Sitas Ramayana: A Feminist Retelling

As if it wasnt enough to take The Ramayana and present it in images, this volume retells the
ancient epic through the eyes of a woman. This is Sitas Ramayana.

House of Anansi, 2011 Artwork by Moyna Chitrakar

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.

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.

And its not a new idea to afford Sita a more prominent role; the publisher draws attention to the
Chandrabati Ramayana, Bengals 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.

Chandrabatis version dates to the 16th century; Samhita Arnis was published last year and was
produced to mesh with Moyna Chitrakars artwork. Tradition and innovation conspire to
produce something familiar and fresh.

What is unusual about this work, however, is affording Sita not only a voice, but a primary position
in the narrative. Even when she is not present for events, she recounts them as she believes them
to have happened.

Sitas Ramayana belongs then to a distinctive female narrative tradition. 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.

There are also two other female characters who are introduced into the chain of events in Sitas
Ramayana, who do not appear in the original story. (There is also, apparently, more magic in this
version of events than in the original.)

And 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.

She is capable of recognizing honour in her enemy and betrayal in her ally, ultimately
condemning the act of war itself.

Her sense of what has befallen her renders her open to what other women endure. And rather
than divide the world up into good and bad, right and wrong, Sitas 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.

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