I don't find it surprising that the Ramayana is interpreted and presented with differing details, storylines, and messages. It reminds me of the gospels in the Bible. They have stories that are the same and yet they have key features that differ and can sometimes shift the meaning of the text.
The occurrence of different endings such as those mentioned by Ramanujan of where "one ends with the return of Rama and Sita to Ayodhya... to be crowned king and queen of the ideal kingdom" or the other one about "Rama hears Sita slandered as a woman who lived in Rabana's grove and in the name of his reputation... he banishes her" can be heard in the discussion among the narrators in Sita Sings the Blues (39). The narrators are telling each other about how they have heard the narrative growing up.
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