >>> Javed Malick
> >>> Madangopal Singh
> >>> M.K. Raina
> >>> Moloyashree Hashmi
> >>> N.K. Sharma
> >>> Shahid Anwar
> >>> Sudhanva Deshpande
> >>> Vivan Sundaram
> >>> Wamiq Abbasi
> >>> Act One Theatre Group
> >>> Asmita Theatre Group
> >>> Bahroop Art Group
> >>> Jana Natya Manch
> >>> Jan Sanskriti
> >>> Janvadi Lekhak Sangh
> >>> Sahmat
> >>> _________________________________________
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> >>>
> >> _________________________________________
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> >>
> >
> >
> _________________________________________
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-- 
Rajen.