A Tamil Modernist's Account of India's Past
Ram Raj, Merchant Raj, and British Raj
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3658433 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Paula Richman (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 35-62 |
| Publication date | 2007-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Asian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9118 • E-ISSN: 1752-0401 |
| Publisher | Duke University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0021911807000058 |
| OpenAlex | W2171081443 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 23 |
The Ramayana, one of Hinduism's two preeminent epics, has been retold in diverse ways over the centuries, but one modern rendition is unique:Nārata-Rāmāyaṇam(?). Its author, C. Virudhachalam (1906-48), wrote in Tamil under the pen name Pudumaippittan, meaning "one who is mad about newness."Nārata-Rāmāyaṇam(?)presents colonialism as a continuation of the Ramayana narrative, showing how an ancient South Asian narrative can serve as an imaginative framework for modern Indian writers. The text mounts an astute critique of the notion of perfect rule, Ram Raj, and suggests that such a utopian ideal fosters the veneration of a glorified past that never existed. The text's modernist literary ploys encourage scrutiny of culturally constructed concepts such as nationalism, consumerism, and narrative coherence. This unusual Ramayana reveals how narrative resources can be used to question both ancient and modern ideologies
Ancient history · Art · Colonialism · Hinduism · Ideal (ethics · Ideology · Legend · Literature · Narrative · Nationalism · Tamil · Veneration · Anthropological Studies and Insights · History · Indian History and Philosophy · Law · Philosophy · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Religious studies
Caste and Capitalism in Colonial India
Verbal art as performance
An Untouchable Community in South India
Purāṇa Perennis
Women, Branch Stories, and Religious Rhetoric in a Tamil Buddhist Text
A Manual of Buddhist Philosophy
An Advanced History of India
Classical Hindu Mythology
An autobiography
Gandhi's Autobiography
Nirvāṇa, Time, and Narrative
The Hungry God
"Visually Mapping the "Nation
Rāmāyaṇa and Political Imagination in India
Living Banaras
Verbal Art as Performance1
Epic and State
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,11 |
| Citation span | 2008 - 2021 (14) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |