Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that Kamban’s 12th-century Tamil epic, the Kamba Ramayanam, was not merely a translation of Valmiki’s Ramayana, but incorporated distinct Tamil thoughts, landscapes and ways of life.
Speaking at the Dr SL Bhyrappa Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, Sitharaman also alleged that the Dravidian movement sought to vilify and undermine the Kamba Ramayanam because of its association with Hindu thought and Sanskrit traditions.
Sitharaman said, “After the defeat of the Indian National Congress in Tamil Nadu, the party in power had always been influenced by the Dravidianism, which was against nationalism, against Sanskrit, and against anything that which was influenced by Hindu thought.
So, a simple example. Kamba Ramayanam is a great example of Ramayanam in Tamil, written by Kamban. It’s not an exact translation of Valmiki Ramayana. A lot of Tamil thought also goes into it, way of life in the seacoast, mountains, lifestyles, all that is infused into the Ramayana of Kamban. It was severely criticized by the Dravidian movement.
I’m not naming, but a very prominent Tamil political leader wrote a very abusive version of some elements of Ramayana which were on Shringara Rasa. It was written in such a fashion that it was treated that Ramayana was obscene. To that extent they vilified Ramayana.
So there was this very patriotic Tamil who said, “No, I’m not accepting this. Rama is my hero. Rama is my god. And Ramayana tells me so many good things that I want my children and future generation to know. So he sets up Kamban Kazhagam all over Tamil Nadu just as a rebelling point against the ruling establishment which went against anything Hindu, anything nationalistic, anything Sanskrit, anything of Hindu thought. He establishes Kamban Kazhagam all over.
Even today that Kamban Kazhagam is flourishing in spreading the Kamba Ramayana. Similarly, there was another author called Rasikamani T.K. Chidambaranatha Mudaliar. Even he was a great scholar in Ramayana. He wrote Kamban Tharum Ramayanam. Meaning the Ramayana which was given by Kamban. He was ostracized. How could you do it?”
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