Ramayana Versus Hemayana
Nandhi Varman
NO SANCTUARY FOR SITA IN RAMAYANA PLAY
Sita as a rape victim who chose to die by jumping into Ravana's funeral pyre as the agni pariksha [test of fire] - this is the dramatic new interpretation of the Ramayana published in the form of the play, Sanctuary, released in Bangalore on Thursday i.e. 10 th July 2008.Bangalore born Author Hema Ramakrishna, who has been living in Srilanka since a decade, asks "What makes anyone think a man who abducted a woman will keep her in ivory tower and worship her? "
"It is psychologically inadmissible" she told MAIL TODAY. Hema has taken many liberties with the original story. The Lanka in her play becomes Ranka and is located near the Chilka lakes of Orissa. The image of the maryadha purusha [ideal man] Rama is questioned as his treatment of two women, his wife Sita and Ravana's sister Surpanaka, comes under strong feminist scanner.
The trigger for Ravana kidnapping Sita was Rama's brutal rejection of the beautiful Surpanaka and her mutilation. Hema has brother Ravana stating "What ruffians to treat a woman like this?" Sanctuary was first published four years ago in Srilanka by Vijita Yapa Publications, and the same publisher has now released it in Bangalore. The delay was owing to the time Hema took to gather the courage to release the book in India.
"Now I feel the country is civilized enough to accept another view point on the myth. It is we who have made it a religion, The Ramayana is a myth about a man and his people"she contented.
Even the thought of the ruling BJP in Karnataka has not deterred her from releasing the book there. "I have lot of respect for the CM. I think he will see the book for what it is and hold back rabid elements." she said. The play features a deglamourized Sita, who loses her beauty and vitality with the rape. Ravana even has her tongue cut out, because of the abuses she heaps on him during the act. Finally when Rama does see Sita at Asokavana, he is repelled by her. An enraged and despairing Sita jumps into Ravana's funeral pyre and dies at the end of the play, even as Rama moans "My punishment is come upon me now. My dreaded punishment is come ". For Hema, Sita is a representative of all women. "What happened to Sita is an eternal enigma and as long as there are women, we will keep writing about it", she said.
Yapa, a former journalist, who released the book with Hema, said he published the book as he was always interested in alternative view points. "If it causes a storm here, I am willing to face it ", he stated.
Courtesy: By Sowmya Ali from Bangalore published in MAIL TODAY, daily at New Delhi on 11 th July 2008.
This post is dedicated to the very few hate mailers who instead of writing their blogs or views will post irrelevant comments unconnected to the topics, I discuss with dignity and decorum.
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nandhivarman