Examples and Interpretations from the Shree Ramcharitmanas
Pt. Varistha Persad, Junior Pundit, SWAHA International,
BA, MA, PG Dip Ed (UWI), OCT (Intermediate, Senior) DDSB, Durham District School Board, ON (res.) OVS, Ontario Virtual School, ON T III (English), Ministry of Education, TT (res.)
Three examples of the leadership decisions made by Ravan are most applicable to the present state of our country’s affairs. Before delving into those three examples, it is important to appreciate that a solution is only possible if we understand the nature of the problem. As a country in its early stages of development and dealing with the initial traumas of slavery and indentureship, racial, religious and socio-economic prejudices still persist, and even more so in institutions that are supposed to elevate the position of every creed and race. Major changes, such as the mass movements of people in and out of our country, are fueling a bigger problem and our society is not the same today as it was before. As parents and elders, we should be very concerned about our children not being aware of their historically multicultural society that settled between two major races; they now have to contend with a new challenge related to the teething problems of a constant and unchecked flow of people on our small island. The events in the Ramcharitmanas help us as Hindus to understand the situation we are in: Hanuman was blocked by Lankini, Vibhishan lived in a bubble under Ravan’s rule and the advisors of Ravan tried until his eventual demise to control and bring some sense of peace and normalcy under his dictatorial rule.
Common to any study and analysis, critics focus on the life of the protagonist and seldom, the antagonist or antagonizing forces in literature. In the Ramcharitmanas, Ravan as the antagonist created many problems for himself and others by the decisions he made. As Hanuman Baba made his journey to Lanka, he was stopped by Lankini. Lankini was the female personification of the city itself and was the guardian to the doors of Lanka. As a symbol, she represents that force of control of anything that comes in and goes out of the country. In a way, this is very similar to the closing and control of our borders to the forces of good. Unity, family togetherness and creating positive social interactions are all foreign concepts to Ravan and, as such, his decision to isolate Sita Maa, reject the cry of loved ones and destroy the lives of his people are similar conditions our country suffer from and at the hands of those in leadership.
The pious Vibhishan, a great devotee of Shree Ram lived like “the tongue between the 32 teeth”, one slip would be devastating; as a result, he had to live in a bubble sheltering himself from the negative forces around him in Lanka. How apt an example this is, as we now live completely torn away and isolated from a normal life. A life where freedom of mobility is now being controlled and even more so, on Indian Arrival Day, when we should be celebrating the movement of our ancestors. Understanding the circumstances, no other country, even those in worse positions, have attempted to control and silence the population like Ravan did and now, our leadership is following the same pattern. Even if there are such countries, must those be examples to follow? These are symptoms and signs of leadership that are bankrupt of ideas. The movement of only certain sections of society and the uncontrolled influx of others are changing the very core of what we call “Trinidadian society”.
The advice of countless persons around Ravan also comes under great focus and scrutiny as even a Rakshas like him could have benefited from listening to his wife, his brother and Angad, the son of Bali, whose challenge proved that Ravan’s might, power and influence were no match for Shree Ram’s. This stemmed from Ravan’s personality as Snigdha Kamarajugadda as an article entitled, “Trait Leadership Model – Analysis of Ravana’s leadership traits and what contributed to his ineffectiveness in battlefield,” elaborates: “While Ravana’s personal traits and mistakes have led to the battle with Rama, it’s Ravana’s ineffectiveness as a leader in battlefield that led to the downfall of Lanka. Ravana’s ineffectiveness in the battlefield is purely based on his proximal attributes. Taking feedback about his/her actions, retrospection and learning from mistakes, inspiring others about shared vision are all associated with interpersonal skills. Ravana neither listened to Indrajit/Vibheeshana about enemy’s power nor did he re-strategize his approach of limited war to total war.”
The personality of our leaders are what determines the vision and future of our country. Ravan was deeply disturbed and narcissistic as his decisions were made by a man who had an intense and inflated sense of self-importance, a need for excessive attention, troubling relationships and a lack of empathy for others. Once again, as we celebrate year after year the sacrifices of our ancestors, let us not think that the prejudices they faced existed only then, but be very aware that they exist now and the lives of our children are being compromised by not only the circumstances brought on by a pandemic but also the ineffective and prejudicial decisions of our leaders.
