Voyage Into Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's the Forest Of

International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 9s, (2020), pp. 7031-7035

Voyage into Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments

1Krishna Chatur Sow Mondal, 2Dr. S. Lavanya 1Ph.D. Research Scholar, Department of English, K L (Deemed to be University), Andhra Pradesh, India. 2Associate Professor & Head, Department of English, K L (Deemed to be University), Andhra Pradesh, India. [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is based on India’s most cherished lovelorn epic Ramayana. This novel depicts Ram’s banishment of fourteen years and Sita’s life thereafter from her perspective. It also presents Sita’s deep-seated desires--her love for Nature. She was indeed the daughter of Nature who could feel their anguish as well as amusement. The forced banishment indeed had its ups and downs which even Ram and Sita could not escape. This paper deals with Sita’s life, forest life. It also engages with the other characters in the periphery. But the chief interest lies in the fact that how Sita, staying within the society, highlights the loopholes of our society- how women, through the course of their life, are subjected to racial discrimination in their own house, their society, and, most importantly, how men try to control their lives. Sita’s voice further speaks about the art of balancing the public and the private life which is very essential for the entire human race to follow. How Sita understands and analyses the different facets of love also provide a lesson for life to the entire human race is analyzed in this paper.

Keywords: Forest; Marginal-Character; Private; Public; Society.

I. Introduction

Although Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni writes her Sitayan from the feminist stance by re-interpreting one of the greatest epics of Hindu mythology, The Ramayana, she remains true to the principle interpretation of Sage Valmiki. Penetrating deep into the patriarchal mindset Divakaruni depicts the female perspective striking the very chord of humanity. She provides a renewed perspective maintaining a strong connection to its originality. It is Sita-- the greatest icon of Indian womanhood who plays the role of the protagonist in this novel. The characters, values, morals of Ramayana- which are deeply rooted in Indian heart are kept intact and are narrated from Sita’s voice. The novel is a sincere experiment and it urges the readers to re-think the novel from an alternative perspective sticking to its original roots. Sita, in this novel, also gives voice to the voiceless-- it narrates the innermost thoughts of other female characters of the epic. It is interesting to note how Sita, a glorious character, reacts and responds staying within the situation, within the society. The text also raised questions regarding human behaviour and the social system. The existence of women is marked by hyphenated identities, fractured psyche, and a shift of their roles between pre- marital and post-marital ways of life. Their life oscillates between acceptance of neo post-marital life and rejection of their life as a maiden.

Despite the fact that the readers have been waiting for so long after the publication of “The Palace of Illusions” in 2009 which gave voice to one of the most enigmatic character-- Draupadi in a patriarchal setup who makes her own choices consciously, yet never fails to express her anger, hatred, vengeance keeping her own dignity intact, “The Forest of Enchantments” was published in 2019, a decade later. The writer herself spoke about her extensive research work before venturing to undertake this enormous project. She studied the four different versions of The Ramayana--Valmiki Ramayan, Adbhuta Ramayan,

Kamba Ramayan and Bengali version of Krittibasi Ramayan, her favourite. She also read the various folk songs written about Sita. Banerjee wanted to re- interpret the epic from moral standards, subverting the traditional method of perceiving Sita as a ‘‘long-suffering’’ woman who accepts her fate with ‘‘silent stoicism’’, and presents her as strong human-being who, although succumbs to human emotions, but also faces the challenges and retaliates with her firm intellect as well as unique martial arts techniques. Banerjee’s Sita redefines every woman's nature in contemporary times. Adhering to the original epic as close as possible, Banerjee presents her Sita as a dynamic character, a multidimensional character, fighter against all odds, seeking justice for herself and the entire womanhood at large. She speaks about the empowerment of women while handling the marginal characters. Sita is also an inspiration for all those women who are bringing up their children single handily, for she was one of the earliest single parents. Sita is, at once, an emblem of courage and forgiveness.

