Ramayana exhibit draws Maryland lawmakers
Annapolis: A one-day exhibition on the Ramayana’s spread across Asia and beyond was held at the Maryland State Assembly Building, drawing state lawmakers, diplomats, and community leaders to the Annapolis complex.
Several Maryland delegates spoke at the event. Delegate Wu Chao, who represents parts of Howard and Montgomery counties, said the exhibition showed how culture connects people across borders and backgrounds.
“It’s a culture that connects people and provides that diversity and really enhances understanding between different backgrounds,” Chao said, noting that such cultural exchanges offer a counterweight to divisions often seen in politics.
Delegate Harry Bhandari reflected on the Ramayana’s moral lessons and their relevance in contemporary society. He described the epic as more than a religious text, calling it a guide to character, sacrifice, and inner peace.
“When we talk about the Ramayana, I think we can reflect on the modern world,” Bhandari said, pointing to its teachings on family values, humility, and the dangers of ego. He added that the stories remain instructive at a time when many societies struggle with social fragmentation and mental well-being.
Delegate Mike Roger, a military veteran who has traveled extensively across Asia, said the exhibition resonated with his own experiences abroad. “You have more things in common than we have differences,” he said, adding that learning about shared traditions helps build mutual respect and makes “the world a better place”.
Diplomatic voices followed, underscoring the Ramayana’s reach beyond India. Aruna Ghising of the Embassy of Nepal said the exhibit reminded her of growing up with televised versions of the epic and discovering its connections across continents.
“I’m very surprised that there are linkages to countries as far as Guyana,” Ghising said. Calling the exhibition “a beautiful celebration,” she said it highlighted the “tapestry of cultural linkages and intertwining amongst so many countries,” and expressed interest in future cooperation.
Organizers said the exhibition was deliberately placed inside the state legislature to reach policymakers and staff who may be unfamiliar with the broader Asian civilizational context of the Ramayana. Utsav Chakrabarti of HinduAction said Maryland’s diversity made it an ideal venue.
“We felt that in the state of Maryland, there is more than 160,000 Hindu community members,” Chakrabarti said, adding that the state is also home to large Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Filipino communities. He said many legislators have limited knowledge of Hindu history in countries where Hindus are no longer a majority, such as Malaysia, Indonesia or the Philippines.
Chakrabarti said the exhibition aimed to educate elected officials about the “civilizational connection that Ramayana brings to people across different faith groups and ethnicities.” He noted that around a dozen delegates and several senators visited during the day-long display, calling the response encouraging.
The exhibition was brought to Maryland by Dr. Vidya Sathiamoorthy, a pathologist and HinduAction volunteer, who said she was inspired after learning that the display had earlier been hosted at the US Capitol and the Ohio State Capitol.
“When I heard that, I said, we need to do it in Maryland,” Sathiamoorthy said, citing the state’s large and diverse diaspora. She described the Ramayana as a historic epic whose moral ideals continue as a “lived experience” across generations and borders.
Sathiamoorthy said the exhibition featured representations from about 11 countries, reflecting a wider reality that the Ramayana is celebrated in more than 16 nations. She emphasised its message of unity, duty, sacrifice and family, particularly for younger members of the diaspora.
