Wider reach: Dr. Mohamed Rela, Dr. Priya and Sikkil Gurucharan after one of their performances.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Liver transplant surgeon Mohamed Rela oftens finds himself jetting across the world for medical conferences and professional engagements. Amid the whirlwind travels, he devotes time to an unexpected hobby: memorising verses from Kamba Ramayanam. His love for the epic started 12 years ago. “It all happened while listening to Kamban scholars, with one of the most notable being Ilangai Jeyaraj. Gradually, I began memorising the verses during my flights,” Dr. Rela says. His literary interest did not stop there; he admires the works of Thiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar, and others.
“I want people to get interested in Tamil literature,” he says. Over the years, Dr. Rela has delivered Kamba Ramayanam discourses during pre-dinners at medical conferences, at Kamban Kazhagam meetings, and various cultural events.
Committing verses to memory
At a gastroenterology conference in 2015, Dr. Rela had the opportunity to render and explain the verses from Kamba Ramayanam, which led paediatric surgeon Priya Ramachandran to experience the ‘aha’ moment. She found herself drawn even more deeply into her love for Tamil and its epics. “Kamba Ramayanam is an ocean,” Dr. Priya says. She began memorising the verses and started performing on many stages. “I am a student of Kamban, not a scholar,” she says. She is working on a 200-page comparative essay on Kamba Ramayanam. “When you savour something delicious, you want to share it with others. That is how I feel about this epic. It is an emotional powerhouse,” she adds. The surgeon also posts ‘Thinamum Oru Kamban Paadal’ on YouTube, a quick insight into the verses for the fast-paced world. “When I read Kamba Ramayanam after a long day, it gives me the recharge. It is a part of my everyday routine,” she says, adding many metaphors to describe how the epic inspires her. Dr. Priya translated about four verses of Kamba Ramayanam into English for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam last year.
Recently, the doctors, alongside Carnatic musician Sikkil Gurucharan, selected 18 songs from The Vaali story, rendered these pieces, explaining in English with the accompaniment of the Veena and the Mridangam, bringing the epic to a larger audience in Chennai.
A prayer for all
“Kamba Ramayanam is not just about religion. While there is a huge amount of Tamil literature which are religious texts, this speaks a universal language,” Dr. Rela says. “One thing, it tells the story of Rama, but if you go deeper into it, it speaks a language for all. Take ‘Kadavul Vaazhthu’ in Kamba Ramayanam. You will notice that it is a prayer for all,” he explains.
Until recently, the surgeons had only delivered the lectures in Tamil, but the demand for English translation from audiences unfamiliar with the complexities of the Tamil language has prompted them to deliver bilingual lectures. “Tamil literature in particular is propagated more widely now. In the past, only a select few had the opportunity to attend Sabhas or Kamban Kazhagam meeting once a year, but that is not the case any more. A big credit goes to social media, where our live shows reach a much broader audience,” says Dr. Rela. “I believe literature is much more accessible for the younger generation than it ever was,” he adds.
Both Dr. Rela and Dr. Priya Ramachandran will continue to render Kamba Ramayanam and deliver lectures in the coming months. It is time for the literature lovers, epic enthusiasts, and the listeners in the city to mark their calendars!
Published – February 25, 2025 10:54 pm IST