While some people used the lockdown period to enhance their cooking skills and creativity, a 10-yer-old boy from Bhubaneswar decided to spend his time by rewriting the Ramayana in Odia. He chose to do this after watching the television series on the same, which was being telecasted during the Covid-19 lockdown. Ayush Kumar Khuntia has named the epic "Pilaka Ramayana", which translates to Ramayana for children.
The book by him is of 104 pages and is written in his mother tongue Odia. While speaking about the same with a news agency ANI, Ayush said that he was asked to watch Ramayana episodes telecasted on television by his uncle and then he had to write something on it during the lockdown in the month of March.
He watched the series on the DD channel and started writing each episode in Odia in his notebook. Speaking on how much time it took for him to complete the book, Ayush said that he completed it in the time period of two months.
Explaining the content written or mentioned by him in the book, Ayush said that he has written several golden moments including vanvas, where Lord Ram had to leave his home for 14 years in exile, and the abduction of Devi Sita by Ravana from Panchavati forest. He has even explained how Lord Ram was welcomed after 14 years of exile by the people of Ayodhya.
Because of the pandemic, as the learning module has shifted online with teachers and children meeting virtually for classes, Ayush feels it has led to loss of the quality of the education provided, as it has compromised the
regular way of teaching. He believes students need to stay in touch with writing, especially in such times.
Ramayana is traditionally ascribed to Maharishi Valmiki and narrates the life of Rama, a legendary prince of Ayodhya city in the kingdom of Kosala.