‘The Exile from Ayodhya’: A journey through the Ramayana at Yale-NUS College

From 26 to 28 October 2023, the Black Box Theatre at Yale-NUS College resonated with excitement as students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered to watch ‘The Exile from Ayodhya’, a short play that interprets the events in the Hindu epic Ramayana, focusing on the period when Lord Rama is exiled from his kingdom.

The Ramayana, one of the world’s most cherished and revered texts, is also a text that Yale-NUS students are familiar with as it is studied as part of the Common Curriculum – a set of interdisciplinary courses which introduces students to multiple modes of thought from global perspectives.

Directed by Yale-NUS Theatre Programme Coordinator Jonathan Vandenberg, the production showcased the impressive talent of Yale-NUS’ Theatre Programme, with a cast including four Yale-NUS students and one alumnus. The production also featured talents from the National University of Singapore (NUS) such as Joshua Garreth Seow.

‘The Exile from Ayodhya’ focused on the pivotal moment in the Ramayana when Lord Rama, accompanied by his devoted wife Sita, embarked on a 14-year exile into the wilderness, following the orders of his father, King Dasaratha. It skillfully dramatised this pivotal episode from the Ramayana while also weaving in elements from ‘The Statue Play’ by the ancient Indian playwright Bhasa.

“At first glance, the text of the play seemed distant to me – it was a world where duty meant life and death, where the fate of the entire world and kingdom were at stake. But as I invested myself in the character of Dasharatha and the story, I was able to glean certain universal and timeless themes of mortality, family, and love. All in all, it felt like seeing the classic tale of the Ramayana through fresh eyes,” said Izzul Irfan (Class of 2024), who played the leading role of King Dasaratha.

Tanisha Verma (Class of 2024) who played the role of Sita, shared, “As a student of theatre, I feel a year is incomplete without taking part in production! It was artistically challenging playing the roles as we were embodying characters that are extremely well-known, and yet we had to portray them uniquely in order to cater to the interests of our audience.” She felt her role helped her grow not only as an actor but also as a person. Tanisha shared that playing the role of the confident, empowered Sita inspired her to bring more of Sita’s traits into her off-stage life.

“Reading a play and seeing it come to life on the stage are two completely different experiences – you really see the emotions and understand the characters more deeply whilst acting, and I think because of reading the Ramayana in Literature and Humanities, I appreciated the experience of acting in it even more,” said Tinotenda Zimhunga (Class of 2024), who played the role of Kaikeyi.

Tinotenda described the challenges of portraying a character who may be seen as the ‘villain’, emphasising the importance of understanding the character’s objectives and motivations rather than caricaturing them. “I think you see the complexities of that world a lot more clearly once you put something up on stage,” she said.

For members of the audience too, engaging with a story they had mainly read was an exciting experience. “It was interesting to see parts of the text we read years ago come to life on the stage. The actors were so talented it was impressive to see a relatively small cast breathe so much life into the set!” said Nageen Rameez (Class of 2024).

Overall, ‘The Exile from Ayodhya’ at Yale-NUS College not only celebrated the rich cultural and literary heritage of the Ramayana but also showcased the vibrant and talented community within the Yale-NUS Theatre Programme and beyond.