Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Penned by Samhita Arni and illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar, Sita’s Ramayana, retells the epic from a subtle yet deep ‘feminine’ perspective.
A graphic novel written by Samhita Arni and illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar, Sita’s Ramayana retells the epic from a deeply ‘feminine’ perspective.
Review by Aparna.V.Singh
When I received my copy of Sita’s Ramayana, a graphic novel from Tara Books, five minutes of reading was all it took for me to experience a visceral sense of delight. There are books that appeal to you at an intellectual level, and there are books that do that, but also utterly captivate you with a certain something that is difficult to explain to a second person. Sita’s Ramayana is one such book and the reason I am mentioning this is that no one should mistake this piece for an objective review! It is the work of an unabashed fan who was touched to the core of her heart.
Sita’s Ramayana follows in the Indian tradition of innumerable retellings of the Ramayana, be it by accomplished poets or grandmothers at a child’s bedside, with each retelling drawing colour from the imaginings of the storyteller and the regional culture they belonged to. More specifically, as the publishers inform us at the end of the novel, it follows in the tradition of female retellings of the Ramayana, which have brought unique perspectives to the story, and looked beyond the themes of male heroism and honour.
This novel is a collaborative effort with text by Samhita Arni and art by Patua artist, Moyna Chitrakar. Patua art involves a form of storytelling through panels shared with an audience along with music, and this format has been adapted to the telling of the Ramayana – in Sita’s words. The panels in this graphic novel manage to make palaces, jungles, hills and even the ocean come alive with just a few artful lines suggesting the background and the use of vivid, primary colours. Unlike the “pan-Indian” characters that many of us have grown up with thanks to Amar Chitra Katha, the human figures here have a distinct regional character in their looks, clothing and ornaments. Being Sita’s telling of the Ramayana story, at the heart of the novel is of course the episode that has always deeply troubled many lovers and devotees of the epic, namely, the unjust banishment of Sita in response to doubts on her chastity. Despite this focus, Sita’s Ramayana is not a feminist novel in the sense that one would expect. What deeply touched me was that the Sita of this story feels injustice not only in the treatment meted out to her. This is the story of a woman whose sense of righteousness is accompanied by an equally strong sense of compassion. Even as she despairs in the Ashoka grove and waits anxiously for her captivity to end, this is a Sita who can empathize with the suffering of others, including the Rakshasis who must lose their men in the war. In this compassion and empathy, ultimately, she emerges as a stronger character than Rama, an unhappy man torn between love for his wife and a sense of duty towards his subjects.
Sita’s Ramayana is not a feminist novel in the sense that it does not explicitly pronounce judgment on the banishment of Sita. Yet, it is a deeply feminist novel if one agrees that heroism is not restricted to the conventionally male values of anger or bravery on the battlefield. It celebrates other, ‘feminine’ virtues such as sisterhood, justice, dignity, patience and solidarity with all beings.
If being able to live with one’s choices is a worthy goal, the heroine of Sita’s Ramayana is indeed deeply heroic. Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar deserve much credit for helping us reimagine a heroic Sita far from the ‘damsel in distress’ of popular imagination.
Publishers: Tara Books
If you’re planning to purchase Sita’s Ramayana, do consider buying it through this Women’s Web affiliate link at Flipkart. We get a small share of the proceeds – every little bit will help us continue bringing you the content you like!
Readers outside India can purchase Sita’s Ramayana through our affiliate link at Amazon.
Founder & Chief Editor of Women's Web, Aparna believes in the power of ideas and conversations to create change. She has been writing since she was ten. In another life, she used to be read more...
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
Please enter your email address