All Ramayanas have the right to exist: Amish

It takes a mature person to accept that there can be some good in his enemy and some bad in him self. Similarly, it takes a confident society to accept nuances and shades of grey rather than simple black-and-white scenarios," said author Amish, holding forth on the multiple popular versions of the Ramayana in India.
Amish, author of the bestselling Shiva trilogy, which has sold over 2.6 million copies, was in conversation with writer-columnist Pritish Nandy at the launch of the inaugural Times LitFest-Delhi on Saturday.The function also marked the world edition launch of Amish's new book, Scion of Ikshvaku, based on the life of Rama.
Asked by Nandy whether the marketing of a book has become more important than its content, Amish used science to debunk the perception.
"Look at a plane as the product, and at the propeller as marketing. You need the propeller for the plane to take off, so you need marketing for the book to do well," said Amish as the overflowing audience -with many people standing in the aisles - cheered most of his answers.
The Ramayana dominated much of the conversation, and Amish believed that Indians' openness to recreate and contemporise Rama for the times has allowed it to be such a central part of culture for so long. And Rama's many local avatars have made him relevant for everyone.
"There are many versions of Ramayana. There is a Rama who is vulnerable, and there's a Jain version in which he's non-violent and becomes a monk in the end. One of the strengths of India is that we've had this attitude, this liberalism, to modernize and localize the stories of our gods, and that's one reason why these stories remain alive.
"Tulsidas's Ramayana created a god for 16thcentury north India. Multiple Ramayanas co-exist, and that's the beauty of our country," said Amish.
Asked about Delhi University's decision to ban A K Ramanujan's controversial essay , 300 Ramayanas, Amish said, "India, like any other country, should not be judged on the basis of a decision by one university. Look at India as a whole. It is not perfect, but it is better than most countries in the world, where people can land up with an AK-47 at your doorstep if they don't like your book or film.Our people are quite liberal when it comes to accepting other points of view, though our laws need to catch up. We specially need to repeal the First Amendment, which hugely curtails freedom of expression."
When Nandy concluded by asking if he believed that all 300 Ramayanas had a right to exist, Amish said, "Yes," adding, “But the fact is, they already do exist."