Sita: A Neoteric Damsel in Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments
S. Nithya Devi
Assistant Professor of English
Dr. N. G. P. Arts and Science College
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract:
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1956- ) is an Indian American author, poet,
novelist, short story writer, children’s fiction writer, book reviewer and
columnist. Divakaruni is a co-founder
and former president of Maitri, a helpline founded in 1991 for South Asian
women dealing with domestic abuse. Indian Mythology represents diverse
varieties of woman characters mostly revered and idolized amidst them Sita is
an influential character known for her courage, wisdom and chastity. From various writers of Ramayana, it is
evident that Sita is known for both physical and mental excellence and also a
weak and mute sufferer. The paper highlights Sita as the main protagonist, a
warrior who is shaped to be a powerful fighter from the state of a delicate
woman in The Forest of Enchantments (2019).
The mind of people is broken to see women in manly attitude. Women are said to
be mentally affected in many ways and they are always subdued, but this work
depicts a paradigm demonstrates how and when a woman should raise her voice
against male chauvinistic attitude. It
shows the endorsement of woman’s authority by shedding their vulnerability and
also generates an inspirational model to the status of a woman in modern world.
Keywords: Feminist ideology; Inspirational;
Paradigm; Self- discovery; Unsung narrative
Literature is the reflection of life; it essentially means works of
prose and poetry that are particularly composed elegantly. Literature is a
group of written works. It classifies
according to the national origin, language, genre, historical era and subject.
Fiction is a literary narrative based on invented events, which has not taken
place in actual life. The unreal
imaginary happening is called as fiction in general. In a specific sense,
fiction stands for only narrative that is written in prose such as novel, short
story; sometimes fiction is used as a synonym for novel. Most of the philosophers and literary critics
focus themselves to the literary utterances which constitute a fictional
text. They are concerned with the truth
value of literary utterances.
Every writing in culture is loaded with the
legend and fables that characterize their presence. Myth encourages individuals
to comprehend their traditions and convention. The western desire is to great
extent subsidiaries of the Greek and Roman folklores. In India, the greatest
epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, and stories from Vedas, Upanishads, etc
are familiar with every part of life from the early ages. The subject is people
do not understand them completely. It offers specific viewpoints of the
narrative that suits to the distinctive circumstances and does not offer the
opposite side which nullifies completely.
Presently, retelling of the folklores offers
a new assumption of the women personalities of these myths. Mythopoeia
(retelling of fantasies) is collecting immense consideration in the recent
literary situation. Sita is considered to be Valmiki's women's activist and
soft hearten character of Ramayana
and the extraordinary case of Pati Parayan (Blind devotee of Husband).
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the potential
writer of the contemporary Indian English literature. She is the author of numerous works of poetry and prose, Divakaruni is
known for her careful exploration of the immigrant experience, particularly
that of South Asian women. Divakaruni’s
recent work The Forest of Enchantments
(2019) is a very human story of some of the other women in the epic,
often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha and
Mandodari. It also is called as
‘A sita’s version of Ramayan…’ It is said in Sita’s point of view.
Sita is portrayed as a sharp acumen and a resilient woman. She is a different Sita who takes her own
decision in her life, sacrifices her resentments and reclaims herself. She takes up her challenges in a courageous
manner.
Sita is an ultimate character of love and
affection which she has towards all the people. Most of the time, Sita is
advised by her mother Sunaina in order to bring her as a strong, powerful
warrior, ruler and equally as a pride of the Prince. She once says to princess
Sita on the eve of her marriage that, “If you want to stand up against
wrongdoing, if you want to bring about change, do it in a way that does not
bruise a man’s pride. You‘ll have a better chance of success” (TFE 46). In all
the circumstances Sunaina has been with her daughter Sita which never makes
Sita to disrespect or give up Sunaina.
Sita chooses Ram, the prince
of Ayodhya as her husband in a swayamvara, bride choosing the most
excellent from a mass of suitors after a contest, where Ram proves his
intrepidness, bravery and soldierly power and defeat the extra seekers for
Sita's hand in wedding. The performance of ‘Swayamvara’ reflects a moderate
carry out of allowing women inclusive of right to prefer their partner. On the
other side, an additional focuses gaze at the swayamvaras of the epic heroines
like Sita, Draupadi and Uruvi (Karna’s wife) represent the lack of genuine
right in the selection of their partners.
Sita, is the one who is typical as an
empowered lady. She shines as a fighter, strategist proprietor and philosopher.
Sita, the brave fighter, is a result of Sunaina’s nurture. Starting from her
childhood, Sita’s mother teaches important instructions regarding life. For
example, after Sita’s first visits to the slums that make her to turn to a
terrified moment by means of a few rowdy boys, she is rescued by a
slum-dweller, Samichi (one of Sita’s friends) takes her back to the palace. One
harsh impression from her mother Sunaina and stillness, the major two
possessions are more than sufficient to teach her a lesson which normal parents
would do. That is the attachment towards her mother. The shrewd Sunaina turns
Sita’s misfortune as an example to a certain extent than to blast her. She informs Sita that criminals are found
both in rich and the poor. Her first lesson is in disbelief and false trust.
Her mother tries to teach her the emotional framework of both the rich and the
poor and the way to obtain stability in comforting the two extremes.