II. Presentation of Sita’s Character

Sita’s character, time and again, has been under the scanner. Different mythology writers and film directors have engaged their creative faculty to depict the character of Sita and present it in front of its target readers as well as audiences, thereby providing an alternative perspective to the existing one. Divakaruni has highlighted Sita’s several other identities which are not limited within the traditional familial boundaries; she is presented as a healer, wise counsellor with sharp acumen, trained in martial arts, daughter of Agni. She transcends the boundaries of a dutiful woman and a modest wife who accepts her lot without any protest. Ram’s banishment paves the way for Sita to fulfil her secretly cherished childhood desire to visit the forest which she accomplishes by accompanying Ram during his banishment in the forest and it was her decision to accompany her husband to the forest. She convinced her family members for that. She is a traveller; one who can equate herself with the Nature-feel their pain communicates with them and heals them occasionally. She is a fighter, resilient woman who has the courage to fight with the mightiest ruler of the earth- Ravan; her indomitable spirit to face the harsh realities of life. Sage Valmiki’s Ramayana depicts Ram as Maryada Puroshottam-- the embodiment of perfection, righteousness, and the upholder of Dharma. On the contrary, Sita is a meek, submissive, devoted wife of Rama, who endures all the sufferings without any protest accepting it as her destiny. The meek and mild persona is replaced by a fighting woman with unputdownable strength. In this book, Sita is sketched not as a foil to Ram, but an equally powerful entity that stays by her husband’s side throughout her life and follows him in the ups and downs of life. The plot progresses and revolves around Sita. The writer gave a vivid description of peaceful Mithila, intriguing courtrooms of Ayodhya, the royal family of Raghu and most importantly their patriarchal mindset, a battle between love and duty where duty won each time sacrificing love each time, conflicts of dharma and adharma, right and wrong, the mesmerizing forests of Dandaka, Panchabati and Ashok Vatika where Nature was at its best: huge gigantic trees, the kingdom of innumerable flora and fauna of different kinds. Sitayan complements Ramayana. The novel follows a first-person narrative pattern, narrated through flashbacks where Sita is the centre of attraction. She is an emblem of endurance, courage, and self-respect. Divakaruni’s Sitayan revolves around Sita, it presents Sita’s story from her birth till the end in exquisite detail: she was found wrapped in the strange fabric; her childhood spent in Mithila with her loving family members along with her loving sister, Urmila. Her knowledge about herbs to cure diseases; her incognito training and mastery in martial arts, marriage with Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, youthful conjugal love, her post-wedding days in the new family; embracing the banishment along with her husband; her hardships in forest days and thereafter in the Ashoke Vatika, Lanka in Ravan’s captivity; bravery by undergoing fire- trial to prove her chastity; serving her duty towards the citizens of Ayodhya as its rightful Queen; pain and heartbreak on hearing the news of her banishment; days in Rishi Valmiki’s ashram; performing the duty of a single mother with dignity and courage; and her breath-taking act of uniting with the mother earth.

