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The Ramayana
In this student activity sheet you will explore the characters of the Ramayana (a classic Indian epic poem) and the importance of the Ramayana to Hindus today.
1 The Characters in The Ramayana
What To Do
- Look at the pictures of Rama, Sita, Hanuman and Ganesh on the Hindunet
website.
- For more pictures of Rama and Sita together, look at the following:
- Write a paragraph about each of the following characters, describing
them as they are depicted in the paintings on the website.
- Rama
- Sita
- Hanuman
- Ganesh.
2 Ramayana and Visual Material
What To Do
- Go to the first page of the Black Peacock gallery of the Exile in
the Forest story.
http://www.goloka.com/docs/rama/rama_01.html
Use the back and forward arrows at the bottom of each page to
read the story and look at the accompanying illustrations.
- Write a review of the story of Rama's exile in the forest. Your
review should be about one page long.
- Recount the story briefly in your own words. What is the main message
or purpose of this story? Why do you think this?
- Decide whether the pictures assist in the telling of the story of
Rama's exile in the forest. Why do you think so?
3 Festivals Associated with The Ramayana
There are many festivals associated with characters and events of the Ramayana that are still celebrated today. These festivals are known by different names in different places. Three modern festivals associated with the Ramayana are listed below (with their different names in brackets to help you find them):
- Vijaya Dashami (Dashera)
- Diwali (Deepavali)
- Ganesh Chaturdi
What To Do
- Find the Festivals of Bharat (India) web page on the 'The Hindu Universe'
Website:
http://www.hindunet.org/festivals/
- On the Festivals of Bharat web page, click on the link to the listing
of festivals for the current calendar year.
- Scroll down the calendar until you see the festivals you want to find out more about. Make a note of the date each festival is held.
- Click on the name of each festival you are investigating to find
out more information about it. Take notes on how each festival is
celebrated, why it is celebrated and who or what the festival commemorates.
- Choose three festivals associated with the Ramayana and read all about them. For each festival, find when they are held, which character or event of the Ramayana is being celebrated and briefly describe how they are celebrated. Produce a chart to inform people about them.
4 The Author of The Ramayana
What To Do
- The text for this task is found in the biographies section of the
Free India Website: http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/valmiki/.
Under the heading 'Maharshi Valmiki', you will find a short statement
about Valmiki. Click on the [Next] links of at the bottom of this
and the next page to read more about Valmiki and the story of how
he came to write the Ramayama.
- Prepare a class presentation explaining the importance of the story about Valmiki and his work. Consider the questions below:
Reading for Understanding
- Do you think that this story of Valmiki is a biography? Why/why not?
- Rama is a god, so are his unusual powers believable?
- Why do you think Valmiki's story sounds almost as 'magical' as Rama's? Is this because Valmiki, a mortal, through his efforts brings himself closer to Rama, a god?
- Do you think the fact that the story has been handed down for hundreds of years might add to the 'magic'?
- How did Valmiki first make his living?
- What did his wife say when he asked her if he should continue in this 'work'? Did she tell him what he should do?
- What was his decision?
- How does this story tell us about the importance of people taking responsibility for improving their lives?
Impressions | Reflections | Dimensions
Access Asia | Anthologies of Asia | Resources
© Commonwealth of Australia 2000
http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/anthol/impress/impstud1.htm
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