The Many Faces of Ram: From Myth to Movement
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[*]Ram’s image has shifted from spiritual figure to political symbol in modern India.
[*]The Ayodhya movement redefined devotion as a marker of identity and power.
[*]Competing interpretations of Ram reflect deeper social and ideological divides.
Ram is everywhere. In names, places, songs. In grain fields and hilltops. He is in the chants of Ayodhya, in the poets of Chhattisgarh, in the footpaths of Kashmir. However, this idea of Ram shifts when the RSS enters that terrain: Ram becomes more than a myth, taking on new meaning as a marker, a claim, and an era.
For the RSS, Ram is not just the Lord of the Ramayana. He represents what they call the “self” (swa) of Bharat. In January 2024, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was consecrated as the “Pran Pratishtha” of Ram Lalla. The RSS chief called that day India’s moment of “true independence.”
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