52W52B - Book 4 Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana

My first tryst with Ramayana was when I watched it on TV on Doordarshan. Arun Govil was Ram. He always looked sad and weak. To my child’s mind that image was imprinted. He even looked weak to me because his face was always drawn. Expression of sorrow from a man was a clear cut sign of weakness for me. I could never understand why he was calledPurushottam. So I disliked Ram. Similar was my impression of Sita. She was also always blue, with tears in her eyes.

When I read “Sita”, lot of things changed for me. The book not only told about the way Ram, of Raghu Clan ruled his kingdom, but also about the chemistry between Ram and Sita. Ram is the pinnacle of human achievement. Everyone who came in contact with him, benefitted by “broadening of minds” and “reaching their human potential”. In his company, even animals became civilized. He was epitome of stoic, calm and composure. And so was Sita.

While most of us believe that Sita was victim, first, when they went for Vanvaas, and later when she was forced to leave the palace because the king’s reputation was at stake, she herself never felt or acted like one. That, I believe made me fall in love with her. She understood every step that Ram took. Neither “Ram's Sita” nor “Sita's Ram” blamed anyone.

Another thing that the book portrayed was the intelligence of Janaka’s Daughters. It was heartening to see so much importance given to women in a traditional patriarchal society – which was well deserved.

What struck me the most was the fact that the society, which forced Ram to abandon Sita and made her live in the jungles, questioned the same Ram for the same action – abandoning Sita. I was so flustered by this that I wished that somehow every citizen of the-then-Ayodhya be alive in the present and I whack each and every of them. That neither Ram nor Sita showed any pain only aggravated mine. The damn Society! Not even Gods were spared.

Then there were dialogues that would take your breath away.

“Knowledge is no antidote to pain.”

“Be the best you can be, in the worst of circumstances, even when no one is watching.”

And there were many. Due to unavailability of the dialogues online, I am unable to put them here. But the language that was used to describe the love making, the beauty of the characters, the devotion of Hanuman for Ram, the love that Ram had for Sita and the vice versa was heartening.

Somehow I felt that the character of Batman was inspired by Ram. Like Ram would do ANYTHING for Ayodhya, so would Batman for Gotham. When the Catwoman asks Batman to come with her for she felt he had “given them everything.”

Batman replied, “Not everything. Not yet.” This is quite similar to Ram’s devotion to the people of Ayodhya, who ultimately ends up hurting the very man (or God?) whom they loved the most. Maybe Batman lived in India.

This book has inspired me to read the actual Ramayana, and may be few books that the author himself read and put in bibliography.

The book is a must read especially for those who want to learn about Indian mythology.