The Ramayana by Sage Valmiki is an ancient Hindu epic -- 24,000 verses spread over seven books -- that holds immense value in the Indian cultural context. Even millennia after its original composition, it has a powerful hold over Indian society. Even today, everyday conversation all over India is peppered with references to characters and events in the Ramayana. The epic's presence is allpervasive. These stories are based on the Ramayana, but they do not constitute a retelling of it.