Cross Cultural Issues Essay Example for Free

Cross Cultural Issues Essay With hot topics like globalization and cross-cultural opportunities in the Asia Pacific rim, one might think it would be easy to research the implications of cross cultural issues. Rather, what the writer found was a significant discussion all around the periphery but little in-depth analysis. Discussion prevailed on the socio-economic and technological ramifications. Others resources focused on the language issues but little work was intuitively available on the subtleties of cross cultural issues one may encounter. Based on experience working in the Asia Pacific rim for two years as a PMO Manager, and training PM’s in many European countries, I decided that understanding international socio-cultural issues encountered in business is essentially at the heart of the issues companies will encounter in globalizing operations. Therefore, the writer will approach the crosscultural issues from a personalized understanding based on his many months of first hand mistakes in understanding cultural issues encountered in Asia Pacific. I will base my observations of cross-cultural issues on my experiences in working most closely with individuals from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and India. Naturally there are more countries in the Pacific Rim but these mentioned provided the most opportunity for interaction. I want to also acknowledge the contributions of my wife, Helena Shiu Leung Chow Ballow, whom I initially met in Asia. Her wisdom, coaching, and meaningful insights on the many differences between Western and Eastern business and cultural practices were, and remain till this day, illuminating, helpful and daunting. Introduction Clearly we all understand to some degree the impact of cultural issues in communications. If nothing else, we have encountered situations where language was the barrier. But language may be the smallest of the issues when dealing with other cultures. Even when we pull out our Translation Guides or employ translators we may get pass some of the language difficulties. But from the writer’s experience, language is the least of the issues. Ingrained and systemic patterns of cultural behaviours can be so subtle as to completely deny meaningful communications. I found a really good example of just how easily cultural variances can cause communications problems. In this case the issues was â€Å"psychological filtering† of appearance or gesture. I would think is would also be easy for the reader to extrapolate this example into some experiences that may have encountered even in the West. Timofeev (2002), in an article in National Concepts and Globalization, provided the following example: â€Å"The idea or rather the hypothesis that underlies this paper was stimulated by a trivial chat with a friend of mine. Being a linguist by trade, Russian by origin and living in Finland, she is well aware of cross-cultural discrepancies and provided me with a curious example. It was a TV commercial of an international brand of Persil washing powder. Two young ladies were shown sitting in a crowded place, some restaurant or a cafe. One of the ladies notices quite a peculiar manner her friend has chosen to wear her wristwatch. It was placed above the cuff of her blouse. It turned out in a second that the only reason for placing her watch there was to cover some stain that regular detergents failed to deal with. Oh dear, you should use Persil instead! So everything was straight and simple. But before that, when the attentive and thoughtful lady was describing her version of her friends peculiar manner of wearing her watch in Finnish (and I guess that the German, French and English versions were quite similar to that in Finnish), she said: You are such a busy person. You have to wear your watch so that it can always be seen. While in Russian the same lady made quite a different guess: Your watch must be terribly expensive since you wear it so that everyone can notice it. The Russian version, when translated into English, seems to be full of irony; it describes the ladys manner as showing off. It would definitely undermine the main purpose of the ad, which was to provide a friend and those watching the commercial with thoughtful advice about using detergents. (p. 1)† To understand the issues we must start with a framework definition of culture. There are just too many definitions of culture, and even speaking the same language, we might get off tract pretty quickly. So, the writer did some research and decided on the following foundational definition of culture upon which to proceed. This is summarized by Kim (1999): â€Å"As the author himself confesses that there are 160 different definitions of the term culture and picks up the definition of scholar Clyde Kluckhohn. According to him, Culture consists of patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiment in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i. e. historically derived and selected) ideas and attached values. continued  © 2004, 2005 Dennis G. Ballow, Sr. , PMKT, Inc. , All Rights Reserved Globalization and Cross-Cultural Issues in Project Management, page 2 Another scholar, Triandis, presents a psychological perspective to the description. Culture is a subjective perception of the human made part of the environment. And this includes the categorization of social stimuli, associations, beliefs, attitudes, roles, and values individuals share. Culture thus is a melting pot consisting of many things gathered over a period of time in which religion and language play a great role. (p. 228)† Now, with a definition of culture in hand, and a real life example to back up the idea, we will look at some relatively common cultural issues that impact communication, and thus, also have implications