A Myth of Two Souls – T03 – Exile

Exile is the third part of Vasantha Yogananthan’s ongoing project,A Myth of Two Souls, which proposes a contemporary re-reading of the Ramayana. The Ramayana, an epic of 7 chapters attributed to the poet Valmiki, is one of the fundamental texts of Hindu mythology, composed over two thousand years ago.

After the marriage of Rama and Sita, the two heroes celebrated in the second chapter, this third book tells of their exile. Following a family intrigue, Rama is banished from the kingdom, thus forced to live fourteen years on the road accompanied by Sita and her brother Lakshmana. The writing of the third chapter of this epic – constantly reinterpreted through the ages – has been entrusted to the writer Arshia Sattar.

S’inspirant de l’imagerie associée du Ramayana et de son omniprésence dans la vie quotidienne des Indiens, le projet de sept livres intitulé Drawing on the imagery associated with the Ramayana and its pervasiveness in everyday Indian life, the seven-book project, A Myth of Two Souls, blends everyday life with staged images using a wide range of techniques, including color photography, hand-painted photography, and collages. Over the course of seven years, Yogananthan completed his own epic journey, making thirteen trips to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka to finishA Myth of Two Souls. The first six chapters of the project, Early Times, The Promise, Exile, Dandaka, Howling Winds, and Afterlifewere published between 2016 and 2020. The final chapter,Amma, is now also available.