With the Diwali upon us, let your child connect to super heroes in true festive spirit, with ‘The Jai Jais’. The Indian tradition understands the power of storytelling to ignite the curiosity of young minds in exploring the hidden depths of our religion, culture and roots. Who doesn’t love super heroes? For a child or a teenager… even as an adult, I am learning so much with this journey with ‘The Jai Jais’. Super-heroes are awesome! and festive occasions offer parents a unique opportunity to sit down and just enjoy the good times with their little ones. Now, what about festivals like Dussehra and Diwali? Well, these festivals too have ‘super-heroes’, in a way that children may not know…. The Jai Jais certainly have a whole host of super heroes. Come and join our adventures.
Dussehra, also called Vijaya Dashmi (or Bijoya in Bengal), is the final day of the nine-day Navaratri celebrations. It is a festival that marks the killing of Ravana, his son Meghanatha and brother Kumbhakarna, by Rama. It is seen as the victory of good over evil.
The word Dussehra is derived from two Sanskrit words - 'dasha' that represents the ten heads of Ravana, and 'hara', which translates to 'defeat'. In the Eastern part of India and in the Bengali culture, ‘Vijay Dashmi’ celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over 'buffalo demon' Mahishasura whose demonic activities had disrupted the daily livelihoods of many on Earth.
The Ramayana
The epic Ramayana, describes the story of Rama. Rama was the exiled prince of the kingdom of Ayodhya. While in exile, he lived in the forest with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. One day Sita was abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Rama, assisted by an army of monkeys and Lakshmana, attacked Lanka to rescue her.
A fierce battle ensued between the two armies for many days. Rama found it very difficult to beat the mighty Ravana. It is believed that Lord Rama worshipped Goddess Durga before going to war against Ravana on the advice of Lord Vishnu. So he prayed for nine days to nine different aspects of goddess Durga and accumulated enough strength to defeat Ravana.
Dussehra celebrates Rama’s victory over Ravana in a festival spread out over ten days. The story of Rama’s life is enacted in a folk art form called Ramlila.
Read the full stories with our Jai Jais ‘Diwali’ and ‘The Ramayana Books’, with amazing super hero illustrations that will capture the child’s interest and imagination.
Ref: All India