for Western corporations working in the Asia Pacific Rim. Cross-Cultural Issues and Implications I will present the materials in a table format such that it may be easier to digest. A simple summary provided by Bhagat et al (2002 provides a good stepping-stone for analysis of the cross-cultural issues: Cross-border transfer of organizational knowledge is most effective in terms of both velocity and viscosity when the type of knowledge (i. . , human, social, or structured) being transferred is simple, explicit, and independent and when such transfers involve similar cultural contexts. In contrast, transfer is least effective when the type of knowledge being transferred is complex, tacit, and systemic and involves dissimilar cultural contexts. (p. 204) Table 1: Cross-cultural Implications – Asian (China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan) and the West Cross-culture Dimension Language Implications Asian Perspective Not that complicated to the Asian. Foreigners should have more respect and learn the language. American Perspective English is the international business language so everyone should use it. Implications It is generally good practice to â€Å"localize† materials when feasible. Local words and expressions sometime just do not properly translate for English and may actually be offensive. A focus on team activities and collaboration vs. individual competitive activities is preferred. Individualism vs. Collectivism Strong Collectivism The Asians depend more on groups or institutions to determine what they should do and emphasize loyalty to the group. They are more likely to cooperate with others to avoid risks and reduce responsibilities. Their value systems appreciate duty to the group and harmony among its members while pursuing personal goals is viewed rather negatively in Asia. The Asian person does not consider contracts as seriously as the Americans. They think there will always be changes and the contracts can be reasonably modified according to changes. Instead, they tend to pay more attention to relationships than contracts. Strong Individualism They rely on their own view to determine what they should do. They tend to work alone and are reluctant to cooperate because their individualism and masculine culture view cooperation in general as a sign of weakness and place a high value on independence and control. Americans place greater importance on contractual safeguards than the Asian. They believe that contracts can ensure that their partners tendencies to focus on individual goals and aspirations do not interfere with their own individual goals and aspirations. Cooperation Nothing is cast in stone for the Asians. Authority is seldom, if ever, challenged. But when encouraged and trust is gained by the instructor, students will interact better, and challenge each other in a negotiative manner as not to create a †save face† problem. This takes much longer that you will ever plan – so take time to let the process work itself through. Asian employees seldom have the chance to really participate in the decision-making process. So activities requiring decisions may well take longer. continued

Dianne Williams Stepps The Filbert Orchard portrays a uniquely Essays

Dianne Williams Stepp's The Filbert Orchard portrays a uniquely haunting experience. Dianne Williams Stepp's "The Filbert Orchard" portrays a uniquely haunting experience. The poem blaintly attempts to draw the reader in through its critical lense and perspective. Stepp's usage of many carefully connected literary devices creates a distinctive tone, effect, and message that exposes the tragedy behind southern ideology and values during the civil war. The success of "The Filbert Orchard" can then be traced to its tight construction and use of historical references portrayed through literary detail. Stepp's choice of both imagery and metaphor comprise the poems strength in terms of its overall effect and message. Stepp utilizes imagery as a means of developing her message about southern ideology. This can be seen at various points in the poem where emotions, sights, sounds, objects, places, and figures are all being used to demonstrate the purposely behind a lost generation. In that they are continuing to fight even though family and friends may be on either sides. The author is thus indirectly questioning the ethical and moral nature of the south portrayed through her obvious literary judgments: "the way they staggered in rows down the hill. In spring they sprouted sparse flags waved them foolishly at the jays." (Stepp, lines 4-7) In this example Stepp vividly uses the description of a tree for representation of the lost generations pride. Their pride in the sense of fighting a war that seems not worth fighting for both because of the scarcity of men and their inescapable death. Stepp also accomplishes her message through metaphorical comparisons, which aid in expressing the south's futility: "A compa... ... of a story. The ending changes that perspective and shifts the major themes of loss and disullisionment towards a more local individual level The close attention given to literary elements ultimately enables "The Filbert Orchard" to achieve an extreme level of insight into the southern identity and culture during the civil war. Through its exploration of southern values translated into a vivid storyline the reader is blown away by its short profound thematic integration. The poem is aided by its progressive literal development from appealing to the general society to the localized individual. The journey becomes compounded with introspection because of its ornate literary devices. PS MS KASTE: Did you choose this poem because of your interest in Faulkner and its relatable themes? What is your connection or fascination with literature about the south?

