The Ramayana is one of the bedrocks on which India’s culture stands tall. It has stood the test of time for thousands of years, inspiring generations through its tale of honesty, love, courage, and wisdom. Though the context for each new generation changes, the core messages still resonate deeply in modern life.
The Ramayana contains life lessons for each one of us and scholars over the ages have interpreted different meanings from it. This naturally leads to some questions like:
What is the right age for the young to start this journey of knowing about our heritage?
How should we introduce it to pre-schoolers in a way that will keep them interested?
What messages and values should we impart that are relevant for today’s children?
The Ramleela – the enacted story of Rama’s journey from a Prince to a King – brings to life the greatness of Rama, his wife Sita, his brother Laxmana, and Hanuman the leader of the Vanar Sena. It encapsulates the challenges faced by them during 14 years of exile in the forest, their struggle with the Evil Ravana and their eventual victory.
By making the Ramleela relevant to today’s world, we endeavour to help you share the greatness of Ramayana with your child and watch them discover a rich heritage of stories, values and role models that will shape their young minds. Some of the life lessons that pre-schoolers can learn from it are
1. Strangers Are Not Friends (Stranger Danger)
Ravana disguised himself as an ascetic to trick Sita to leave her hut so that he could abduct her. This is a powerful message to children that talking to strangers are not friends. You can take this example to make them understand that if someone unknown offers chocolates or claims to know their parents, it can be dangerous.
2. Say Yes with when you mean it (Honouring promises)
King Dashrath promised to remove Rama as the king of Ayodhya & had to then send him to 14 years of exile in the forest even though he did not want to. This is a great way to teach children to be honest and authentic and only make promises they can keep. You can show how breaking promises makes you untrustworthy, so instead they can use words like “I’ll try” instead of promising if they are not sure.
3. Ask Me, I Decide (Consent)
Sita actively chose to go to the forest with Rama when he was exiled; making her decision to join him in the forest a deliberate choice of consent rather than a passive act. This will help you in talking about consent to children and encourage open communication, helping children express their feelings, needs, and desires effectively.
Storytelling through drama is a powerful tool for teaching children new concepts, as it makes complex ideas relatable and memorable. The characters in Ramayana, like Rama, Sita, and Hanuman, are relatable and inspiring, making it easy for children to understand and emulate their qualities.
