In Search of Sita - Revisiting Mythology
Author: Malashri LalNamita Gokhale/Eminent ContributorsTranslator(s)/ Editors(s): Malashri Lal/ Namita GokhalePublisher: PenguinYear: 2009Language: EnglishPages: 270ISBN/UPC (if available): 9780143068181 DescriptionSita is one of the defining figures of Indian womanhood, yet there is no single version of her story. Different accounts coexist in myth, literature and folktale. Canonical texts deify Sita while regional variations humanize her. Folk songs and ballads connect her timeless predicament to the daily lives of rural women. Modern-day women continue to see themselves reflected in films, serials and soap operas based on Sita’s narrative.Sacrifice, self denial and unquestioning loyalty are some of the ideals associated with popular perceptions of Sita. But the Janaki who symbolized strength, who could lift Shiva’s mighty bow, who courageously chose to accompany Rama into exile and who refused to follow him back after a second trial, is often forgotten.However she is remembered, revered or written about, Sita continues to exert a powerful influence on the collective Indian psyche. In Search of Sita presents essays, conversations and commentaries that explore different aspects of her life. It revisits mythology, reopening the debate on her birth, her days in exile, her abduction, the test by fire, the birth of her sons and, finally, her return to the earth—offering fresh interpretations of this enigmatic figure and her indelible impact on our everyday lives.ContentsAcknowledgements Sita: A Personal Journey Commentary 1. Sita and some other Women From the Epics 2. Valmiki’s Ramayana 3. Sita as Gauri, or Kali 4. Janaki: The Fire and the Earth 5. R.K. Narayan’s Ramayana 6. Chitrangada Not Sita: Jawaharlal Nehru’s Model For Gender Equation 7. Sita: Naming Purity and Protest 8. The Justification of Rama 9. Matrilineal and Patrilineal10. Draupadi’s Moment in Sita’s Syntax In Dialogue 11. Sita’s Voice 12. Sita’s Luminous Strength13. Ramayana: The Human Story 14. Trial by Fire 15. The Diary of Sita16. Laying Janaki to Rest 17. Sita Sings the Blues Versions 18. The Essential Orphan: The Girl Child19. The Portrayal of Sita in two Bengali Ramayanas 20. Sita in Pshari Lok Ramain 21. Versions of Ramayana Stories in Telugu Folk Literature 22. Sita’s Trial by Fire and Bhojpuri Women’s Songs 23. Sita in the Oriya Ramayana Creative Interpretations 24. Reading Pictures: Sita in Victorian Indian Prints25. The Day of the Golden Deer 26. Janaki 27. Sitayana28. Sita’s Letter to her Unborn Daughter 29. Sita: An Excerpt from a Novel30. Sita in my Dreams 31. Letters from the Palace 32. Poems 33. An Infatuation (From the Ramayana)34. Notes35. Reference:36. Notes on Contributors 37. Copyright Acknowledgements 38. Index