Camp Ramayana is a month-long summer camp for children aged 5 to 12. Each session culminates in a stage performance by the students. The Ramayana is a 2000-year old epic, deeply rooted in the culture and identity of South and Southeast Asians. Like all great epic tales, it is a vast, complex story that captures the imagination of adults and children alike.
The Sutradhar Institute’s approach is somewhat unique in that campers are introduced to the Ramayana through story-telling, martial arts, yoga, mask-making, Sanskrit (the language of the epic), poetry, rangoli (floor painting) and creative writing--thus appealing to all children’s love of stories and story-telling. The camp has been operating for nearly 20 years, with many children returning year after year, first attending as junior campers and then later as camp counselors.
Each year the campers define the story in their own terms using their newly learned skills and understanding to create a different retelling each time. The epic Ramayana describes good battling evil. Rama, the son of King Dashratha, is the noble hero; Sita, the heroine, is the daughter of Mother Earth and adopted child of King Janaka. During a special ceremony, Rama wins the hand of Sita. As Rama is proclaimed the king of Ayodhya, his scheming step mother, Kaikeyi, secures the crown for her own son and sends Rama into a long exile. While in exile with Sita and his brother Laxmana, the evil King Ravana of Sri Lanka kidnaps Sita. As Rama despairs, Hanuman, the monkey god, comes to Rama’s rescue. He builds a bridge of rocks across the ocean. After a tough battle between Rama’s faithful band of monkeys and the demons, Rama and Sita return triumphant to Ayodhya where they rule in peace, justice, and wisdom.
