154. performance
Illustrated Weekly (1987, 9) complained that the serial had “destroyed the spirit and the
superb literary quality of the original, in its obsession for the megabuck.” A critic in Eco-
nomic and Political Weekly termed it “a poorly acted, still more poorly produced, lurid
dramatisation of the epic” (Deshpande 1988, 2215).
- For example, Pachauri 1987; I am grateful to Monika Horstmann for alerting me
to this article. While condemning the series as a vulgar commercialization likely to in-
flame communal violence, Pachauri, like many other Hindi critics, devotes much atten-
tion to what he sees as misinterpretations of the Manas text—a line of attack used by few
English-language writers (perhaps because they have not read Tulsidas?). This criticism
does not seem especially well-informed, however; thus Pachauri mocks the “flower gar-
den” scene of Ram and Sita’s first meeting (episode 6), claiming that it shows Ram as “a
flirtatious dandy” and is inspired by the love scenes of Bombay films. “Tulsi,” he primly
asserts, “disposed of Lord Ram’s romance in two verses.” This is patently untrue: the
garden scene in the Manas occupies nearly a hundred lines and, precisely because of its
romantic content, has become one of the most beloved passages in the epic. - Illustrated Weekly of India 1987, 17.
- Read 1985, 153, 163.
- Dainik Jagaran1988c, 7.
- Reported in “The Ramayan Phenomenon,” an article apparently reprinted
from an unidentified magazine and included in a promotional brochure distributed by
Sagar Enterprises. - Melwani 1988, 56.
- Dainik Jagaran1988b, 3.
- Dainik Jagaran1988a.
- This decision gave rise to a tumultuous controversy over the deletion of Valmiki’s
seventh book, theUttarakanda,which led to strikes, political agitation, High Court cases,
and the eventual commissioning of a sequel series of twenty-six episodes that aired dur-
ing 1989. Fascinating though it was, the controversy is beyond the scope of this essay. - Aj 1988b, 6.
- Dainik Jagaran1988d, 3.
- Indian Express 1988, 5.
- Times of India 1988, 3.
- Jansatta1988b, 1.
- Mazumdar 1988, 2.
- Cited in Jain 1988, 81.
- The renowned early nineteenth-century expounder, Ramgulam Dvivedi, is said
to have once discoursed on a single line from book 1 for twenty-one days. I myself wit-