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, ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 7031 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 9s, (2020), pp. 7031-7035 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. ISSN: 2005-4238 IJAST 7032 Copyright ⓒ 2020 SERSC International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 9s, (2020), pp. 7031-7035 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.