III. Presentation of Minor Characters

Divakaruni deconstructs and then re-constructs the character of Sita. In this novel, Sita transforms herself from a reader to a writer--she gives voice to the voiceless, marginalized characters who have contributed in making Ramayana ‘‘the cosmic drama of good and evil” (266). Sita speaks about Sunaina, Urmila, Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Ahalya, Mandodari, and Sarama- she speaks on behalf of them all, for they poignantly requested her to write their stories as well: “write our story, too. For always we have been pushed into corners, trivialized, misunderstood, blamed, forgotten-or maligned and used as cautionary tales.’’ (4) All the characters question the blind Dharma, women’s position, and their rights in an andro- centric society, and the relationship between husband and wife. Sita, possesses within herself, a kind of womanish zeal, an urge to provide aesthetic respite to all those neglected women in the fabric of her own ardent narrative whom Sage Valmiki has deliberately silenced in his own narrative. Sita’s attention throws light upon these minor characters as they speak through her. Banerjee presents Queen Kaushaya’s heartbreak and agony at her husband’s reluctance and subsequent separation from her son and daughter- in-law. Both the characters, Kaikeyi and Surpanakha are judged from the humanitarian ground who was misdirected, for they could not balance their mind and heart. Although their conduct made them hated by the readers, in this novel, both are healed by compassion. The presentation of Mandodari, the Queen of Lanka is unique, for the author foregrounds a mother-daughter relationship between Mandodari and Sita, however contestable it may be. The presentation of Urmila’s character will draw sympathy from its readers: Her dream of prosperous marital life is shattered when Laksman, ignoring her, goes for banishment for fourteen years with his elder brother, Ram. In Banerjee’s interpretation, Urmila too plays her part as a dutiful wife and fought her own struggle during this period. She also played her role as a loving sister and is given equal reverence like Sita. Urmila’s story, her life of fourteen years might not be represented in the original versions of The Ramayana, but Divakaruni throws light upon this character giving vent to her creativity. Urmila sleeps for fourteen years at home and subsequently pays the debt of Lakshman towards Nidra Devi. She fights her own battle and saves her marital life from converting it to a wasteland. Her sacrifice is indeed awe- inspiring. Ahalya’s mouna- vrata (vow of silence) was indeed painful and unique. Although she has accepted her fate as stoic resignation, she shows her protest by taking the oath of silence, not to speak with her husband, and punish him for his hideous act. Both, Ahalya and Rishi Gautam suffer the pangs of marital separation and disharmony. Ravan’s famous sister, Surpanakha who is a monster in the eyes of the people is also attributed to a humane touch. Surpanakha is viewed as a love-lorn woman who, indeed has desired a married man, does not deserve harsh and violent punishment in the hands of Lakshman. Even Sita thought of paying proper cremation after her death which is unique. Mandori, Ravan’s wife, was forced to witness the downfall of gorgeous Lankapuri, the death of her two sons and her husband. She tries to console and save Sita from Ravan’s wrath. She tried to save her family, her people from the ensuing catastrophe which resulted in vain. She bared a humane heart along with her rakshasi lineage. Vivishan’s wife, Sarama was also very righteous like her husband. She tried to console Sita in difficult times and they eventually became friends which is at once unbelievable and interesting. However, their friendship did not last long due to the interference of Ravan. Trijata, the chief guard, also finds mention in this novel. She protected Sita from other monstrous asura guards of Ashoka garden.

