Meet Indonesian Padma Awardee whose art is based on Ramayana & Mahabharata

India has conferred Padma Award to Indonesia's Dr I. Wayan Dibia for art related to Ramayana and Mahabharata. He has created more than 150 new works on dance and dance dramas, mostly exploring both the Hindu Epics. Indian culture has impacted Bali since 5th century and 9 different art forms in the province utilizing the epics. Speaking to WION's diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he said,"people of Bali are very familiar with Mahabharata and Ramayana. The people Java too. Java Bali are areas where Ramayana and Mahabharata are very important. That is the literature we use in my performing arts..To Bali people it's not just literature, it is Itihas, story of Gods, the journey of Gods, the philosophical way of life ".