Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday, June 11, said that pregnant women should read from Sundarakandam, the fifth book from the Hindu epic of Ramayana, for the mental well-being and health of babies. Tamilisai, a gynaecologist, made the comment while participating virtually in the launch of ‘Garbha Sanskar Module,’ developed by an organisation called Samvardhinee Nyas at New Delhi, from Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad. Sundarakandam depicts the chronicles of Hanuman.
Samvardhinee Nyas is an organisation linked to Rashtra Sevika Samiti, the women’s wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Speaking at the virtual meet, the Governor said, “Villages have seen mothers reading epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha and other good stories. Particularly, there is a belief in Tamil Nadu that pregnant ladies should read Sundarakandam from Kamba Ramayanam, a Tamil version of Ramayana,” she said. She also claimed that it was a holistic approach to ensure mental and physical well-being of mother and baby. She claimed that this approach would prevent complications in pregnancy.