The Meek and the Bold: Amish Tripathy’s Sita | Part I

 

Sita, the history burnt her in Rama's light, but isn't she more powerful than Rama? 

An Analysis of the character of Sita in Amish Tripathy’s Sita: Warrior of Mithila.

Amish Tripathy is a true devotee, a visionary and a scholar, above all a realist who talks about gods and goddesses in the language of mundane realism. His concern is with the interpretation of characters in myths. Amish recreates history on the basis of a liberal progressive ideology. A strong undercurrent of philosophical debate animates his writings. What he does is to recreate history or better, to place myth on the firm ground of history. He does not radically alter the contours of history. Where he departs from the edicts of accepted culture is in the interpretation of the happenings rather than the course of events. Extremely sensitive by temperament he conjures up the ancient scenes in his mind and perceives even delicate nuances. Ram and Sita set out to the forest. According to the myth the cause of the exile is the manipulative strategies of one of the wives of King Dasarath. In Amish’s story it is not contrived by greed or envy. It is the direct result of an act of violation. Thus one of the features of Amish’s writings is to strip characters of their supernatural trappings, reinvesting them with human attributes. A great metamorphosis takes place in the course of their lives by which they are transformed into or elevated to the level of gods and goddesses. In short his concern is with the making of a god.

His Rama Chandra series is a thrilling and honest analysis of history made by an intelligent man’s musings. Sita: Warrior of Mithila is the second book of the Rama Chandra series, recreating the Sita of Ramayana. He reconstructs the whole of ancient India with his abundant knowledge of history. His Sita is a blend of both tradition and modernity.

Amish has definite and determined notions of womanhood. In Amish’s view the woman is not inferior to men. If talented, she has the right to realize the potential.  Suppressing her would retard the progress of a society. She must be free to develop the qualities and skills required to fulfill her destiny. In spite of  his respect for the scriptures he believes that discrimination on the basis of sex is a bane in any society. It is this innate belief in the equality of the sexes that prompts him retell the story of the Ramayana.  Sita in Amish’s book is a fearless warrior, apparently unconventional as seen in the cover itself. Certain aspects of her character seem to be unorthodox. But she is not a rebel. She still possesses the qualities that has endeared  her to millions of readers and devotees. But she rises above the limitations of orthodoxy and imbibes the fresh liberating ideas associated with modernity. That is why she holds duty sacred, loves her husband passionately, rejects the advances of Raavan, but rules the kingdom of Mithila independently. She plays the role of savior and protector who rules as an able prime minister, destined to be goddess. This pragmatic Sita is both mentally and physically strong, and is a symbol of the power of the woman. This story spans the whole of her life from birth to the abduction by Raavan. We see the evolution of Sita from humble beginnings to the resplendent status of a goddess. Ram and Sita share a title named ‘Vishnu’. Amish’s Sita is traditional where tradition is at its best and modern where modernity is respected. In Valmiki Ramayana, Sita symbolizes the meaning of an ideal woman, filled with loyalty for her husband. She is the product of a society governed by male gaze, who stood under patriarchal norms and values. The description of her beauty and duty overwhelmed ancient society. She is one of the defining figures of ideal Indian daughter, ideal wife and ideal mother.

The discussion of the Indian woman is a popular perception. There is always a conflict between modernity and tradition. Sita in Amish’s pages is the blend of modernity and tradition. Normally, there is incongruity between modernity and tradition. In a country like India, rich in culture, it is challenging for an author to recreate a character like Sita without breaking the traditional boundaries and placing it over modernity. Amish’s Sita does not break the customs, beliefs and cultural practices, rather it helps to pass this knowledge to the present generation. He places his Sita in a contemporary society, and draws out her actual strength. Amish’s Sita is a message to today’s society to fight against all the evils courageously. Equality between men and women will bring about a balanced society. For which, an equal proportion of tradition and modernity is necessary. Amish’s Sita is an example of how we should fuse modernity with tradition.

To be continued....