Tamil lyricist and poet Vairamuthu has ignited a controversy with remarks about Lord Ram while accepting an award named after the medieval Tamil poet Kambar, the author of the Kamba Ramayanam, the Tamil retelling of the Ramayana. Drawing from a scene in the epic, Vairamuthu referred to a dialogue by the character Vaali, who questions Ram’s actions and contrasts his decisions as a king with those made during his exile.
In Kambar’s narrative, Vaali points out that Ram willingly gave up his kingdom for his brother, yet in the forest, he handed Vaali’s own kingdom to Vaali’s brother. Vaali then speculates that Ram’s behavior could be explained by the fact that he had “lost his mind” after losing Sita.
Interpreting this verse, Vairamuthu said that according to this depiction, “Losing Sita, Raman has lost his mind,” and compared it to the legal provision under Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code, which states that a person of unsound mind is not criminally liable for acts committed in that state. He humorously remarked that while Kambar could not have known the IPC, he understood human nature and society well.
Vairamuthu further elaborated that, in this interpretation, Ram became “an accused who was acquitted,” returning to his human essence, while Kambar, through his literary creation, “became God.” His comments, however, have provoked strong reactions from various quarters, with critics accusing him of disrespecting a revered figure in Hindu tradition.
