Amnesia of the Ramrajya proponents

The mention of Ramrajya invokes a lot of nostalgia among many Hindus, devout or otherwise. Apart from Hoi polloi and Hindu fringe, this idea of a benevolent and Utopian rule had also seized the fancy of MK Gandhi, who largely popularized this term and idea.

Under the heightened religious awareness promoted by Hindu political parties, the fantasy of Ramrajya is seeing a revival time and again.

Since Ramrajya is supposed to have its roots in the Ramayana, let us refresh the memories of  Ramrajya supporters of its track record in the epic itself and see how this Rajya and its Raja have acquited themselves.

Was it not in this same Ramrajya that Rama banished a pregnant Sita, his own wife and queen to the forest to fend for herself? That too on rumors that some citizens of his kingdom were indulging in gossips about Sita's chastity. Rama committed this inhuman act, when Sita has supposedly proved her chastity in Lanka with the 'Agni Pariksha'. Is Ramrajya then at the mercy of gossiping and rumor mongering subjects or citizens?

There are very few instances in the Ramayana where Rama's sense of fairness, justice and humanism are really tested like in

1. Killing of Vaali in his duel with Sugriva
2. Killing of Shambuka (a Shudra ascetic) after Rama returns from exile and victory
3. Suspecting Sita's fidelty and chastity and subjecting her to the trial by fire in Lanka
4. While accepting his own sons, yet again subjecting Sita to the test of chastity

Like it is said 'These are times that test the souls of great men'.But for the first instance above Rama was not in any adversity or in the horns of a dilemma.  Yet Rama, who is deified as a super-diety has always miserably failed the tests.

So Rama far from having any super-human or divine qualities, does not even possess basic human values and decencies. One is then apt to wonder what is basis for regarding Rama as a paragon of virtue.

Scriptures and religious texts are bound to glorify Rama, as he was seen as the upholder of mediaval and barbaric Vedic Dharma. But this Vedic Dharma is antagonistic and runs counter to the spirit of our modern Dharma of liberty, justice and fraternity.

Hence the cheerleaders of Ramrajya should be careful about what they wish for. One should not be surprised if in the Hindutva version of Ramrajya or its Islamic variant, free thinkers and critics are banished to the forests or worse impaled on a trishul or burnt at the stake inspired by the Vedic Altar.