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The largest democracy has given its verdict, and social media has been a favourite platform for ideologies to have mock fights online. Interestingly, a mythological character keeps popping up in serious debates every time the country goes to election. With Ram Navami falling within the seven phased general elections’ period this year, it was evident to have posts and counter posts that refer to Rama of Ramayana.

Amidst this hullaballoo one just got intrigued by the value of Ramayana as a piece of content, bereft of any political and religious ideological representation. In an era where content marketing reigns supreme for brands to help them establish a share of consumer mind space, what works for this epic saga to be in currency for such a long time?

The story of Ramayana is broadly known to people of the Indian subcontinent. It is the story of Rama, a crown prince, compelled to go on exile to fulfil his father’s commitment. In the process, his wife is kidnapped by demon king Ravana, who he fights with the help of an army of monkeys, with special assistance from Hanuman.

In spite of being one of the earliest epics in the world, what is truly fascinating is the way the nurturers of this brand story marketed its content in an era that was punctuated by long travel between various cultural dwellings. The spread of the Ramayana and its way of sparking cultural adoption far and wide is a great example for curating content in a digitally connected world, even today. Virality is based on a content cutting across a large audience, and an analysis of the Ramayana offers some clear ‘C.U.T-through’ principles for the same.