Education in Pakistan Essay

Education in Pakistan is overseen by the government’s Ministry of Education and the provincial governments, whereas the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and in the financing of research. The article 25-A of Constitution of Pakistan obligates the state to provide free and compulsory quality education to children of the age group 5 to 16 years. â€Å"The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such a manner as may be determined by law†. [3] The education system in Pakistan is generally divided into five levels: primary (grades one through five); middle (grades six through eight); high(grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate or SSC); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary (School) Certificate or HSC); and university programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees. [4] The literacy rate ranges from 87% in Islamabad to 20% in the Kohlu District. [5] Between 2000—2004, Pakistanis in the age group 55–64 had a literacy rate of almost 30%, those aged between 45–54 had a literacy rate of nearly 40%, those between 25–34 had a literacy rate of 50%, and those aged 15–24 had a literacy rate of 60%. [6] Literacy rates vary regionally, particularly by sex. In tribal areas female literacy is 7. 5%. [7]Moreover, English is fast spreading in Pakistan, with 18 million Pakistanis[8] (11% of the population)[8] having a command over the English language, which makes it the 9th Largest English Speaking Nation[9] in the world and the 3rd largest in Asia. [8] On top of that, Pakistan produces about 445,000 university graduates and 10,000 computer science graduates per year. [10] Despite these statistics, Pakistan still has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world. [11] Education Expenditure as Percentage of GDP Public expenditure on education lies on the fringes of 2 percent of GDP. However, the government recently approved the new national education policy, which stipulates that education expenditure will be increased to 7% of GDP,[22] an idea that was first suggested by the Punjab government. [23] Author of an article, which reviews the history of education spending in Pakistan since 1972, argues that this policy target raises a fundamental question: What extraordinary things are going to happen that would enable Pakistan to achieve within six years what it has been unable to lay a hand on in the past six decades? The policy document is blank on this question and does not discuss the assumptions that form the basis of this target. Calculations of the author show that during the past 37 years, the highest public expenditure on education was 2. 80 percent of GDP in 1987-88. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was actually reduced in 16 years and maintained in 5 years between 1972–73 and 2008-09. Thus, out of total 37 years since 1972, public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP either decreased or remained stagnant for 21 years. The author argues if linear trend were maintained since 1972, Pakistan could have touched 4 percent of GDP well before 2015. However, it is unlikely to happen because the levels of spending have had remained significantly unpredictable and unsteady in the past. Given this disappointing trajectory, increasing public expenditure on education to 7 percent of GDP would be nothing less than a miracle but it is not going to be of godly nature. Instead, it is going to be the one of political nature because it has to be â€Å"invented† by those who are at the helm of affairs. The author suggests that little success can be made unless Pakistan adopts an â€Å"unconventional† approach to education. That is to say, education sector should be treated as a special sector by immunizing budgetary allocations for it from fiscal stresses and political and economic instabilities. Allocations for education should not be affected by squeezed fiscal space or surge in military expenditure or debts. At the same time, there is a need to debate others options about how Pakistan can â€Å"invent† the miracle of raising education expenditure to 7 percent of GDP by 2015. [24]

How Faith in God Came to Be - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2706 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/03/22 Category Religion Essay Level High school Tags: Faith Essay Did you like this example? A King named Dashrat ruled, north of the Ganges River, in the city of Ayodhya. He was astute and robust, but still childless. The gods in heaven were greatly agitated by Ravan, the demon King of Lanka. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How Faith in God Came to Be?" essay for you Create order The King turned to Vishnu for aid. King Dasharatha begs to Vishnu, â€Å"Please my lord we need you to incarnate in order to defeat Ravana.