For all the hype that surrounds the birth celebrations of Lord Rama, it comes as a surprise that the epic hero was probably not born on a Navami!
“Sage Valmiki’s original text on the Ramayana does not make any mention about Rama being born on a Navami,” says 72-year-old A. A. Manavalan, whose path-breaking comparative literature on 48 Ramayanas in different languages across the world has earned him the prestigious Saraswathi Samman award this year.
Manavalan is the second writer after renowned playwright Indira Parthasarathy to be presented with the award.
The award-winning work Rama Kaathaiyum Raamayanangalum was first published in 2005 and covers Bala Gaandam, Ayodhya Kaandam and Aaranya Kaandam.
“It is a huge work. I had to go through texts of the Ramayana in various languages including some in South East Asia. If I do not know the language, I have a set of questions that I put across to experts on the work in the particular language” explains Manavalan, on his methodology.
The author is currently working on the remaining Gaandams – Kishkintha Gaandam, Sundara Gaandam and Yutha Gaandam – which would hopefully be completed in next six months.
“Then, I am planning to do a comparative study on the Mahabharatha. Tamils have done pioneering work on such epics.
“It was Kambar who first points out that Valmiki in the original does not mention navami as Rama’s birthday. In the context, I am glad this award will give more focus to the work.”