Unravelling the layers of Ram, Ravan, Sita & Hanuman with Ami Ganatra | Karishma Mehta | EP 85

“Ram could be the way he was, because of Lakshman. The way this brother has stood by Ram, when he was at his lowest, is commendable. When Ram would lose control in grief of losing Sita, Lakshman would calm him down. He’d motivate him by telling stories, and when needed, also provide a negative push to get him out of that state of loss. Lakshman’s character, I think, is not explored in popular depiction as it should be. That man was beautiful!” Who would’ve thought a software engineer and consultant who travelled the world would be drawn back to her roots, and to two scriptures that’d become her passion? But that’s exactly what happened with Ami Ganatra. Ami, who has studied Valmiki’s Ramayana and Ved Vyas’ Mahabharata, calls the scriptures our ‘itihas’. And it was these very scriptures that became the topics of her books — Mahabharata Unravelled and Ramayana Unravelled – that give a real and unfiltered view into the world of epics. In this insightful chat on all things Ramayana, Ami talked about it all—from uncovering the secrets of Ramayana to busting several popularly believed myths! Did you know, even Lord Ram gave an agnipariksha? We certainly didn’t! Join us as we embark on this journey of unearthing our epics and taking away valuable lessons from them that are still relevant today! For the full conversation and an enriching dive into the world of epics, watch the episode now, don't miss out! We also spoke about: . The definition of mythology . The definition of a ‘hero’ & a ‘villain’ . What we can learn from Ravan . Ram’s agnipariksha . Ramayana’s symbolic parallels with Diwali . Lakshman, the loyal brother . Hanuman, the greatest among the intelligent . Do the places in the Ramayana exist? #ramayan #humansofbombay #podcast TIME STAMPS: 00:00 - Precap 00:50 - Welcome 01:15 - From a software engineer to an author of mythology 02:12 - How her fascination with ‘itihas’ began 04:55 - Did Ramayana really happen? 07:09 - The definition of mythology 09:13 - Understanding ‘good’ and ‘evil’ 11:40 - The definition of a ‘hero’ & a ‘villain’ 13:08 - Ravan’s abduction of Sita 15:10 - The story behind Ravan’s devotion towards Shiva 16:53 - What can we learn from Ravan? 18:15 - Understanding Manthara and Kaikeyi 21:27 - Sita’s agnipariksha 29:01 - Ram’s agnipariksha 31:19 - Tackling stereotypes in the Ramayana 32:47 - Ramayana’s symbolic parallels with Diwali 35:21 - How the celebration of Diwali is connected to our ancestors 36:27 - The meaning behind the cleansing of Diwali 38:03 - #AskAHistorian 38:15 - Lakshman, the loyal brother 39:53 - Do the places in Ramayana exist? 41:24 - Archeo-astronomy 44:03 - Hanuman, the greatest among the intelligent 45:38 - Ram’s first encounter with Hanuman 49:11 - Busting myths about Ramayana 51:16 - What teachings can we learn from the Ramayana? 53:33 - Thank you The Humans of Bombay Show, hosted by our CEO and Founder Karishma Mehta, is a Humans of Bombay original where we celebrate real-life heroes. From the single mother who had a baby out of wedlock to a female officer who served the army for 11 years, we want to bring out the extraordinary stories of seemingly ordinary people. India is a melting pot of stories, and with the Humans of Bombay Show, we want to bring these beautiful stories to you and give you a peek into the unique minds of people who have excelled in their fields. Links: Humans of Bombay Instagram:   / officialhumansofbombay   HOB Originals: https://www.instagram.com/humansofbom... Uncovered by Humans of Bombay: https://youtube.com/@humansofbombayun... LinkedIn:   / mycompany   Ami Ganatra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amig_insta/... LinkedIn:   / ami-ganatra-910a7b4   YouTube:    / @amiganatra547   Karishma Mehta Instagram:   / karimehta05   LinkedIn:   / karishma-mehta-b22151174   About Humans of Bombay – Humans of Bombay is a movement that started 9 years ago. We believe that every person has a story to tell and we want to help them tell these stories. In these years we’ve published stories across genres – stories of love, hope, faith, and courage. And through our storytelling, we’ve built an engaged community of over 5M! Our idea is simple – to strike a chord with our community and catalog the beat of humanity, one story at a time. Footage taken from the TV Series Sampurna Ramayan and Devon ke Dev Mahadev. Image rights belong to the creators.