Once Ram and Sita gets married, both
leave to Ayodhya, the crowd thinks what has made Ram to find Sita in the light
of the fact that such is her outside brilliance which is neither her attitude
nor underestimating. Later when they
speak with Sita they know what might have made Ram to marry her. Kaikey (Ram’s
stepmother) takes utterance from Dashratha (Maharaja of Ayodhya) with the aim
that their child Bharat would be the ruler of Ayodhya, at the same time Ram
lives the life of an austere in forest for a long period of fourteen years.
Ram, being factual to his imperial family, is too courteous to not present
in. Sita decides to go together with him
where many are anxious. Sita lives a life of wealth, she sees herself as a wife
to Ram and not in terms of wealth or richness. She, for the very first time
chooses individuality for herself and decides to survive alone with her husband
in the exile. Sita is not at all scared of letting go. She gives her life of
privilege to her partner Ram. Through this observance, she is like a superwoman
of any contemporary fiction who follows her sense as well as strict principles
of reason. Sita’s insight evolves
herself over the years. She is a dutiful daughter who in no way predicts her
longing for young gentlemen.
Sita’s concern of Mother Earth embodies new
women towards desire for justice, to subsist life on her stipulations,
disobedience against male bigotry, patriarchy and unhappiness of a woman.
Sita is impartial in estimating her skills.
She reprimands Samichi for her sycophancy, knowing that at present there is no
cause to boast, as her explosion is a meager one. She finds that regardless of
misinformation and being resourceful assistants of a leader, they tempt to
mislay their strength if worn to expose an ordinary performance in an
overstated illumination. Emotional support is certainly of her knowledge in
civic relationships. It requires bravery to move away from the temptation to
fall for subservience.
When Sita is abducted by
Raavan, the King of Lanka, it is assumed that Sita is talented enough to liberate
herself commencing the custody of Raavan, but as obedient wife who in no way
can harm the ego of her partner, she believes Ram to hoard her from her
condition. She, from her side chooses to be enlightened by Ram. This situation
proves how supremacy is rendered ineffective if it is not practiced to progress
better with the state of the topic. The subject must be in a position to train
power devoid of restrains. To become neutral with gender, courage, strength and
power is highly risk. It would be endangering structure that institutionalizes
male dominion.
It
becomes at times where silence as the best medicine. Yet, Sita is shown as a
submissive loyal and obedient wife. Her stillness is identical of her
undoubting power and bravery. Sita, gets distress by her sterile feeling to Ram
who however fails to hit the correct point of understanding. She grabs herself
into stillness for the sake of harmony and out of abundant adore for her
husband and her high opinion of Ram’s verdict to remain for two more years. She prefers to remain quiet at the time when
words swirl up in her mouth throughout the experience of Surpanakha’s visit to
allure and fascinate Ram. She looks at Ram to talk on her behalf and reprimand
Supanakha stating his wonderful marital life.
To Mandodari’s
(Queen consort of Raavan) claim of ‘Sita’ being her daughter, she purports to
stay quiet as she empathizes with Mandodari’s painful bareness of trailing
everything in life, her partner, son, queenly privileges and empire. Sita is ought
to impose adversity on her own self to uphold constancy in the patriarchal
classification. Thus, she becomes the stuff of legends and her power remains
invisible. She will be the eternal,
imperishable, endless testimony of Ram’s courage. Sita, hence be required to be
acknowledged as Ram’s consort who is coming up to be freed.
Ram effectively rescues her
without any surprises. When she is back she raises with her chastity for which
she spends a long period of her time with a man who is not at all her husband.
The fascination with transparency mocks her forfeit and her faithfulness that
she has towards Ram. In front of the society, Ram himself dislikes Sita’s
imperfect image. He agrees to let her to go. Sita is ready to walk through the
fire to provide evidence that she has forever been trustworthy to her husband,
Ram. But, rumors ripe that she is ruined by Raavan.
She is said to be an object
that is already used which will not suit the nature of a King to accept it. She
gives birth to twins who cannot state their ancestry. Still, Sita does not put
her questions on her lack of individuality. She is not worried about the norms
of the society than her self-perception. Abandonment returns back to Sita
taking more frightening stage. She loses her luck which she does not have. Even
in her distress she becomes strong to take care of her twin babies being a
single parent.
It is more essential for Ram to have Sita as
a ruler or emperor whose figure is untarnished. Sita is revealed as a strong
warrior than a character who is always in sorrow. Sita is physically as well as
mentally strong. Sita’s representation in most
of the epic is meek and normal, although her final insolence in the conclusion
is that Sita wins her vanished self hood. Through refusing to suggest to the
power-seeking, chitchat mongering sort, she embraces emancipation. It is
painful that such emancipation is likely to put into death. Questions rise to
liberate her from social obligations. Analysis and elucidation are the theme of
individual in Sita’s tale. But she put a model by choosing to defy.
Works Cited
Divakaruni, Chitra
Banerjee. The Forest of Enchantments. Uttar
Pradesh: Harper Collins Publishers, 2019.
Frye, Northrop. “Myth, Fiction, and
Displacement.” Evolution and Man's Progress 90.3
(1961): 587-605.
In Search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology. Ed.
Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal. UK: Penguin Classics, 2011.
Singh, Anjita, The Sitayan : A Retelling of
the Ramayan in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's The Forest of Enchantments (June 7,
2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3861386 or
<http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3861386/>
Shukla Chatterjee. (2019). Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni, <I>The Forest of Enchantments</I>.
Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language and Literature, 13(1), 149–151. Retrieved
from <https://journals.iium.edu.my/asiatic/ index.php/
ajell/article/view/1492/>