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������̳ Teach > School Radio > Assemblies and Collective Worship
KS1 audio: Something to Think About / KS2 audio: Together

Programme content:

Story: Rama and Sita by Rachel Boxer
Song: Come and Praise, no. 114: ‘Flickering candles in the night’
Voxpops/Feature: Children talk about the festival of Diwali and how it is celebrated
Reflection: on the triumph of good over evil, standing up for what you think is right, and also the significance of light in many festivals

Pre-programme questions:

• What is a ‘festival’ - can you think of any festivals that you enjoy? What happens at them and what do you like best about them?
• What does Diwali mean to you? Do you celebrate the festival? Do you know people who do and what do you see around you at Diwali time?
• Have you ever heard of the story of Rama and Sita? What do you know about it?

Story synopsis:

The king of Ayodhya had four sons by three different wives and the eldest, Rama, is married to a beautiful princess, called Sita. The king decides to hand the throne to Rama … but his wife, who is the mother of the youngest son, Bharat, has other plans. She had once saved the king’s life and, as a reward, the king had granted her any wish.

She now uses that wish to insist that Bharat is made king and that Rama and Sita are sent away for 14 years. The king reluctantly agrees and Rama and Sita, together with another brother, Lakshman, are banished to the forest. After they have been living there peacefully for some time, Sita is abducted by the demon king - Ravana - and imprisoned on his island kingdom of Lanka.

When Rama realises what has happened he goes in search of Sita. He is helped by Hanuman, the monkey-king, and after many years of searching they find the island where Sita is imprisoned. There is a fierce battle in which Rama kills Ravana and rescues Sita. Their 14 year exile is now over and they return home to great rejoicing. In celebration the people of Ayodhya decorate their houses with garlands of flowers and light small lamps in their windows to guide Rama and Sita home.

After the story:

• Why did the king of Ayodhya send Rama and away?
• Can you describe Ravana, the demon king? How did he trick Sita?
• How did Rama find Sita and who helped him?
• How did Rama get on to Ravana’s island and how did he rescue her?
• How did the people of Ayodhya celebrate Rama and Sita’s return home?

Follow-up activities:

• Choose one moment or scene from the story of Rama and Sita and make a picture of it. First think about the best way (medium) to show your scene. If it is one featuring Sita’s jewels you might like to make it out of shiny and glittery things. Or you might depict a battle scene using cut-out black figures on a bright background. You could arrange things so that different people or groups tell their own part of the story and then put them all together to create a display showing the whole tale.
• Diwali is a time for looking forward and hoping for good times and health for friends and family. Can you create a greeting card for Diwali or any festival? You’ll need to design the outside and the inside and think about the words as well as the pictures. You could design on paper or on a computer.