A woman's selfie with her life!

On the occasion of International Women's Day, my greetings to all women of our mother earth.  This blog on the occasion is dedicated to all women who have shaped and influenced my life.

It was ‘Ashok Van’ in Ravan’s Lanka.  Expectant Sita became jubilant on hearing Rama’s victory and the killing of Ravan.  Soon came Sarame, the wife of Vibhishan asking Sita to dress up for being taken to meet her victorious husband Ram.  Wearing the choicest jewels gifted to her by Mata Anasuya, eager Sita comes to the battle ground to meet her ‘Prabhu Ram’ whom she was missing for over one year. All were excited including Sita, but not Lord Ram!  There was eerie silence all over.

‘Janaka Putri’………….Ram addresses Sita to break silence……‘I have fought this war and killed Ravan not for you, but to uphold the glory of my Ikshwaku dynasty!  There ends my task.  You were in the custody of rakshas Ravan for so long. I don’t believe in your chastity. I don’t like to accept you back. You are free to go anywhere’.  It took some time for Sita to withstand the shock of thundering words of Ram, but recovered to shot back at him. ‘Ram…..my father got me married to you hoping that you are a noble man.  How can such distrustful thoughts come to your mind to reject me’?

It was turn of Laxman to intervene and prevent Sita from falling in to the fire nearby.  Laxman took Sita’s cause and fired at Ram. ‘Supposing Sita too questions your chastity during her absence, what answer you can give? Accept Sita and move on.’ 

Under forced retreat at Valmiki’s Ashram, ripe pregnant Sita took a stroll at the turn of events during those days.  Her mind probed…….’Is Ram harsher than Ravan? Whether it was the same Ram who took up the cause of immoral  Ahalya and reunited her with Saint Gautam’? ........

 Yes it was a decades old story…………….Ahalya, the young and beautiful wife of Saint Gautam had to live a ‘dry’ life.  Frail bodied Gautam always used to be in ‘tapas’.  Naturally Ahalya was tempted towards the seducing King who used to visit the ashram.  When the ongoing event came to Guatam’s notice, he became furious.  He told  her illicit acts to all in the neighbourhood and went away to distant Himalayas for doing ‘deep tapas’.  Shamed Ahalya confined herself inside the Ashram for days together.  When neighbours knocked at her door, she threatened to hang herself.  Neighbours gave up, but started keeping food and water at her doors everyday.  Ahalya started living this way, but continued to confine herself inside and was virtually cut off from the rest of the world for years together. (In original Ramayan it is described that Ahalya became a stone, but it was only a self-imposed exile).

When Saint Vishwamitra along with young Ram and Laxman came to meet Gautam at his ashram, they came to know about the ‘self-imposed exile’ of Ahalya.  Prompted by Vishwamitra, Ram took initiative to bring out Ahalya and reunite her with Saint Gautam.

‘Why this judgment of double standard by Ram?  How can he be so kind to errant Ahalya and be so cruel to me, who lived only for him and nobody else?.............Did Ram question his Guru Vishwamitra, who strayed with Menaka giving up his tapas? Is justice different for men'? Sita’s stream of sorrowful thoughts continues.  And while sending her away from Ayodhya,  Ram not even bothered to tell her the facts. Under the pretext of sending her to offer ‘pujas to Rishipatnis’, Ram sent away pregnant Sita to Valmiki’s ashram along with Laxman.  While leaving her,  Ram’s agent Laxman just mentioned that ‘Maharaj’ has divorced her and went away!

Sita continued to reminisce.......'What made Ram to conduct himself so curtly against me, not on once, but on two occasions?  Did Ram become power conscious and too scared about public opinion?  Did ‘maryada purushotham Ram’ gave way to ‘Maharaj Ram’?  Did he not err in his roles as a dear husband and an expectant father? Could he have chosen to give up power to uphold  family life and human values'?   

Now it was the turn of Saint Valmiki to take up Sita's cause.  He brings her along with Lav and Kush to Ram's court to work out a reunion on the occasion of 'ashwamed yag'. Valmiki's sane words were an eye opener to the  entire court and Ram too.  Relenting Ram invites Sita to join him.  But  now Sita becomes assertive and speaks rising her voice........'this reunion initiative came from Saint Valimiki, not from you Ram.  Not even once you thought about me during these sixteen years of my 'vanavas'.  Had you called also, I wouldn't have come.  I am a daughter of the soil and I prefer to go back to Valmiki's ashram to continue farming.  Farming for me is the best way to reunite with my boo-mata'.  Then Sita walks away.  And the entire court becomes dumbstruck! Ram's desperate shouts......'Sita, Sita please come back' goes in vain! Helpless Saint Valmiki laments.........'I could only write Ramayan, but couldn't influence its tragic end'!

Santheshivara Linganniah Bhyrappa's Kannada novel ‘Uttara Kanda’ (published during 2017) is Ramayan, re-written from Sita’s perspective. Sita is never a passive woman here and she dares questioning Ram and treads her own path. Moreover no miracles here, every event is a real one.  Entire Ramayan is presented as a flash back by reminiscent Sita in Bhyrappaji's  ‘Uttara Kanda’.  

In Bhyrappaji's Uttara Kanda, 'agni pravesh' is only an accident that would have happened which was prevented by Laxman at the nick of time.  Similarly 'boo-mata' swallowing Sita towards the end is nothing but Sita's determination to go back to Valmiki's ashram to take up farming to find her livelihood and collapsing to death while working in her farm.

Thus Bhyrappaji's Sita is an assertive lady, who can be a role model for modern women.  She dares questioning Ram and ultimately rejects to live with him.  She finds her own way to live towards the end.  Even today we see our sisters, whose fidelity is doubted by their husbands, and are harassed and deserted for silly reasons. Sita has already shown them the way forward!

Long live naari shakti