Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana. Story: "Sugreeva's Story" (Again, the link is for web research of the story, I am reading from a paper book)
Notes: When reading this story, I was mostly struck by the tragedy of it. The brothers Sugreeva and Vali could have had such a chance to form a strong bond, considering that they have both undergone largely similar experiences (both being "illegitimate" sons and being both cast out and cursed by Sage Gautama), and therefore might be truly the only people in the world who could understand one another. However, as is so often the case for people who have undergone traumatic experiences in early childhood, the cycle of abuse continues (in this story, it might be more accurate to say- the "cycle of tragedy")
I also thought that this story cloud be easily modified to make some pretty poignant commentary on the horrors of war when veterans return home. It sounds like the two brothers actually started out by having a relatively functional relationship (the Narayan story does not really describe it, but they were at least both inhabiting the same kingdom). Vali's experiences could be modernized and related to time spent at war. The part in which he is presumed dead would not have to be changed much, but I think it would be interesting to spend most of the story dealing with the interactions that Sugreeva and Vali have after he returns. I don't know if this is merely a consequence of the severe abbreviation of the Narayan version, but I thought that a lot of the strife would have been avoided with better attempts at communication. Why couldn't Sugreeva have written Vali a letter explaining what happened once they had been separated? However, if Vali is suffering from PTSD that causes him to not trust anything that Sugreeva says (bringing the battleground and struggle for power/survival home with him) this would provide, at least to me, a better argument as to the falling out for the two brothers and also a better understanding of why Sugreeva might feel that he has no choice but to have Vali killed (though, I have to admit, I can't really think of any fundamentally good reason to commit fratricide...).
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