Performing the Ramayana Tradition

The Ramayana, one of the two pre-eminent ancient Hindu epics, has played a foundational role in many aspects of India's arts and social norms. For centuries, people learned this narrative by watching, listening, and participating in enactments of it. The story has continued to be retold and rethought through the centuries in many of India's regional languages, such as Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali, and has provided the basis for enactments in recitation, musical renditions, dance, and avant-garde performances. This volume introduces non-specialists to the Ramayana's major themes and complexities, as well as to the highly nuanced terms in Indian languages used to represent theater and performance.