‘Ramayana: A Shared Culture’ by Benoy K Behl

Online Event, India Habitat Centre, 31st January, 2026 Talk and Screening of Film by Benoy K Behl Produced for Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Introduction by Sujata Chatterji 00:07; Subject Intro 03:04; Film 11:52; Talk 33:50 It has given me great pleasure to carry out the documentation of Ramayana performances in 10 countries, on behalf of Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India. This tradition has been shared by billions of people across the centuries and has never before been presented in its pan-Asian perspective in a film. The story of the Ramayana is enacted more often than any other story of the world. It is the most important cultural tradition of India, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Nepal. It has also been widely prevalent in Bhutan, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. Many kings in these countries have taken the name of Rama, cities and islands have been named after persons and places in the epic. Symbols of Vishnu (whose incarnation is Rama) have been royal emblems across the region.