I was in India two weeks ago during Navratri: the start of the festive season that includes Durga Puja, Ramlila and Dusshera and culminates with Diwali. The stories signifying these festivals can be easily found on various websites so I won’t go into that here. Basically the season is a colorful extravaganza that marks the triumph of good over evil across multiple narratives from Indian mythology. I went to see the local street production of Ramlila (the story of Lord Ram) one night as I wanted to experience the Ramayana in drama form - something I last did several decades ago when I was a child! I soon realized that what used to be a modest roadside show had over the years evolved into a grand theatrical production with a huge stage, colorful backdrops and props, elaborate costumes and a live orchestra in the “pit”, not unlike The Lion King on Broadway which I had been to only a week prior to this. Except this was done by and for the local community - free of charge and in the outdoors. I went with my niece and we sat on rickety chairs on uneven ground, eaten by mosquitoes under a starry September night, watching Narad Muni strut up and down a colorful stage against a backdrop of the Himalayan landscape talking to Lord Vishnu… It was exhilarating to soak in the local culture, but even more amazing to see how many families with young children were in the audience, mesmerized by the unfolding drama on the stage. It was a fabulous example of informal learning, and how oral tradition serves to preserve a local culture over generations as children attend the same events in the community year after year. It was a treat to watch it happen in real life, as children heard these stories of valor and courage, of ethics and morals, of honesty and kindness prevail over the vices of treachery and betrayal, greed and evil. There must have been at least a few thousand people in the audience, mostly families with children from the immediate community. It was quite a display of teaching and learning of local cultural values via the dramatic rendition of an ancient epic that showcased the roles and responsibilities associated with being a father, a mother, a son, a brother, a wife, a husband, and so forth, within the Indian context…
