Shekhawat inaugurates Kamba Ramayana Parayanam in Tamil Nadu

• Union Culture & Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated Kamba Ramayana Parayanam in Srirangam Temple, Trichy.

• The initiative was launched by the South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC), under the Ministry of Culture, in an effort to preserve and promote the ‘Kamba Ramayana’, one of the most significant works in Tamil literature.

Significance of this initiative

• ‘Kamba Ramayana’ is one of the most significant literary works in Tamil literature. 

• This version of the Ramayana, composed in the 12th-13th century, stands as a unique and culturally rich adaptation of the ‘Valmiki Ramayana’. 

• Kambar Medu, located in Therazhundur in Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu is the birthplace of Kambar.

• Though once integral to Tamil cultural life, the oral tradition of reciting the Kamba Ramayana through local mandali (cultural troupes) has significantly declined. Many younger generations in Tamil Nadu are now unfamiliar with Kambar’s epic, and the cultural practice is at risk of extinction.

• This initiative includes a series of performances, workshops, symposia, and educational competitions to ensure that future generations can connect with and appreciate this epic text, which has long been integral to Tamil heritage.

Objectives of the programme:

1) Revive Oral Tradition: Sustain and promote the Kamba Ramayana through recitals by cultural troupes (mandali).

2) Engage Younger Generations: Attract youth to learn about and engage with the Kamba Ramayana.

3) Comprehensive Outreach: Establish a statewide program incorporating performances, symposia, and educational competitions.

4) Cultural Preservation: Ensure the transmission of Tamil cultural heritage to future generations.

5) The Kamba Ramayana festival will become an annual celebration of Tamil literary heritage.

6) A museum dedicated to the life and works of Kambar and the Kamba Ramayana will be established at Kambar Medu.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)