Ramayana fest in Delhi to enhance India-Asean ties

New Delhi, Jan 18 : Indian epic saga Ramayana, which is also a popular theme for theatre presentation in Asean countries, has now been conceptualised into a festival which will help further enhance India-Asean ties.

The five-day "Ramayana Festival", being organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), will be held at Kamani Auditorium here from Saturday. 

It will see participation of 10 countries -- Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam -- which will stage various episodes of the Rama story, through a harvest of sights and sounds, nuanced interpretations and revelations.

Their performance will reveal the assimilation, indigenisation and re-interpretation the epic has undergone in the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) countries.

After their performances in Delhi, Ramayana groups from across the globe will also be performing in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya and Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Gujarat's Ahmedabad.

ICCR President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said: "India enjoys strong civilisational links with all Asean countries.

"Ramayana, as it is performed in the various Asean countries, is not only a reflection of the strong cultural and civilisational links we have with them but it is also a bond which is their common heritage and binds them to each other."

"Through the Ramayana, the festival will showcase spectacular choreography rooted in the performing arts' traditions of South East Asia," Sahasrabuddhe said.