† Lord Vishnu knowing the trouble that Ravan has caused, agreed, â€Å"I shall incarnate as one of your sons† Lord Vishnu is the third god to be created in Hinduism and is depicted as having dark blue skin and having four arms. King Dasharatha’s three wives bore four boys: Bharat, Lakshman, Shatrughn, and Ram (in whom Vishnu had incarnated himself). Ram the eldest, of the four princes, was his father’s favorite. Lakshman, since he was a child, was keenly dedicated to his elder brother. He was Ram’s second hand and accomplished all his desires even before they were told. They were trained in all the special arts, as the four princes grew up, and Ram excelled at everything. Janak, one of the king’s advisors, the father of beautiful Sita, was thinking of whom Sita should marry. Janak had announced, â€Å"May the mightiest warrior who can lift this bow can marry my daughter Sita.† (RamRam) Several princes and warriors had tried, almost inconceivably capable to even move it, but when Ram’s chance arrived, his constricted grip snapped the bow in two. Strikingly astonished he gave him his consent to marry his daughter. Dasharath was mind blown, and so the marriage of Ram and Sita was lavishly celebrated. (RamRam) And so Ram lived blissfully with his beloved wife Sita in Ayodhya. Dasharath sensed old age inevitable, so he decided with his advisors to appoint his prized son Ram as King of Ayodhya. (RamRam) When the crippled Queen Kaikeyi had heard of this, she thought to make her own son Bharat to the throne, in place of Ram. The king had gifted her two wishes in the past, when she saved his life, which she had not used yet. Kaikeyi selfishly requests, â€Å" I want Ram banished for seven years and appoint my son Bharat as the King of Ayodhya.† The King was tortured by grief and regret, but when Rama found out, he fragrantly accepted his banishment, so that his father won’t be seen as dishonest and cowardly. (RamaRama) In sorrows, his mother and Lakshman tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted, â€Å"It’s my highest duty to help my father to keep his word.† He informed Sita of his decision, telling her, â€Å"I need you to be kind to Bharat, to live piously and chastely in Ayodhya, and to serve his father and his mothers obediently.† (RamRam) But Sita answered him in an ardent speech on the duties of a woman, enforcing that, â€Å"As a wife, nothing could prevent me from following my husband into exile in the wilderness.† And so, stripped of all the royalty, clothed only in orange silk, the three went off into the wilderness while all of Ayodhya mourned. (RamRam) Bharat the new king, vigorously refuses, that the throne belongs by law to Ram. He vowed that he will stay outside the kingdom stripped of royalty and will rule living in a hut outside the kingdom. Bharat is so devoted to Ram he will live in exile until Ram returns to his righteous position. (RamRam) Meanwhile, Ram, camping in the Chitrakuta hills, is just describing, the beauties of the landscape to Sita. Lakshman spots King Bharat drawing near climbing down from the hill. He throws himself at Ram’s feet and the brothers greet each other. (RamRam) Now Bharat, with tears streaming down his face, reports to Ram the death of his father, and begs him, â€Å" We need you to return and begin your dynasty.† Ram sorely says, â€Å"I could not return to Ayodhya; but that which my father had commanded, I will never depart from my decision to spend seven years in exile.† (RamRam) Ram embraces his weeping brother with an eloquent speech on the inevitability of death, which makes every weep seem unnecessary. (RamRam) Ram gives him his sandals as a symbo l of sovereignty, and Bharat returns to Ayodhya, where Rama’s sandals are solemnly placed on the throne as the representatives of the king. (RamaRama) The exiles had been living in the Dandaka Forest for two years now and the forest hermits living there asked Ram for protection against the demons. Ram promises this protection, and from that time is incessantly engaged in battles against these monsters. The man-eating giant is the first to be killed. This hideous ogre falls in love with Ram and makes amorous proposals to him. Full of rage, she is about to swallow Sita, when Lakshman cuts off her ears and nose. She flees howling to her brother, marches against Rama with 1,000 demons. Ram slays them all with the help of Laksman. (RamRam) The ogre flees to Lanka, a fabulous land beyond the ocean, and incites her frightful brother Ravan to avenge her. At the same time, she describes to him the beauty of Sita in exquisite terms and incites him to gain possession of her and to make her his wife. Propelled by lust and anger, Ravan races off through the air in his golden chariot, across the ocean to where Sita lives. Though Mareecha is a demon, hes trying to live a virtuous life. Ravan threatens Mareech, and Mareech agrees to help abduct Sita. Mareech turns himself into a golden deer and walks near Rams