IV. Sita’s Perspective and Foresightedness

Divakaruni’s Sita is not a Goddess, but a common woman much like us who is emotionally vulnerable. She succumbs to human emotions: love, passion, frustration, heartbreak. Divakaruni’s strikes at the innermost moral cord of human faith and questions Ramayana’s sacredness. The word “endurance” runs parallel through Sita’s character who resists the attacks on her integrity, fights against the injustice done to her time and again, and above all refuses to surrender at any cost. Finally, she resigns from this mundane world with dignity which has subjected her to much humiliation. Endurance here is not forceful surrender; rather it is spiritual and mental strength which human beings should reflect in critical situations. Her life is an unresolved mystery, an evergreen enigma. At times, both the narrator and the protagonist merge with each other, for Sita is an emblem of entire womanhood and her story symbolizes the struggle of women to voice their thoughts, fight for their rights in a male-dominated society. She contemplates the nature of life and man’s untiring efforts to comprehend it: ‘‘How ironic that the joyous times we’d like to hold on to are the most fleeting, while the saddest ones clutch at us, refusing to let go.’’ (247) Sita, being presented as a righteous woman, also recognizes Ravan as a good and able leader: …Ravan had been a mighty sovereign, a much-loved hero to his people, and a sincere devotee of Shiva (231). Her ability to see good in others, even in her closest enemies, ultimately provides her mental strength to fight for right and raises her character to a higher level. She herself recognizes Kaikeyi’s action as “mother’s love” and Ram’s act of disowning her after her rescue as a move to protect her from further humiliation. Although she questions Ram, her love and devotion towards Ram were beyond doubt. Her devotion to her husband, who stepped forward in banishing her, raised pertinent questions regarding the limits of tolerability of a woman. She does not submit her own identity to earn the status of “a socially approved wife” and strongly disapproves of proving herself as a hallmark of chastity by self-immolation. She sacrifices her life in protest and merges with mother earth with dignity. Sita’s plight moved the readers and highlighted the loopholes of patriarchy, a burning topic that can be contested in the coming ages. Banerjee’s delineation of her Sitayan gives a new dimension to the entire tapestry and it also revitalizes the epic. It is her honest attempt of presenting it independently despite the pervading influences of The Ramayana. The glory of Sita was hardly presented by other writers. Furthermore, she was overshadowed against the overwhelming glory of her husband, Ram. Banerjee also highlights the ostracized characters that were never acknowledged for their roles in the epic, Sita turns out to be a true love of nature who even feels the pain when they are hurt. She is mesmerized and tries to comprehend the complexity of love: She exclaims, ‘Ah, love! Why had Vidhanta made its nature so complex?’ (204). Sitayan projects Ramayana as a tragic love story of Sita and Rama. It goes one step ahead and throws light on the various facades of love. It projects: a love story of blind devotion between Dasharatha, the King of Ayodhya; love is also devastating when one reads the complex relationship between Dasharatha- Kaikeyi, Surpanakha-Rama, Ravan-Sita, Indra-Ahalya, pure and celestial love between Sita-Hanuman, Sita-Urmila, Lav Kush-Sita. Sita realizes that love exists in this world in myriad forms. Divakaruni speaks about ‘Agape Love’-- love that is pure, celestial and that which is divine and free from carnal pleasures, that love which is free from desires and expectations, which teaches us to forgive our loved ones regardless of their flaws and shortcomings. This love works for the greater good of mankind and paves the way how one can draw strength from love in adverse conditions. Sita is not a submissive woman and till the end upholds her self-esteem. She demands justice for herself and questions the activities of her husband regarding his duty towards his citizens; about stree- dharma; she questions by giving voice to people, most importantly women; she questions his duty towards his subjects- which also includes his own family members. According to her, Ram failed miserably to balance his personal and professional life. He banished his wife and the equally innocent babies. They were his family members as well as his subjects. Sita disapproves of Ram’s notion of sacrificing private life for serving his subjects. She voices her thoughts aloud: “I don‘t agrees with you that the private life must be sacrificed for the public one. And that is the final advice that I leave for my ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 7034 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 9s, (2020), pp. 7031-7035 children: my dearest boys, balance duty with love. Trust me, it can be done” (356). Marie Josephine Aruna in her doctorial thesis opines that mythology chiefly focuses on patriarchy and depicts the masculine activities to a greater extent. Women characters were neglected and there was hardly any strong figure to represent them. They were oppressed, remained mute spectators, and were treated as puppets in the hands in the patriarchal structure. Divakaruni tries to balance both the characters. She does not show any disrespect towards the character of Ram. She opines that the binaries can co-exist peacefully without harming each other’s interests. Life teaches us to balance our duties as well. Divakaruni advises creating such an atmosphere where men and women can draw strength from one another by developing a good understanding.

V. Conclusion

Sitayan celebrates womanhood. It speaks about self- awareness, illuminates our dark psyche by providing logical reasoning, a kind of road map based upon the humanitarian ground, and encourages contemporary women. Sita tried to add colour to the other woman’s life without envying them. Sita learns the lesson of life, lesson about love during her life: one should give value to others’ choices instead of inflicting our choice towards them. All the marginalized voices, irrespective of their social background, merge together and form a sense of interconnectedness. The novel urges the women community to safeguard their honour and dignity and requests them to be selective while sacrificing their lives for their loved ones.

REFERENCES [1] Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Forest of Enchantments. HarperCollins, 2019. [2] ---. The Palace of Illusions: A Novel. Picador India, 2008. [3] Marie Josephine Aruna, A. Shodhganga : a Reservoir of Indian Theses , 2012. [4] Rathor, Dr. Ila. “Reclaming the Self: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's The Forest of Enchantments.” Literary Endeavour, X, no. 3, May 2019, pp. 125–128. [5] Saha, Sukanya. “Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments: A Saga of Duty, Betrayal, Integrity and Honour.” Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities (ISSN 0975-2935), vol. 11, no. 2, Sept. 2019, pp. 2–5. [6] Satapathy, Amrita. “‘The Forest of Enchantments’: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Sitayan.” International Journal of English: Literature, Language and Skills, vol. 8, no. 2, July 2019. [7] Savionna Ross, Venetia, and Dr. C. Dhanabal. “Renegotiating Diasporic Identity of ‘Sita’ in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments.” IJELLH (International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities), vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 1067–1085. [8] Taskeen, Shaista. “Punctuated Margins and Womanist Valences in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 10, no. V, Oct. 2019, pp. 039–050.