As a kid, I read a lot of books but nothing came close to the popular stories aired on television. Mahabharata, Ramayana and later Arabian nights, potli baba and Sinbad ki kahaniyan were some of the memorable ones.
But Mahabharata used to be ‘The Sunday treat’! I still remember the excitement in the room when our TV used to croon, “Maahaaabhaaratamm”. For the next half an hour every Indian with a TV set in his house used to sit transfixed…pin-drop silence was mandatory. Even now parents feel that their kids should know Mahabharata and Ramayana stories.
But I wonder what kind of moral values do these stories provide. The epics have crossed the lines of mythology and assumed the status of history. But are these stories worthy of our adulation? I am not an iconoclast but I do disagree with many of the important events described in these stories. Some of them are out rightly illogical.
Mahabharata’s main cause was Draupadi's insult…She was a trained warrior princess not a naïve lady. To humiliate the princess, Dushasana ordered his guards to strip off all her clothes. She ould have protected her dignity by fighting him but she chose to call Krishna for help. Why? Gandhari, the ever-faithful wife of the blind king Dhritrashtra, chose to bandage her eyes. Instead she could have helped him see the world through her eyes. Rather that negating her husband’s weakness, she chose to aggravate them!
Krishna guiltlessly flirted with women even with married ones? If Radha knew that she was the twin soul of Krishna, why did she get married in the first place?
In Ramayana, Sita is forced to give agnipariksha and Ram is not even doubted? The saddest part is even today there are people who think Ram was right and follow his footsteps. Ridiculous! What kind of moral values do these epics teach our kids? I believe it’s high time that we modify these stories suitably rather than provide them with fake justification! What do you think?
But Mahabharata used to be ‘The Sunday treat’! I still remember the excitement in the room when our TV used to croon, “Maahaaabhaaratamm”. For the next half an hour every Indian with a TV set in his house used to sit transfixed…pin-drop silence was mandatory. Even now parents feel that their kids should know Mahabharata and Ramayana stories.
But I wonder what kind of moral values do these stories provide. The epics have crossed the lines of mythology and assumed the status of history. But are these stories worthy of our adulation? I am not an iconoclast but I do disagree with many of the important events described in these stories. Some of them are out rightly illogical.
Mahabharata’s main cause was Draupadi's insult…She was a trained warrior princess not a naïve lady. To humiliate the princess, Dushasana ordered his guards to strip off all her clothes. She ould have protected her dignity by fighting him but she chose to call Krishna for help. Why? Gandhari, the ever-faithful wife of the blind king Dhritrashtra, chose to bandage her eyes. Instead she could have helped him see the world through her eyes. Rather that negating her husband’s weakness, she chose to aggravate them!
Krishna guiltlessly flirted with women even with married ones? If Radha knew that she was the twin soul of Krishna, why did she get married in the first place?
In Ramayana, Sita is forced to give agnipariksha and Ram is not even doubted? The saddest part is even today there are people who think Ram was right and follow his footsteps. Ridiculous! What kind of moral values do these epics teach our kids? I believe it’s high time that we modify these stories suitably rather than provide them with fake justification! What do you think?