residence. Sita sees the deer and asks Ram to capture it for her as a pet. Ram agrees an d goes to chase the deer, leaving Lakshman to guard Sita. Ram chases the deer for miles before he realizes its a trap. He shoots the deer, but with his dying breath, Mareech impersonates Rama and cries for help from Sita and Lakshana. Sita hears the cry and convinces Lakshman to go help Ram. When Lakshman is gone, Ravan disguises himself as a Brahmin and approaches Sita. Eventually, Ravan is unable to maintain his disguise, and he transforms into his demonic form. Sita cries for help, but Ravan flies away with his golden chariot and carries Sita away. Jatayu, the wise raven, attempts to save Sita, but Ravan chops off his wing. (RamRam) Ram and Lakshman find Jatayu and he relates to them what happened, but dies before he can tell them where Ravan was going with Sita. And the sun itself grew pale, its radiance dimmed, at the sight of Sita being carried away as if lamenting: â€Å"There is no more justice, no truth, no righteousness, no innocence if Ravan steals Sita, the wife of Ram.† (RamRam) But Ravan carried her off across the ocean to Lanka, where he shut her in his harem. Then he conducts her round his palace, shows her all its splendors and describes to her the immeasurable riches and marvels over which the rules. With coaxing words he tried to persuade her to become his wife. But Sita answered indignantly that she would never break faith with Ram by allowing him to embrace her. Enraged, Ravan warned that, if she does not yield herself to him within twelve months, he would enjoy her in another fashion: he would have her cut in pieces by his cooks and he would eat her for breakfast. Then he imprisoned her in a grotto and left her under the strict guard of the ogresses. (RamRam) Meanwhile, Ram and Lakshman returned to find their hut empty. In vain they seek Sita in the forest. In horror, Ram raises a bitter lament, searching vainly in the forest for Sita. He questions the trees, the rivers, the hills, and the animals, but none can give him news of Sita. At last, they find the flowers and ornaments that fell from Sita as she passed; then they come upon the ruins of Ravan’s chariot, his weapons, and the signs of a struggle. Rama fears that Sita has been killed, and in his delirium, he declares his intention of destroying the whole world: He will fill the air with his arrows, stay the wind in its course, annihilate the sun’s rays and envelop the earth in darkness, hurl down the summits of the mountains, dry up the lakes, destroy the ocean, uproot the trees, even destroy the gods themselves if they do not give him back his Sita. At last, Lakshman is able to calm his raving and to continue the search. (RamRam) He hears the lightning rumble to seek help from Sugriv, the monkey. Through their travailing journey through the spring forests, they find Sugriv’s Kingdom. Sugriv is consecrated as king. Among the counselors of Sugriv, Hanuman, the son of the wind-god, and the wisest. Sugriv has the greatest confidence in him and commissions him to find Sita. Accompanied by a army of monkeys, the resourceful Hanuman sets out toward the south. (RamRam) After many adventures, they meet Sampati, a brother of the vulture Jatayus, who tells them, â€Å"I had flown in a race with my brother, and had scorched my wings.† Since then, â€Å"I had been lying helpless in the Vindhya hills, but I have seen Ravan carrying Sita away to Lanka.† He described to them where the Lanka was located, and the monkeys set out for the coast. But when they saw the limitless, billowing sea before them, they despaired of getting across it. (RamRam) After much discussion, it is decided that no one can jump so far as Hanuman can. He then climbs to the top of Mount Mahendra and prepares to leap across the ocean. With a mighty leap, which caused Mahendra Hill to tremble in its depths and terrified all the creatures living on its slopes, the monkey Hanuman rose into the air and flew across the ocean. After a flight of four days, he finally reached Lanka. Fro m a hill, he surveyed the town, which seemed to him impenetrable. He made himself as small as a mouse, and after sunset, crept into the town. He examined the whole city, the palace of Ravan, on which the demon-king used to glide through the air. He also penetrated into Ravan’s harem, where he saw the king reposing in the midst of his beautiful women. After a long search, he, at last, found Sita, wasted by grief, in a tree grove. He makes himself known as a friend and messenger of Ram. (RamRam) She warned him that, â€Å"Ravan has threatened to devour her after two months, and that she will die if Ram does not rescue her before then.