Ramayana
by Grace Clark
P
APRIL
2014
5
Interview with Mr. Silburn
G: So Mr Silburn what do you do think of the Ramayana?
Mr. S: Well I think it is really fun to do and the students really get in to it.
G: Do you do it every year and why?
Mr. S: Well I have been doing it every year for a long time and I do it every year because as I said before it is really fun to do and everyone finds it so much fun.
G: Do you have fun doing it?
Mr. S: Yeah lots, I love planning the lessons about it and I would do it in much more detail if I could. Sadly you never have enough time to cover everything.
G: Why do you think the year 7s have so much fun doing it?
Mr. S: Well because they all have their favourite parts and are really easy to get in to. Sometimes I forget I am a teacher because I have so much fun.
G: So finally do you have a favourite part?
Mr. S: Yes, it is the battle scene because you have fun but you also have to be sensible with it. I know a lot of my students agree that is the best and funniest part of the story.
Thank you Mr.Silburn.
The story of the Ramayana is a famous ancient Indian one set thousands of years ago. At the minute some of our Year 7 students are doing the story in drama, if any of you don’t know the story here is a brief summary:
Dasharatha’s, the King of Ayodhya, had three wives and four sons. Rama was the eldest and his mother was Kaushalya. Bharata was the son of his second and favourite wife, Kaikeyi. The other two were twins, Lakshmana and Shatrughna from his third wife Sumitra. While Rama is all set for his Coronation, Dasharatha’s second wife, Kaikeyi, wants her son, Bharata, to become king, because Kaikeyi is the king’s favourite wife he agrees and sends Ramayana to the forest for fourteen years.
Ramayana goes to the forest, accompanied by wife Sita and brother Lakshmana and there they are living a simple yet happy life when tragedy strikes! Sita is abducted by the demon king Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of Lanka, and Rama pursues intent on rescuing her, aided by Lakshmana and the mighty monkey-general Hanuman. Sita is held captive on an island as Ravana tries to persuade her to marry him. Rama assembles an army of allies comprising mainly of monkeys under the brave Hanuman. They attack Ravana’s army, and after a fierce battle, succeed in killing the demon king and freeing Sita, reuniting her with Rama.
In year 7 the students are focusing on an ancient dance that is believed to have been done by the monkeys that are in the story, it includes many different positions and it is very tiring (I know myself from doing it in class!)