Ramayan: The Video

Technologies of the spirit

“…And here also, modern media technologies have not been treated as inimical to authentic religious experience, but are eagerly adopted in religious practices. The ubiquity of chromolithographed devotional images and calendar art in Indian public culture since the late 19th century, the popularity of the film genre of 'mythologicals' in Indian, above all Hindi cinema, and the televised and video circulation of Hindu epics such as the Ramayana are among the most salient examples of the intersection of religious traditions and modern media technologies (Derné, 1995;Lutgendorf, 1990;Pinney, 2001Pinney, , 2002. Ethnographers working in this field have stressed the importance of different traditions of visual practice in the domestication of these media, especially the Hindu tradition of darshan.…”

“…Most important for my discussion, ethnographers working on the visual dimensions of religious experience in India describe that their informants treat modern media technologies such as chromolithography, film, and more recently also audiovisual technologies as enhancing the 'sensory immediacy' and 'non-absorptive directness' (Pinney, 2001: 161, 168) they look for in their visual-devotional practices. The screening of 'mythological' films and videos featuring the exploits of deities in Hindu tradition have thus become a focus and occasion of ritual activity (Lutgendorf, 1990;Pinney, 2002: 358) as they facilitate a more immediate presence of deities.…”

The Challenge of the Silver Screen

“…It is an ancient tradition in India to organize kathas, to which many people were oft en invited. In particular, the Ramayana and Ramcaritmanas were part and parcel of this tradition (Lutgendorf 1991), although there are also kathas on parts of other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana . People who turn out to be great narrators at kathas were even asked to perform on radio.…”

“…In this way he tried to accede to the audience's standards for epic performers. Th e garments of the protagonists and the appearance of the monkeys was not natural but followed the long-established conventions of the mythologicals (Lutgendorf 1990: 144) set by Phalke . Th e critics were very critical of the poor quality of the special eff ects, including the pulsating, garishly tinted divine weapons.…”

Relocating Rāmarājya: Perspectives on Sītā’s Kitchen in Ayodhyā

“…Blackburn, Claus, Flueckiger, and Wadley (1989), Lutgendorf (1990Lutgendorf ( , 1991, and Richman (1991), among others, discuss the remarkably varied lives of oral epics in India.…”