‘The Rise and Fall of Ravanan’ was a retelling of Kamba Ramayanam by two scholars and a musician

Kambar’s Ramavatharam or Kamba Ramayanam with nearly 10,800 verses is one of the greatest literary works in Tamil, and is an impeccable showcase of Kambar’s mastery over poetic forms such as agaval, venba and adiyaar.

The programme, ‘The Rise and Fall of Ravanan’ held recently at Narada Gana Sabha, featured scholars Priya Ramachandran and Mohamed Rela and Carnatic vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan with Mudikondan Ramesh on the veena (the instrument was an integral part of Ravana’s persona) and Akshay Ram on percussion. The format sought to make Kambar accessible through expositions in English, while the music conveyed the emotive and aesthetic core of the text, thereby opening the experience to non-Tamil-speaking audiences.

This thematic approach evolved from an earlier presentation of select verses from the Kamba Ramayanam before Prime Minister Narendra Modi two years ago. Subsequently, the focus shifted from isolated verses to character-driven explorations — first Vali and now, Ravana — through Kambar’s moral and poetic lens.

Ravana, as the scholars noted, cannot be dismissed as a conventional antagonist. He is Brahma’s descendant, conqueror of worlds, master-musician and a devout Shaivite. His fall is rendered neither through martial defeat nor divine curse, but through a moral rupture. Kambar’s Ravana is undone by an ordinary woman from within his own household. The presentation focused sharply on this single facet of Kambar’s imagination: Shoorpanaka as the catalyst of Ravana’s tragic descent, revealing the poet’s nuanced and layered understanding of human frailty.

The presentation also looked at a decisive moment from the Sundara Kandam. After Hanuman’s rampage in Lanka and his capture, Ravana is revealed in full splendour, ten heads engaged in parallel thought, from governance to obsession. Repelled by this dissonance, Hanuman assumes the role of a teacher, expounding the nature of Parabrahmam, the one without origin or end, ‘Moolamum naduvum eerum illadhu.’ The Surya raga rendering of the verse subtly invoked Rama’s solar dynasty.

An illustration of Kambar.

Equally striking was the return to Ravana’s first appearance in the Aranya Kandam. Here, he is a ruler in perfect equilibrium, devas reduced to servitude and the cosmos beneath his feet. Rendered through ‘Puliyin adal udaiyan’ in raga Saramathi, this scene precedes Sita’s entry. Then arrives Shoorpanaka at Ravana’s court, nose severed, signalling his unravelling. Her tale of two ascetics, who routed Kharan (younger brother of Ravana) is greeted with laughter by Ravana. Skepticism gives way to intrigue when she speaks of Sita, ‘En vaayin utra kutram’, sung in Suryasri, describing Sita’s radiance, and divine grace.

In Kambar’s ‘Bagathil oruvan vaithan,’ rendered in Ranjani, Ravana wonders where such beauty should dwell — body, mind or soul. Here, Kambar seals the moment of dangerous reverie with ‘Karanayum marandhan.’ Gurucharan’s choice of raga Gamanasrama deepens its weight and austere.

The presentation directly moved to the first day of war in Yudha Kandam. Rama and Lakshmana arrive with a full vanara battalion, prepared for sustained warfare. Ravana, however, steps into battle without strategy or counsel. His logic is fatal yet revealing: if Rama is slain that day, the war ends. Ravana fights not as a general, but as a man driven by wounded desire.

By dusk, Ravana has lost his chariot, weapons and army. Rama’s instruction to withdraw and return the next day inflicts a wound deeper than defeat. In ‘Varanam porudha marbum,’ Kambar strips him of consolation — elephant tusks worn as trophies, shoulders that lifted the Himalayas and Shiva’s sword bring no comfort to the vainika, who surpasses Narada. Set by Sikkil Gurucharan in Kharaharapriya (Harapriya) — the raga Ravana sang while lifting the Kailasa.

Ravana speaks about Rama’s power to Malayavan: Rama’s arrows depart the bow like a primal creation — ‘Urpathi aiyane okkum,’ rendered in Saveri, recalling Tyagaraja’s ‘Ramabaaṇa sauryamu’. Ravana sends Kumbhakarna to battle, and goes to Ashoka Vanam and admits defeat to the tune of ‘Thorpitheer’ in Hindolam.

The tragedy narrows to Indrajith. After Atikayan’s fall, Indrajith accuses Ravana, fights with ferocity, and exhausts every weapon. Unable to bear his father’s destruction, he pleads for Sita’s release. Ravana refuses, this was depicted through ‘Munnaiyor irundarellam ippagai’ rendered in Atana and ‘Vendrilan endra podum,’ in Dharmavati. Indrajith returns to battle, looks upon his father one final time and is decapitated by Lakshmana.

Ravana runs to the battlefield on hearing of Indrajith’s death and finds only his son’s arm amid corpses. He presses it to his chest and howls — ‘Maindavo.’ Kambar captures this in ‘Sinathodum kotram,’ sung in Vasanta, the latter half moving into Vasanta Bhairavi.

Mandodari then arrives and in ‘Anjinen anjinen’ declares that Sita who seems to be like nectar is poison to the one who is not her husband. Her words strike Ravana harder than any weapon. Desire gives way to fury. Ravana gets ready for his final battle. In ‘Allan sivano’ (Behag), Ravana realises Rama as the Vedic source, thus remembering Hanuman’s brahmopadesam. Choosing death over surrender, he falls to Rama’s arrow. Kambar mourns — ‘Vemmadangal vegundu” (Mayamalavagowla) — noting that in death, Ravana’s rajasic and tamasic veils fall away, leaving pure sattva — he glows three times more than he did after the penance. Kambar describes Rama’s arrows through the verse ‘Mukkodi vazhnalum’ rendered in Senjurutti. Seeing Ravana’s downfall, Mandodari reflects on fate, beauty and chastity — ‘Ganthayurku anianaiya’ (Pavani).

On the blood-soaked field Ravana lies still. Rama approaches and, seeing scars upon his back, speaks of cowardice. Vibhishana erupts, defending his brother’s heroism through ‘Aaiyiram tholinanum’ in Kannada: no man could fell Ravana but for his fatal desire for Sita.

The programme culminated in ‘Por magalai, kalai magalai, pugazh magalai’, as the hands that wielded weapons, veena and fame finally touched Bhooma Devi.

Published – March 09, 2026 11:51 am IST