Rama

Art by Anirud before the Rama Navami Day which fell on 2^nd Apr 2020

Rama Navami is the spring festival that celebrates the birth of Rama. Rama needs no introduction to Indians. He is the supreme archetypal God who is completely human (of course incarnate of Lord Vishnu to weed out evil on earth) without any superlative powers. That is the reason why we Indians worship him as we can relate to him completely. He is known for his Rajya or Rule which flourished and nourished people during his reign. He was a duty bound son who obeyed the orders or wishes of his parents completely even though it created hassle for not only his life but also for his spouse Sita. Perhaps, life was destined that way for the future king to lead the life of a hermit, feel the pangs of life without comforts, separation from spouse and kill the evil demons to retrieve this spouse. Unfortunately, he could not live a peaceful life as he had to banish his spouse and made her undergo an ordeal by fire as people talked about her fidelity being under the control of Ravana. Sita left Rama and lived with sage Valmiki where her sons Luv and Kush were born. We can debate if Rama was a good husband, father or not as he abandoned Sita due to suspicion and she exiled herself. In a way, it shows the human nature or the fragilities like you and me in Rama. Perhaps, that is the reason why he resonates with so many of us as he is not infallible, at least from an emotional perspective. It just goes to show that even the Gods can fail and no one is perfect.  I guess, on a lighter note, if Rama, the Lord, can be so whimsical and make wrong decisions, how you can expect me to be an ideal and flawless husband. I will end with that for now.