Justice M M Ismail, an erudite Tamil scholar especially in Kamba Ramayana, brings out the uniqueness of Kamban in the following statement: "Kamban sang the story of Rama as of God come down on earth to suffer, chasten, uplift, help and guide men. Apart from this difference in the treatment of the hero, there is considerable difference in the poetic form between Valmiki and Kamban. Kamban's Ramayana is a lyric, while Valmiki's is an epic. The lyrical sparkle of Kamban and Tulsi Das goes well with their constant reminder that Rama is the Supreme Being Himself."
Therefore Kamba Ramayana is not a translation of the Sanskrit epic by Adikavi Valmiki as both lyrics and epics are different. Epic will have detailed description and lyrical presentations will be shortened and is left for the readers to interpret.
RE:RE:MM Ismails view on Kamba and Valmiki Ramayan
by Gajanan Mohite on Jul 30, 2008 10:06 AM Permalink
For example , there is a lyric " Yeh Mahelo, yeh banavat ki Duniya" in Guru Dutt classic. One can interpret it many ways. This is brilliant lyrics. Absolute beauty. If written in prose then you have to write it in detail.
There is a lot of poverty in India, why do want to build such big mansions and live so opulently , o man!!, when you can have a home like Warren Buffet , do a lot of charity for others. So what happens is that Warren Buffet living in a three bed room home does not live opulently like the rich in India do still after this great lyrics of Sahir in a Guru Dutt film.
The point here , lyrics can be seen as a poetic comment on society and not a detailed description. That is where Valmiki scores over Kamban in terms of legal interpretation. For sheer poetry, Kamban may be great, but as it is said, all is in details, so Valmiki will be good for legal counsel.
