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| Patrick Jered taking a music lesson on the ravanhattha |
He talks about his perception of Ravana
How do you perceive Ravana?
My perception changed remarkably during the period I spent doing field research In India and Sri Lanka. I came to India having read the Ramayana-ultimately a battle between good and evil-believing that Ravana was the closest thing that Hinduism had produced to the Christian Devil. I soon learned that India does not do 'black and white.' Nothing is that simplistic. Good and evil is a continuum. I found a lot of sympathy for Ravana even in India. And I looked at various theories about how Ravana had been literally demonized. And during the course of my stay in India and Sri Lanka I came to have great respect for Ravana. I realize that for many orthodox Hindus this is anathema, but it is the most honest answer I can give.
What did you find out about the musical instrument Ravanhattha and its creator through your research?
The association of the instrument with Ravana is based on extremely old mythology, and I found myself confronted with it time and time again. Strange connections always fascinate me. To watch Nigel Kennedy playing his violin on TV, and to see a link to Ravana, Lord of Lanka, and King of the Rakshasas, is quite thrilling.
I intended to write the first ever book about the Ravanhattha. While I was in India I met Professor Suneera Kasliwal of Delhi University who was just about to publish the book I intended to write. Her excellent book was recently published and is called 'Ravanhattha: Epic Journey of an Instrument in Rajasthan.'
So I focused my work more on the history, mythology, and religion surrounding the instrument, and I am mixing this with an account of my journey, the situations I encountered, and the remarkable people I met along the way. I am now convinced that in the ravanhattha (and very similar variations), India possesses the oldest extant bowed instrument in the world. I truly wonder if the average Indian perceives how profound a fact this is. That obscure Rajasthani instrument is the basis of the violin and the cello-the basis of western classical music. It is the basis of bowed instruments from the Greek Lyra, to the Chinese Erhu, to the Japanese Kokyu. India should be proud of what she has given to the world, and in my opinion, the world should recognize this too.
How is Ravana looked upon in Lanka as compared to India?
Sri Lanka is predominately Buddhist, and the Ramayana doesn't have such a place in the national psyche there. Ravana is certainly not viewed there as a demon, even among Hindus. He is considered as historical king. There are also oral versions of the Ramayana which present Ravana in a very positive light, totally different from the Valmiki take on Ravana. In Sri Lanka, Ravana is increasingly being seen as a national figurehead.
You've written that you discovered that Ravana invited the Buddha to Lanka... are there any such 'good' discoveries that you made?
The Ravana detailed in the Buddhist scripture, the Lankavatara sutra, is a wise and kind leader. He was a devotee of Shiva, but invited the Buddha to Lanka and learned from his wisdom. I couldn't help but be impressed by this very lengthy and specific description, dating from before the 4th century. This also relates to your previous question. Among Mahayana Buddhists, Ravana is seen as a benign and wise king who attained enlightenment through the teaching of the Buddha.
While I was in India, I also came across a lovely piece of local mythology in Madhya Pradesh that presents Ravana as a hero and a champion of the weak and oppressed. But I have promised my publisher that I will not talk about this until after it appears in print. I am now completing the first draft of my book... it should be out soon.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/art-culture/Ravana-created-the-violins-ancestor/articleshow/8438058.cms
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