Appropriating Ravan: Design to Blunt a Radical Symbol

By Arunoday Majumder
A packed Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi thundered with applause as Ravan addressed Sita, the wife of Ram. The moral opulence of the demon-king and the ethical poverty of the god-king lay bared to the audience. The occasion was the opening performance of Ravan ki Ramayan – a play written and directed by Atul Satya Kaushik.