Ramacaritamanas (Ramacaritamanasa) in South Africa: Tulsidas Ramayana

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From the Jacket:

Gosvami Tulsidasa's Ramacaritamanasa projected the message of Ramabhakti and ideas of Ramarajya to the world through the forceful medium of Awadhi. Three hundred years following its composition, the Ramacaritamanasa was carried to all parts of the world by indentured labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. From 1860 to 1911, many thousands of these labourers arrived in South Africa with their copies of Ramacaritamanasa as their pillar of Faith.

This book details the role of the Ramacaritamanasa in the lives of the Hindi-Speaking indentured labourers and their progency in South Africa: and their perceptions of Sri Rama and the Ramacaritamanasa. It emerges that the Ramacaritamanasa continues to fulfil Tulsidasa's aim of inculcating selfless devotion to Sri Rama as the Supreme. The social and political message of Tulsidasa also had gained tremendous acclaim.

The South African Hindus of Hindi-Speaking origin cherish the Ramacaritamanasa as scripture, and delve deep into the lake of Sri Rama's Act to gain solace and guidance. Its role as an agent of religio-cultural continuity amongst Hindi-Speaking Hindus Clearly indicates its importance in the year to come.

About the Author:

Usha Shukla was born and educated in Natal, South Africa. Her nurture in a culturally family and environment led her to study Hindi as one of her major subjects at the University of Durban Westville, South Africa. She soon joined the former Department of Indian Languages as Lecturer in Hindi; and obtained the M.A. and D. Lit. degrees in Hindi Literature.

Shukla's research into the Ramacaritamanasa in South Africa and the Hindi Diaspora opened many vistas of research and contact with Indians of indentured origin. This created greater enthusiasm for the propagation of Hindi; and in her academic and community -based work in this field, she has been hailed as one of the most successful teachers of Hindi in South Africa.

Her inspiring lectures and public addresses have done much to create new interest in the cultural sphere amongst Hindus in South Africa. She continues in her research and teaching programmes as Senior Lecturer in the School of Languages and Literature at the University of Durban Westville.