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The
story of Rama as related in the Hindu epic
Ramayana has always enjoyed a strong universal appeal. No wonder, the
original author of this epic work, Valmiki is regarded as the adikavi or
the first poet. But little did he know, that his account of the exploits of
Lord Rama, millenniums later, would be the subject of numerous Web sites, CD-ROMs,
and computer games.
The
Thai Ramayana Game
In
2000, a video game based on the Ramayana legend won Thailand's national
game software competition. In fact, the Ramayana game was the thesis
project of three computer science majors from Bangkok's Faculty of Technical
Education.
The
prize-winning game portrays several wars between King Rama and Ravana, the evil
ruler of Lanka who abducts Rama's beautiful wife, Sita. In an attempt to find
his wife, Rama, aided by brother Lakshman and a battery of monkeys, reach the
Lankan island. In the game, Rama and Laksman must successfully manoeuvre through
four rounds of fight in order to rescue Sita.
The Thai threesome turned to the epic Ramakian, as the Thai version is called, for its unmatched fighting scenes and more than fifty interesting human and semi-human characters appropriate for an action-packed video game, like Super Mario or Street Fighter.
India Games
The
online games site Indiagames.com is known for its mythological
Flash games, the most popular being Mrigaya, again based on a Ramayana
subplot. King Rama's golden deer flees into the jungle. To bring it back,
Rama ventures into the forest and encounters demons. Kill these demons by clicking
on Rama's bow and you are on to the second round - finding and capturing the
prized animal among a herd of spotted deer.
Also interesting are the games based on Arjuna, the geat mytical archer of the Mahabharata. Propped up with background sound, voiceover in three languages and excellent Flash animation, these online games have quickly become popular, thanks to their epos themes.
Ancient
Games
Ancient and medieval India was a fertile breeding ground of popular card and
board games. Historians are of the opinion that Chess, Snakes and Ladders, Playing
Cards had originated in India from where they were taken to foreign countries,
where they developed into their present forms.
Playing cards was
a popular pastime of Indians in ancient times. Here too the epics step in. These
cards, known as Krida-patram, were made of cloth and depicted themes
motifs from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The Interactive Epics
Image Infotainment's CD-ROMs on Hindu epics and mythical stories are packed
with features that provide a good interactive experience. These animated storybooks
not only feature the full narration, they also include timelines, read-along
option, chronological indices of events and characters, and search facility.
The Ramayana CD, which
also includes puzzles and games, like building and shooting cost around $ 40.
What
Worth?
In a way, these new avatars of immortal epics
- be they video games, online games, or interactive CDs - are worth their price
in bytes, for they're marvelous ways to introduce today's young people to the
rich cultural and spiritual tradition of their ancestors.
Pix Courtesy: Image Infotainment & Indiagames.com
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Discussion Forum
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