Hinduism is fast influencing the modern western world in the form of yoga, Bhagwad Gita, vegetarianism, Ayurveda and Sanskrit. In the ancient past too Hinduism influenced pre Greek and pre Roman Etruscan civilization. Wall frescoes and terracotta portraits of 700 BC show scenes from Ramayana. Extensive practice of divination, concepts like God permeates entire universe, cremating the dead, medicine, mathematics, grammar and Aesop tales were due to Hindu influence. Later Etruscans passed on these values to Greek and Roman civilizations and it is no wonder that Greek and Roman languages and later many European languages like German, French, Scandinavian, Slavic languages have rich Sanskrit content. Some make unnecessary comparisons between Greek epic Homer’s Iliad and Indian epic Valmiki Ramayan. The two were written in different times for different civilizations. Ramayan consists of seven books and 24,000 couplets or 48,000 lines and has been translated into many languages. The Iliad relates in 15,693 lines a momentous episode in the Trojan War. From an Indian perspective it is enough to say that while Sita Devi was abducted by Ravana, Homer’s Helen eloped with Trojan prince Paris, thus inviting the Trojan War and the destruction of Troy. While Ram allows the performance of the last rites of the deceased Ravana with full honors, Achilles ties Hector’s corpse by the heels to his chariot and drags it exultantly back to the Greek camp. He drags the body of Hector for twelve days before ending this indignity. Lord Ram returns the kingdom of Ravan back to his virtuous brother Vibhishana but the Greeks burn Troy to destruction. The March of Rama, written in French and produced by Alexis Martin and Daniel Briere, is running to packed audiences in Montreal, Canada in April 2007.
