Indian Culture and Knowledge

Valmiki is traditionally credited as the author of the Ramayana, one of Hinduism's two major epics. He composed the Sanskrit epic narrating the life and adventures of Rama. The other options - Surdas (devotional poet), Kalidasa (Sanskrit playwright), and Vedvyasa (Mahabharata compiler) - authored different important works.

According to Hindu tradition, Lord Rama was born during the Treta Yuga, the second of the four Yugas in the cosmic cycle. The Yugas are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga in that order. Rama's story is central to events of the Treta Yuga.

Rama belonged to the Ikshvaku dynasty, also known as the Suryavamsha (Solar Dynasty). The Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by King Ikshvaku and Rama was a descendant in this line. The term 'Suryavamsha' refers to the same dynasty, emphasizing descent from Surya (the sun god).

In Hindu tradition, Hanuman's guru was Suryadeva (the Sun God). Hanuman received his education from Surya and learned all the scriptures. As partial payment for his teachings, Hanuman offered to serve Surya's son, Sugriva. This mentorship is well-established in Hindu texts.

According to Ramayana, Ravana had stored the nectar of immortality (amrit) in his navel/belly button. This is why Lakshmana was advised to aim at Ravana's navel to kill him - the spot where the amrit was stored was his only vulnerability. Brahma had granted him immortality as long as the amrit remained in his navel.

Angad was sent as Rama's messenger (doot) to Ravana's court in Lanka. Rama wanted to make one final peace effort by asking Ravana to return Sita and seek forgiveness. Angad, son of Vali and prince of Kishkindha, bravely placed his foot on Ravana's throne and challenged him to move it, demonstrating Rama's strength.

Sampati and Jatayu were brothers, both sons of Aruna and Shyeni. Sampati was the elder brother who lost his wings while protecting Jatayu from the sun's heat. After Jatayu's death trying to save Sita, Sampati helped the vanara search party locate Sita in Lanka.

After Hanuman destroyed Ashok Vatika and killed many rakshasas, Indrajit captured him using the Brahmastra - a divine weapon given by Brahma that could not be escaped. Even Hanuman had to respect this weapon and allowed himself to be bound, which led to his meeting with Ravana.

Sita was also called Janaki because she was the daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. The name 'Janaki' literally means 'daughter of Janaka'. This is one of Sita's most common epithets in Ramayana, used to address her respectfully throughout the epic.

The Ramayana is traditionally divided into 7 Kandas (books/chapters): Bala Kanda (childhood), Ayodhya Kanda (court intrigues), Aranya Kanda (forest exile), Kishkindha Kanda (vanara alliance), Sundara Kanda (Hanuman's journey), Yuddha Kanda (war), and Uttara Kanda (later events). Some scholars consider Uttara Kanda as a later addition, but traditionally there are 7.

Sugreeva's wife was Roma (also called Rama in some versions of the Ramayana). When Vali drove Sugreeva out of Kishkindha, he also took Sugreeva's wife Roma. After Vali's death, Sugreeva was reinstated as king and regained his wife. Tara was Vali's wife, not Sugreeva's.

Indrajit, Ravana's son, was also called Meghanada. He earned this name (which means 'one who roars like clouds') after defeating Indra, the king of gods. Indrajit means 'conqueror of Indra' - both names refer to the same powerful warrior who was Lakshmana's equal in battle.

All four listed Indians have won Academy Awards: Bhanu Atheya (Best Costume Design, Gandhi, 1982), A. R. Rahman (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, Slumdog Millionaire, 2008), Satyajit Ray (Honorary Academy Award, 1991), and Resul Pookutty (Best Sound Mixing, Slumdog Millionaire, 2008). Madhubala was a legendary Indian actress but was never nominated for or won an Oscar.

Sehwag maintained an exceptional strike rate of around 82 in Test cricket, which is among the highest for batsmen with substantial career runs. His aggressive opening style consistently put pressure on bowlers, unlike more conservative approaches. Gilchrist had a high strike rate but as a wicket-keeper batsman, his volume of innings was typically lower. Hayden and Gayle were aggressive but didn't sustain Sehwag's career-long strike rate over as many matches.