† Hanuman assures her that Ram will certainly save her. Then he returns to the hill, flies back across the ocean and recounts everything to the monkeys awaiting him there. Finally, he returns to Ram, bringing him the news and a message from his beloved. Ram praises Hanuman for his success and embraces him, but he despairs of getting across the ocean. Sugriv suggests constructing a bridge to Lanka. Hanuman gives an exact description of Ravan’s palace and its fortification and declares that the best of the monkey-warriors would be able to take it. So Ram commands that the army shall be prepared for the march, and soon the vast army sets out southwards towards the coast. When the news of the approaching army of monkeys had reached Lanka, Ravan summoned his counselors, all great and powerful demons, to a council. Now while all the other relatives and counselors urged Ravan in boasting speeches to fight, Vibhishan, Ravan’s brother, points to unfavorable omens and advises him to return Sita. Ravan is much enraged at this, and accuses him of envy and ill-will; relatives, he says, â€Å"Are always the worst enemies of a king, and hero.† Feeling deeply offended by his brother, Vibhishan renounces him, flies across the ocean with four other demons and allies himself with Ram. On the advice of Vibhishan, Rama appeals to the Ocean-god himself to aid him in crossing th e sea. The latter calls the monkey Nala, the son of the divine master builder Vishvakarman, and instructs him to bridge the ocean. At Ram’s command, the monkeys bring rocks and trees. In a few days, a bridge is built over the ocean, and the whole of the great army passes over to Lanka. Now Ravan’s town is surrounded by the army of monkeys. Ravan gives the command for a general sortie. A battle takes place, also many cases of single combat between the chief heroes of the two fighting armies. Lakshman, Hanuman, and the bear-king Jambavan are the most prominent fellow combatants of Ram. While on Ravan’s side, his son Indrajit is the most conspicuous. The latter is versed in all magic arts and knows how to make himself invisible at moment. The battle horn blows and the war begins. Indrajit inflicts dangerous wounds on Ram and Lakshman. But in the night, on the advice of the bear-king Jambavan, the monkey Hanuman flies to Mount Kailasa, in order to fetch four particularly po werful healing herbs. As these herbs are concealed, the monkey simply takes the whole mountain-peak with him and carries it to the battle-field, where, through the fragrance of the healing herbs, Ram, Lakshman and all the wounded are immediately healed. Then Hanuman puts the mountain back into its place. On another occasion, Indrajit, versed in magic, comes out of the city carrying, on his war-chariot a magically produced image of Sita, which he ill-treats and beheads before the eyes of Hanuman, Lakshman, and the monkeys. Horrified, Hanuman reports to Rama that Sita is killed; Rama falls into a swoon. Lakshman breaks into lamentations and utters a blasphemous speech with bitter complaints against a fate that has no regard to virtue but be is soon enlightened by Vibhishan that the whole affair is only a delusion produced by Indrajit. Finally, Indrajit is killed by Lakshmana after a violent duel. Furious at the death of his son, Ravan himself now appears on the field of battle. A dreadful duel between Ram a nd Ravan takes place, continuing day and night. The gods themselves come to Ram’s aid, especially Indra with his chariot and his projectiles strikes aggressively. But every time Rama strikes off one of Ravana’s heads, a new head grows again. At last, Vibishan tells him Ravan’s weak spot, he succeeds in piercing Ravana’s belly button with a weapon created by the god Brahma himself. There is great rejoicing in the army of the monkeys, and wild flight of the demons. Vibhishana is installed as King of the Lanka by Rama. Only now does Rama send for Sita, and proclaim to her the joyous news of the victory — but then, in the presence of all the monkeys and gods, he rejects her. He doubts that Sita had grown over the years to love Ravan. Then Sita raises a bitter complaint against Ram’s unjust suspicions and asks Lakshman to erect a pyre: for now nothing remained for her but to enter the fire. Ram gives his consent, the pyre is erected and lighted, and Sita, invoking Agni, the fire god, as a witne ss of her innocence, rushes into the flames. Then Agni arises out of the burning pyre with the uninjured Sita and delivers her to Ram, assuring him, in a solemn speech, that she has always kept her faith with him, and even in the palace of the demons remained pure and innocent. Thereupon Ram declares that he himself had never had any doubts concerning Sita’s innocence, but that it was necessary to prove it before the eyes of the people. Now Ram and his people, accompanied by Hanuman and the monkeys, return to Ayodhya, where they are received with open arms by Bharat, Shatrughna, and the mothers. They enter amidst the rejoicing of the populace. Rama is consecrated as king and rules contently and for the welfare of his subject for many years.