Across the political spectrum, there has been a recent shift in both left-wing and right-wing people, that have developed a soft corner for Ravan. People are coming up with justifications for what Ravan did. Saying that Ravan might not be as bad as we assumed. Many people show sympathy for Ravan and Kumbhkaran.
But Ravan’s third brother Vibhishan, his case is even more interesting, he receives hate from all quarters. He is the traitor. An anti-national. You would’ve heard such proverbs about Vibhishan.
“The traitor in the family, cause Lanka’s downfall.”
There’s a song Vibhishan, by singer Gulzar Channiwala. With over 6.1 million views, with the main line, “Others didn’t have what it takes, young one, friends like Vibhishan set fire to my Lanka”.
What are the lessons that people conclude from Ramayan? Does Vibhishan truly deserve so much hate? Does Ravan truly deserve our sympathy? So let us start by clarifying one thing, we are not against analyzing any religious text. Whether it’s the Ramayan, Quran, or the Bible.
In fact, we believe that if we try to better understand these texts, people will be able to gather new perspectives. People will be able to learn new lessons. And these people spreading hate disguised as religion, can then be countered.
Even Dr Ambedkar had written some famous pamphlets. “The riddles of Hinduism”, Or “the Riddle of Rama and Krishna”.
