From my very battered copy...

It's all about vogue and fashion today, the feminist retellings of popular literature to present a new perspective, so when I came across Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's, 'The Forest Of Enchantments' I had no idea that I'd be so pleasantly captivated by this book.

We see and know about Sita as the ultimate divine feminine, her graceful strength has been an ideal to embody and rightfully so. I've read this book, many many times, across different phases of my life, and it has rendered me absolutely in awe every time.

Feminist retelling or not, this version of the Ramayana, needed to be told, which is why the book is also referred to as Sitayana. It is not just about Sita, it is about the women, as it is their life that was altered at every turn, as it is they who adapted and evolved, the book is as much about Sita, as about Urmila, or Kaikeyi, or even Surpanakha.

This book has made me cry, in both thankfulness and pain of being born as a woman. The quiet fortitude that strengthens a woman's spine has been richly depicted in this feminist of version of Ramayana. The feminism here is not about the hyper-independence-based understanding we have today, it talks about the equal role that both men and women play in the circumstances of their lives.

So yes, Sita was abducted, but it was her resolve that saw the annihilation of Ravana, not only as a person- but of the evil thoughts and actions. So yes, Surpanakha was wronged, but before getting her nose cut off, she was manipulated by the likes of whom she called family, her suffering rings a tone about the deep-rooted misogyny prevalent even today. Devakaruni here portrays how the women faced all the chaos with nothing but calm attitude.

Lastly, 'The Forest of Enchantments; also talks about love, it is not merely an emotion, but an attribute of life brought into existence by continuous and conscious action. Love makes you face your challenges head-on, it sharpens your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses, just so you become a better person. Love is a choice, a fortunate one at that.

I didn't mean for the post to be so serious. LOL. But the book deserves the seriousness and the praise. Ping me when you've read it. Until then.

P.S- The picture belongs to me. Solely.