Ramayana is one of the greatest Hindu epics that hold great religious significance. Amma says, “Ramayana is a story which shows us how leading the path of dharma, love and humility could eventually help us in attaining victory; reciting Ramayana improves our mindset and of the ones around us by instilling positive vibrations and good values”. Ramayana Masam, also known as Karkidaka Masam is observed in the Malayalam month Karkidakam (July – August) in Kerala. The famous Malayalam Version of the Ramayana titled Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu written by Thunchath Ezhuthachan is the one recited in the month. After lighting the evening lamp, people sit before nilavilakku (traditional Kerala lamp) and recite the Adhyatma Ramayanam. The recitation starts from the first day of the Karkidakam Masam and continues till the last day.
As a part of Ramayana Masa celebrations, An Indian Tale Box in sponsorship with Kavade ToyHive conducted “Rama: The Seventh Avatar – A Ramayana Online Festival for Kids”. A strong mindset with the right values, a sense of discrimination of right and wrong and an attitude of acceptance is what needs to be cultivated in the young minds of the upcoming generation. This online festival was a successful endeavour aimed towards the achievement of this goal. It was an international competition which spanned for an entire month with 3300 participants from around the world taking part in it. The participants from India included kids from over 10 states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi. As for the international participants, numerous kids from Dubai, Bahrain and South Africa took part in this online festival. The competition was held from July 17th to August 17th 2022 for kids in the age groups of 6-13 years old. It was organized in two categories – Junior category for the age group 6-9 years and Senior category for the age group of 10-13 years old.
For the Junior category, a story telling competition, a drawing competition and Ramayana quiz were convened. For the Senior category, the competitions carried out were Recitation, Drawing and Ramayana Quiz. All the competitions were held in online mode. For the Ramayana quiz, there were 5 rounds, in which the final round was a live event. The winners for the various competitions held are:
Junior Category
Senior Category
The winners were awarded certificates, cash prizes and gifts sponsored by Kavade ToyHive. Furthermore, all the participants were given participation certificates.
