ИСТИНА

The subject of the paper is existence, development and influence of an ancient plot of the Ramayana and its main heroes – Rama and Sita - on Modern Hindi Literature. The scientific relevance of this very important and topical for modern India subject is confirmed by recent publications dedicated to this theme, such as “The Infinite Story. The Past and Present of the Rāmāyanas in Hindi” by Prof. of Warsaw University Danuta Stasik and Ph.D. theses of Anna Chelnokova (St.Petersburg University, Oriental Faculty) “Ramayana in Modern India. On the basis of Hindi Literature”. The present paper is based mainly on the literary sources which did not attract main attention in those recent publications. One of the most popular and worshiped till nowadays interpretations of the plot about Rama in Hindi (Awadhi) is “Ramacharitamanasa” (16th c.AD). by Tulsidas. In the modern Hindu tradition this creation of the later Bhakti is considered to be “the fifth Veda” and “Shruti” (a text of “Divine” origin) and in some Hindu communities the book itself is worshiped as an “Isht Dev” – a personal, chosen Deity. (The devotion and dedication to Isht Dev helps to fulfill personal wishes.) At the same time “Ramacharitamanasa” is considered to be one of the most prominent examples of Bhakti poetry, an analog of Valmiki’s Ramayana as the first Mahakavya. Starting with the New Times, since the second part of the 19th c., when the new, Enlightened type of Indian literature, different from traditional, has been developed, many poems, dramas, novels and stories about Rama were written. They often presented Rama as a righteous ruler, creator of Ramarajya – an ideal state, based on the laws of reason and justice. As at the ancient times, Rama was connected with Krishna (as two the most popular Human avatars of Vishnu). At the époque of India’s struggle for Independence the both – Krishna and Rama – became more attractive not as Deities but state leaders, some kind of an essence of a “national idea”. Along with this, a great variety of interpretations of Ramayana exist in Modern Indian Literature. Starting with “Death of Meghnad” - poem by M.M.Dotto in Bengali (1861), whose protagonists are not Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, but Ravana and his son Meghnad (Indrajit) – many Hindi novels and stories based on Ramayana, but interpreting it in their own way, were written up to the end of the XX – beginning of the XXI cc. Among them are many which attracted attention not only readers, but of serious scholars also. Such are the novels by Bhagvan Singh “Apne-apne Ram” and Narendra Kohli’s “Abhyuday” or, from my point of view, more appealing to a mass, “popular” reader some stories by Vinod Bhatt or novels by Kusum Ansal and some others. As in writings of the first half of the XX c. (“Saket” by M.Sh.Gupta, “Urmila” by Navin, Nirala’s “Rama Shaktipuja” - Worship of Shakti by Rama) contemporary writers reconsidered the plot about Rama and demythologized it – according to ideology, interests and intentions of an author. As a rule, not only literary or aesthetic features are important, but mainly ideological, socio-political, civil or religious/ethical ones. The ancient plot is modernized and connected with present situation in India and the world. Still, the images of Rama and Sita allow to create new genre forms (for example, modern Mahakavya not in Sanskrit, but Hindi; a satirical story; a detective story, feminist novel, a novel-Utopia, post-modern novel with some features of a comics and so on). The main stress in the paper is given to comparison of two Hindi writings: “Ram Charcha” (Discussing Rama, 1938) by classic of Modern Hindi prose, “the Emperor of the Novel” Premchand – as an example of “a Ramayana in simple prose” addressed to children and not too “sophisticated”, but rather mass audience. The other one is “Ek aur Panchavati” (One more Panchavati, 1985) by Kusum Ansal – as an example of a novel created within the so called “mahila lekhan” (“women writing”) literary movement. This novel also could be considered as the one addressed to not an elitist reader, but as an example of “mass literature” appealing to a common, brought within Hindu tradition, but to some extends a Modern woman reader. In this way, stories about Rama and Sita continue to be a source of inspiration for many modern Hindi writers. This ancient religious and literary monument appeals to millions of Indians and continues to play a great role in India, let it be religion, literature and culture, or socio-political life. In any sphere the ancient plot could sound very actual and modern, depending on the interpretation. As it was said in Rigveda (9, 23, 2):” ánu pratnā́sa āyávaḥ padáṃ návīyo akramuḥ”.