When Pakistan Staged Ramayana: A Surprise Lesson In Inclusivity And Cultural Unity

Pakistan has been trending these days. Not because it has secured friendships with superpowers like the US, China and Russia or has managed to gain an equal status to that of India at the international level, but because it has, in a surprise move, presented a side people on this side of the boundary never imagined existed—that of religious tolerance and cultural integration.

Recently, a Pakistani theatre group, Mauj, enacted the Urdu adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi, where Muslim actors performed the lead roles of Rama, Sita, Hanuman, and Ravan.

More interesting is the fact that the response from the audiences, including critics, was overwhelming. As Omair Alavi, a prominent critic, says, “The Ramayana is a narrative that resonates with millions worldwide.”

At a time when the India-Pakistan relations are at their worst, following the terror attack in Pahalgam leading to military action that continued for four days, such observations have great significance. They reinforce people’s belief in humanity. Incidentally, this is not the only instance the Ramleela has been staged in Pakistan.

However, the biggest achievement of the theatre group has been to break down stereotypes on both sides of the border. For Pakistanis, India is no longer the “other” that the two-nation theory propagates and which all political parties endorse, and for Indians, Pakistan is not as conservative, illiberal and intolerant as it was perceived to be.

There is no denying that most stereotypes are a creation of false propaganda riding on political ambition. In this, the media becomes the tool. It influences the masses through jingoism and rhetoric against the “other”, especially in war-like situations.

By retelling the timeless tale of love, sacrifice, righteousness and compassion, the group has not only bridged the cultural divide between the two communities but has also highlighted the social change sweeping over Pakistan—Pakistani society is now more accepting of cultural and religious diversity.

There's a lesson in the making for India. As a society, we are far more advanced than Pakistan; we are also far more diverse. Still, it took a small Pakistani theatre group to showcase what true inclusivity is. It is not that India did not, or does not, have that. But in the past decade or so, the space for cultural freedom and social integration has significantly reduced. In 2016, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was stopped by the Hindutva warriors from participating in the Ramleela in his village.

Self-appointed cultural gurus, taking pride in their lack of knowledge, are keen to make India “Bharat”. Thus, the Indianisation of Urdu, Persian and Arabic words. But here’s a bit of information for the Hindutva brigade: The Ramcharitmanas, one of the most revered Hindu texts composed by Sant Tulsidas, has over a thousand Arabic and Persian words. And in his magnum opus, Tulsidas refers to Ram as “Gareeb navaaj”.

Coming back to inclusivity, we just need to turn a few pages of history to reorient ourselves. Maybe read the Ramcharitmanas.