Excerpts from Contemporary Ramayana
By vanny
@vandana7 (100127)
India
October 10, 2012 10:56am CST
STATUTORY WARNING...THIS IS NOT TO RIDICULE THE RELIGION OR TO HURT ANYBODY
PLEASE PLEASE DONT FIGHT..
Dasharatha to Rama..Ok Son, my second wife wants you out in jungle for 14 years so that her son can enjoy the property at least for fourteen years..
Rama : Why did you marry her in the first place? Anyway, she said Jungle isn't it? Did she specify where?
Dasharatha : No
Rama : Then go and ask her what are you waiting for..
Dasharatha : Yes of course
So out goes the king to his wife Kaikayi who is watching her favorite television serial..and does not want to be disturbed
Dasharatha : Darling did you have any specific jungle in mind..
Kaikayi : What?
Dasharatha : I asked did you want Rama to go to any specific Jungle..
Kaikayi : No you can send him to any one..
Dasharatha says ok, which his wife does not bother to listen to.
Back in the room where Rama is seated..
A much relieved Dasharatha says ..my second wife does not mind whichever jungle..
Rama says : Ok..that is good. But where on the earth are jungles..let us google them.
And then he locates one that seems like a good vacationing spot. Calls up travel agent and confirms reservations. Lakshmana insists he will accompany as he too wants to enjoy life. His wife is however held back by nagging mother in law. She says its your duty to be around doing all household chores. Have some shame to be accompanying your husband. Poor girl she has to suppress her desires.
And finally, Ram asks Dasharatha to transfer hefty sum of money in his account and ensure regular remittances so that he can pay his five star hotel bills.
The number five incidentally may have something in common with the word "pancha" of Pancha vati.
Oh I know I lack in writing skills..I came here to learn English. I know it will take ages to reach anywhere close to it. But no harm in narrating what goes on in my teeny weeny brain, isn't it?
What are you thinking? (Psst...this is to ensure this discussion is not deleted under any of those myLot guidelines which I may have unwittingly infringed).
3 people like this
10 responses
@deazil (4730)
• United States
10 Oct 12
From a non-religious viewpoint
I find your story quite amusing. It's very creative and I appreciate it. I like it very much, vandana. It reminds me somewhat of a book I read quite a few years back called "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" by James Finn Garner. It was published in 1994, about the time the expression "politically correct" came into popular use. One example (I will make it brief) is the story of The Three Little Pigs. A line from it goes "Where the house of sticks had stood, other wolves built a time-share condo resort complex for vacationing wolves, with each unit a fiberglass reconstruction of the house of sticks, as well as native curio shops, snorkeling and dolphin shows". It was light reading, very humorous and I think I read the whole book in one afternoon. Obviously not a long book. Here is a link where you can read 2-3 of the stories, if you like. www.amazon.com/Politically-Correct-Bedtime-Stories-Garner/dp/0285640410#reader_B004BA5EV0
This post is the first thing I read after getting up today. I saw you had a new discussion, opened it and I can't think of a better way to start another dreary day.
I wish I could read something like this every day upon arising. I think you are a good, creative writer. I'll be back later to see what other responses you receive. It should (hopefully) be interesting. Thanks for a good read!
I find your story quite amusing. It's very creative and I appreciate it. I like it very much, vandana. It reminds me somewhat of a book I read quite a few years back called "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" by James Finn Garner. It was published in 1994, about the time the expression "politically correct" came into popular use. One example (I will make it brief) is the story of The Three Little Pigs. A line from it goes "Where the house of sticks had stood, other wolves built a time-share condo resort complex for vacationing wolves, with each unit a fiberglass reconstruction of the house of sticks, as well as native curio shops, snorkeling and dolphin shows". It was light reading, very humorous and I think I read the whole book in one afternoon. Obviously not a long book. Here is a link where you can read 2-3 of the stories, if you like. www.amazon.com/Politically-Correct-Bedtime-Stories-Garner/dp/0285640410#reader_B004BA5EV0
This post is the first thing I read after getting up today. I saw you had a new discussion, opened it and I can't think of a better way to start another dreary day.
I wish I could read something like this every day upon arising. I think you are a good, creative writer. I'll be back later to see what other responses you receive. It should (hopefully) be interesting. Thanks for a good read!
Some people never understand stuff like that..
@maygodblessu44 (7336)
• India
18 Oct 12
Hello my friend vandana7 Ji,
Well, we are so free to write/discuss anything the way we wish, without responding on your topic in particular, i bring yuou following from another epic :-
[b]Roles in Heaven
Brahma Systems Installation & Documentation
Vishnu Systems Administration & Support
Lakshmi Finance and Accounts consultant
Saraswati Training and Knowledge Management
Shiva DBA (Crash Specialist)
Ganesh Quality Assuarance
Yama Reorganization & Downsizing Consultant
Chitragupta IDP & Personal Records
Apsaras Downloadable Viruses
Devas Mainframe Programmers
Surya Solaris Administrator
Rakshasas In house Hackers
Ravan ! ; Internet Explorer WWWF
Kumbhakarnan Zombie Process
Lakshman Support Software and Backup
Hanuman Linux/s390
Vaali MS Windows
Sugreeva DOS
Jatayu Firewall
Dronacharya System Programmer
Vishwamitra Sr. Manager Projects
Shakuni Annual appraisal & Promotion
Valmiki Technical Writer (Ramayana Sign off document)
Krishna SDLC (System Development Life Cycle )
Dharmaraj Yudhishthira ISO Consultant (CMM level 5)
Arjun Lead Programmer (all companies are vying for him)
Abhimanyu Trainee Programmer
Draupadi Motivation & Team building
Bhima MAINFRAME LEGACY SYSTEM
Duryodhana Microsoft product Written in VB
Karna C ontract programmer
Dhrutarashtra Visual C++
Gandhari Dreamweaver
100 Kauravas Microsoft Service Packs and patches[/b]
May God bless You and have a great time 
@maygodblessu44 (7336)
• India
21 Oct 12
Hello my friend vandana7 Ji,
Well, we have learnt that human beings are social animals and slaves of atmosphere around us. During Ramrajya, tehre were certain bound rules, which no one would dare to voilate, my hubby says, once his Uncle used to visit our home, he would always be ready to serve him for anything in family unlike these days. I am sure, you call someone today at distance relation, you will be un-expected with them. This is all due to change in technology envorinments etc. Remeber, if you gain something, you ahve to loose. Frankly speaking a mother, who gave birth to a child ahs to knock his door before entering into his room, else she is un-cultured/un-mannered. How do you digest this. Vandana Ji, you are much younger than me.
May God bless You and have a great time
@vandana7 (100127)
• India
19 Oct 12
Hi MGB..this is truly gr8...you got the essence of what I was saying..:)
Anyway, I was trying to compare the role of an exemplary son in the epic with the kind of sons we have today. I merely kept the names of the characters the same, and called this contemporary ramayana instead of Story of modern Ram or something..lol.
If you read it again you would notice that objective I suppose and realize I was not ridiculing the religion in anyway. :)
1 person likes this
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
16 Oct 12
Hi vandana,
this is a great idea. It can be a good plot for making a new TV serial of modern Ramayana. You can contact with the producers and present your idea. I'm sure many of them will come forward to accept your offer.
@barood4money (376)
• India
10 Oct 12
Ha ha ha.. It would be interesting if this could happen. But its true that i believe in god, but then also i can't digest all this stuff. Walking from Ayodhya to Lanka(Sri Lanka). Helicopter without wings. And special appearance Flying Monkey (Hanuman). I wish that it would happen now.
@vandana7 (100127)
• India
10 Oct 12
My explanation for our holy books would be..
There are a bunch of morals out there which were to be taught to little kids so that they grew up into exemplary citizens. Now kids dont understand everything, do they? Of course not. So stories were woven to explain things to them. While doing so, like in all fairy tales, special powers were given to characters that might have existed at one point of time as kids find it easier to believe in angels and hanuman ji flying across the skies. The morals are still there, but we are lost in the stories that are only the shell.
@santhoshkumar8 (29)
• India
11 Oct 12
You should try your skills in writing scripts. Nowaydays the scripts are no better than this. Even if you call it sense of humor or not there will be a background laugh in the recording, so don't worry, write whatever you want to write. I think you should write about mahabharatha rather than Ramayana, because Ramayana has nice morals and in my view it is not a good thing to ridicule, which is worth reading for a life time....:)
@vandana7 (100127)
• India
11 Oct 12
I am kind of unnerved to see you are only 35 and have a better command over English than me, and yet you did not follow the sense of humor in that content. I may have used the word Ramayana, and names of the characters in there and also the situations but it was to show how modern kids behave and not how Rama behaved.
For you I have only one suggestion, please pick arms and go on killing spree. Kill all those who have names like Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Sita, Dasaratha, etc. Those guys truly dont have any right to be ridiculing scriptures by using the names of holy characters, right? :)
Get a life..
@vandana7 (100127)
• India
11 Oct 12
The word "ramayana" means story of Rama. There is no restriction on its usage in context of contemporary Rama's right? :)
For somebody who staunchly believes in Rama's character you would have realized he was never caustic. How then can you claim to be following your scripture at all? :)
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
11 Oct 12
Poor Dasharatha. He should have used the search string - concrete jungles as it was any jungle from the beloved Number 2.... at least some costs would have been saved.
Btw, the punch (oh sorry, the pancha) come in many flavors in India - the Panchtatva, the Panchtantra, the PanchPandavas and even the sarpanch
So much of Aristocratic Living already
So much of Aristocratic Living already
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
11 Oct 12
Dear Vandy
As hindu i have great regard for all our epics, but honestly speaking, i can't digest things like a king having so many wives, a women (Draupadi) having 5 husbands, God Krishna having affairs with Radha, elder to him and her 'mami'
I do admit my ignorance; there might be dipper meanings behind
Thanks for this discussion
As hindu i have great regard for all our epics, but honestly speaking, i can't digest things like a king having so many wives, a women (Draupadi) having 5 husbands, God Krishna having affairs with Radha, elder to him and her 'mami'
I do admit my ignorance; there might be dipper meanings behind
Thanks for this discussion
@prashu228 (37524)
• India
11 Oct 12
hahaha, what an idea?, your are a gem vandana, i liked each an every line of it, waiting for the other responses .
I always used to ask my grandmother , how Ram went Lanka without any transportation facility those days, and all kinds of stupid doubts also, she used to say they used to have some powers , of course i never understood what those powers were
, or if too irritating , she used to send me to my grandfather , so that she can escape my silly questions .
, your are a gem vandana, i liked each an every line of it, waiting for the other responses .
I always used to ask my grandmother , how Ram went Lanka without any transportation facility those days, and all kinds of stupid doubts also, she used to say they used to have some powers , of course i never understood what those powers were, or if too irritating , she used to send me to my grandfather , so that she can escape my silly questions .
@else22 (4317)
• India
13 Oct 12
First of all,I would like to make it clear that I honor your right of writing anything you like,but I am sorry to say I didn't like your post although it hurts me to say so.May be there is a sense of humor in your story,but I missed it.I read your blog several times to understand what you want to convey,but failed.The Ramayana is a great epic and ShriRam has been regarded as righteousness personified.I don't know how to express myself,but I am sorry I didn't like your blog.
@vandana7 (100127)
• India
14 Oct 12
Else..sweetie..
I may have failed to express it properly may be..I was trying to bring about a comparison between contempory son, and exemplary son as portrayed in Ramayana.
So contemporary older son would behave the way I mentioned even if he was known as Rama. That was the idea in writing the post.
I understand how you feel. I apologize. It was not meant to ridicule. Sometimes when we read things with predefined notions and prejudices, we end up interpreting them in the light that we expect them to be in. In no way have I said that Rama is born today. Or it is rebirth of Rama. We all name our kids as Rama, Krishna, Lakshmana, etc., dont we? Perhaps you might like to review it in the light I have tried to mention it..
