Sita appears in the Ramayana as the embodiment of nature: Sita is sprung from the earth and returns to the earth (most naturally, just like a plant) while a major part of her life is spent living the spontaneous life of the forest 2. Kat – When I first saw your comment come through, I didn’t recognize her name but, then, some weeks later, I came across another recommendation of her work, so found your comment resonating even more strongly when I reread your comment today I’ve added The Watch to my list…thanks!Īthira – It is enraging to be sure! I’ll be very interested to hear what you think, if you can find a copy of this one (I hope so!) because you have the context for the story that I was longing to have as a reader.I would try to understand the personality of Sita in this paper, as she lived and conducted herself in the remote past, on her own terms, by her own rules 2.
I think I would have had/expressed a clearer emotional response if I hadn’t felt that I was reading it as much to learn as to feel the story. But I enjoyed Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad on first reading, without having read The Odyssey too. (And, yes, new theme!)ĭo you enjoy retellings like this one? Any favourites? Buried In Print T15:23:42-04:00Īarti – I did enjoy it, but I was also quite aware throughout my reading of it that I had no context for it, so it felt kinda like stepping into the ocean when you have been swimming in chlorinated pools your entire life: still enjoyable, but a bit disorienting at the same time. This is another example of a work that I wouldn’t have stumbled upon were I not browsing in House of Anansi’s catalogue not having read the original text, I have a somewhat limited appreciation of what Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar have produced. And rather than divide the world up into good and bad, right and wrong, Sita’s vision encompasses all those who suffer, endure and ultimately bear the consequences of what kings and wars do - and this includes not only women, children and ordinary people, but also animals and birds.” “Her sense of what has befallen her renders her open to what other women endure. She is capable of recognizing honour in her “enemy” and betrayal in her “ally”, ultimately condemning the act of war itself. (There is also, apparently, more magic in this version of events than in the original.)Īnd one other remarkable aspect of this retelling is that Sita takes a position of feeling remorse for all of the losses in the war which results, following the chain of events after her abduction she feels compassion even for those who are on the “other side” of the conflict. There are also two other female characters who are introduced into the chain of events in Sita’s Ramayana, who do not appear in the original story. Kept alive by folk songs and memories, this tradition continues to leaven the epic world of heroes and war and the virtues of nurture, compassion and tolerance.” “ Sita’s Ramayana belongs then to a distinctive female narrative tradition. Even when she is not present for events, she recounts them as she believes them to have happened. What is unusual about this work, however, is affording Sita not only a voice, but a primary position in the narrative.
Tradition and innovation conspire to produce something familiar and fresh. She, his wife, does not have a voice in that version. It is not, however, unusual for there to be other versions of the story different regions do put their own spin on thing, imbuing them with local custom and culture.Īnd it’s not a new idea to afford Sita a more prominent role the publisher draws attention to the Chandrabati Ramayana, Bengal’s version of the legendary tale, for Chandrabati was one of the few female re-tellers and she, too, focussed on Sita rather than her husband.Ĭhandrabati’s version dates to the 16th century Samhita Arni’s was published last year and was produced to mesh with Moyna Chitrakar’s artwork. The original Sanskrit text is attributed to the poet Valmiki, and it is comprised of 24,000 verses which tell the story of Rama, whose wife was kidnapped.
House of Anansi, 2011 Artwork by Moyna Chitrakar