by AVANTIKA RAMEKAR
“Ravana [note 1] is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where he is depicted as the Rakshasa king of Lanka.[note 2]
“Ravana is depicted and described as having ten heads. He is described as a devout follower of the god Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the Veena. He has his apologists and staunch devotees within the Hindu traditions.
“In parts of the Ramayana he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama‘s wife Sita, to exact vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister Surpanakha. In other texts (Ramayanam, Meghnad Bodh Kavya) he is portrayed as a respectable man and a responsible king full of all royal qualities.” TEXT/PHOTO/Wikipedia
(The following recorded conversation was sent to Avantika Ramekar by a Facebook friend, and she in turn sent it to her uncle Mukul Dube.)
Ravana: Give me a cigarette, Kumbhu.
Kumbhakarna: Sorry, they’re finished.
Vibhishana: Nah. There’s a packet left.
Kumbhakarna: You be quiet, Vibhu. The fellow has ten mouths. The whole packet will be gone in no time.
Moral: Smoking is bad for those around the smoker, specially if they
too are smokers.