Chinese emperor built the Great Wall of China to prevent the Mongols from inert-acting with Chinese. Ram built Ramar Palam or the Ram Setu Bridge enabling Sri Lankans to mingle with Indians. These days there are war-fares, strifes, conflicts and rivalries across nations because we have more walls than bridges. The need today for a peaceful living is to have more Ram Setus. Ramayan has brought remarkable syncretism between Buddhism and Hinduism and between Islam and Hinduism in South East Asia, a phenomenon unheard of in the rest of the world. Muslims in Indonesia take pride in saying ‘Islam is our religion, Ramayana our culture’. The call for a common currency for South East Asian nations by former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee may seem strange for the average Indian. But there are demands from countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand for the construction of Trans-Asian highway and railway which in the long run would culminate in the formation of a community of Indian Ocean nations in the lines of European Union. It is the similarity in the cultural traditions which has inculcated a sense of oneness among the intellectuals in these countries. All these countries lie along the rim of the Indian Ocean. They do have a lot of things in common though national boundaries and international lines of control separate them. But the economic potential of the community of Indian Ocean nations which is the modern Ram Setu is capable to send jitters down the spines of both the USA and the European Union and may inspire Tamilnadu Chief minister K.Karunanidhi and union central minister T.R.Balu plan to break the new Ram Setus. So, the key message is that this ancient epic from India, through its continuous recitation in all these lands, in multiple languages, in its various versions, has through these centuries become mantra, with all its positive vibrations. Ramayan lets people grasp the difference between right and wrong, and understand the duties of an ideal ruler, mother, father, son etc. from the characters of Ramayana. As we have seen, national boundaries or language barriers or differences in names do not limit the power of the eternal message of this epic. Universally regarded as one of the world's most important literary works, Ramayana has had a profound impact on the art, culture, family relations, gender, politics, nationalism and chivalry in Asian countries. The everlasting value of this epic tale has been extolled through the centuries, and it has helped in molding the Asian character largely. It would therefore be wrong to say that Ramayana belongs only to the Hindus. Ram, Ramayan and Valmiki belong to entire human race and to eternity. It is India beyond borders.
