The Liberation of Sita

These linked stories retell the Ramayana from the side of its women. Rama has publicly abandoned Sita, and she lives in Valmiki's hermitage, bringing up two sons alone. Over the years she crosses paths with women the epic passes over. Surpanakha, disfigured by Lakshmana, has found worth beyond her beauty; Ahalya, deceived by Indra and cast off by her husband, questions who decides whether a woman is believed; Renuka, ordered killed by her husband and beheaded by her own son, warns against building a life around men; Urmila speaks of claiming authority over oneself. Each meeting helps Sita look again at the choices made for her. Rama, bound by his duties as king, has to weigh them against his feelings as a husband.

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About the book

Form

Short stories

Length

103 pages in the original

First published

2010 by Swetcha Prachuranalu

Author's age

60 when first published

ISBN

9789351772484 (Harper Perennial, India)

9789352775019 (Harper Perennial, India)