Sita… The everlasting/eternal example of womanhood and wifehood, often proclaimed in Indian households…Her marriage to Lord Ram is stated as the archetype of a perfect wedding throughout the country. She was considered to be the epitome of humility and sacrifice as she gave up all pleasures of the palace to spend her time with her husband in the forest….
But post-modernism neither views nor lets us view Sita in that perspective…Why not make her a person who is quite capable of handling the affairs of the state, a trained warrior who can hold any situation under control despite the level of turbulence and still be the perfect wife and partner?
Why make her the helpless, impuissant(weak) woman who kindled the war by asking for a “golden deer”? Why make her fall under the prototype of women led by their “emotions”?
Both Sita and Ram compete for the position of “Vishnu”- the title given to a person who can rise to become the propagator of the Good for the age. She is not the naïve girl who garlands Ram because her won her like a trophy in the competition. She marries Ram as she had chosen him to be her partner- both in life and the institution of Vishnu even before the swayamvar!
Sita’s relationship with the rest of the characters- Sunaina(her mother), Urmila (her sister), Bharat and Lakshman (her brothers-in-law) is healthy. It allows her to debate on different points of view for the betterment of the society. Sita lives up to the title- Vishnu as she always looks forward to long-term benefits for the country. Both Sita and Ram compete (is it complete? Or if it’s compete, shouldn’t it be compete with?) and complement each other.
So, we cannot stop ourselves from asking the question…
“IF SITA WAS SO POWERFUL, STRONG WILLED, DEFENSIVE AND EQUIPPED WITH WEAPONS AS WELL AS MARTIAL ARTS, HOW DID SHE GET KIDNAPPED BY RAAVAN? Why did Raavan kidnap her in the first place?”
To know the answer to these questions, read “Sita: Warrior of Mithila” by Amish Tripathi!
Happy reading!
Stay home! Stay safe!
The Random thoughts of an Indian Girl 