Shri Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Ambassador of India to China, gives his opening speech at a symposium in Beijing, on November 2, 2024. Photo: Dong Feng/GT

The Embassy of India in China organized a symposium on "Ramayana - A Timeless Guide" in Beijing on November 2, inviting scholars, officials, and artists to reflect on Ramayana, its influence and relevance in Southeast Asian countries, its footprints in China, as well as its visual presentation in various art forms. 

In his opening remarks, Shri Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Ambassador of India to China said that Ramayana is a common heritage that is of special significance in Asian culture. Ambassador Rawat stressed that the core message in the epic poem is consistent with Chinese Confucian values. He also affirmed Ramayana's diverse artistic expressions across Southeast Asia. 

Distinguished scholars such as Jiang Jingkui, professor and dean of the Institute for International and Area Studies at Tsinghua University, and Professor Dong Youchen, former deputy director of the Department of Literature and History at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, senior translator, and president of the International Society of Bengal Studies inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp, alongside Thai Ambassador to China, Chatchai Viriyavejakul.

Additionally, scholars and officials including Yu Longyu, director of the Center for India Studies at Shenzhen University, Parulian George Andreas Silalahi, minister of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, and Professor Qiu Yonghui, chief expert/deputy director of China Center for South Asian Studies, Sichuan University, shared their insights in tracing the influence of Ramayana.

Over the last millennium, Ramayana has been among the most important literary and oral texts in Asia. Whether as a scripture or a guide on dharma (righteous conduct), as the basis for innumerable customs and traditions or simply as a tale with impressive characters, the epic poem has touched the lives of numerous people in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. It is also a foundational text whose influence on literature, dance, drama, painting and sculpture extends into the far corners of the world.

The last part of the event offered Ramayana through art; three Chinese artists demonstrated and performed various classical dances and dance-drama genre of performance art pieces dedicated to the stories from the Ramayana.