Book Review of “Sita’s Ramayana” by Isabella Morini
Title: Sita’s Ramayana
Author: Samhita Arni
Illustrator: Moyna Chitrakar
Original Copyright: Tara Books Pvt. Ltd., India
Version Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press
Pages: 152
Sita’s Ramayana gives a graphical and narrated retelling of an intense battle between Rama, the banished prince of Ayodhya, and Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Rama is battling Ravana in an attempt to get back his captured queen and wife, Sita. Sita embodies a powerful and confident woman who does not fear the unknown of being imprisoned by a powerful demonic King. She befriends Trijatha, Ravana’s, niece to have an inside look of the journey Rama is taking to rescue her. With the help of Hanuman, a wise monkey, Lakshmana, Rama’s younger brother, and Vibishana, Ravana’s younger brother, Rama is able to cross the widespread ocean to reach Lanka to fight for Sita’s freedom. Many casualties arise during the battle, but Rama is able to free Sita. To her surprise, Rama no longer trusts her after her imprisonment by a satanic King. Sita attempts to prove her purity and much more in this vivid retelling of a heroic war.
Sita’s Ramayana puts a spin on the typical story of Ramayana, a heroic war among men. Normally the men’s view of the battle over a captured Queen is dominant and the focal point. It shifts the perspective to a woman’s outlook on the intense battle. Sita is able to explain her viewpoint of Ramayana. It allows the reader to be intertwined into her thoughts and feelings why she is waiting for Rama to come to her rescue. She shows remorse for everyone’s pain and suffering even if it is for the enemy. It graphically explores the intense emotional rollercoaster that Sita undergoes from the fear of never finding freedom. After Rama frees Sita, it explores loyalty and trust. Sita has to prove her purity to her husband by undergoing a fire test. This a central part of the novel because it explores chastity and troubled lovers. It lets the reader connect to a woman who is unjustly banished by a man. The feminist viewpoint in this story allows the novel to go above and beyond being just another retelling of Ramayana. It allows the narrative to look past a man’s heroism, and instead it familiarizes the reader with Sita’s heroic impact and acts of compassion. Does Sita’s viewpoint of the story take away from the Ramayana? In my opinion, it is an excellent addition to yet another retelling of this intense battle. It does not take away from the influence of the intertwined Indian teachings. Sita’s Ramayana remarkably offers an appropriate and much needed spin by establishing the focus on a female character.
Sita’s Ramayana uses elaborate illustrations to communicate the stories. In order to help the reader understand the character’s by name and picture, there is a web at the beginning of the story to showcase each character and how they are connected. This helps as a reader to understand the story better. When I was reading through the panels, I knew who a character was even if their name was not listed. The use of vibrant colors throughout the illustrations also fits the Indian culture. The illustrations also portray the characters in appropriate Indian clothes and head garments. This greatly adds to this stunning retelling of Ramayana. The moving text accompanied by jaw-dropping illustrations that were inspired by scroll painters from India add a refreshing approach to this modern retelling.
The audience of this story can incorporate almost any individual. Any reader that enjoys graphic novels will respect the retelling of Ramayana in this story. The illustrations are exquisite, and the narration adds just enough to make the story more understandable. There are some pictures in the novel that could be deemed inappropriate because they illustrate female nudity by leaving some breasts uncovered. It is very miniscule when analyzing the 152 pages, but some parents might not think that it is suitable for their child to be exposed to. Besides those images, the rest of the graphics are appropriate. Some parts of the story can be harder to grasp, but the narration is suitable for grades four and above. This can be a valuable novel to use in school when discussing mythology and folklore. Most of the schools use Greek mythology to cover this topic in literature classes. Sita’s Ramayana can be an uncommon yet exemplary way to introduce folklore and mythology to students. Additionally, the illustrations will be very attention grabbing to children that lack interest in reading.
Sita’s Ramayana offers a visual delight while telling an account of an epic tell. It extends beyond describing the heroism and deceit of both Rama and Ravana, but it engages the female viewpoint by focusing on the feelings and interactions of Sita. Modern publishing helps to brighten this story with exquisite graphics while also making it relevant to the culture of females having more dominance. This retelling displays trust, heroism, and betrayal, and it should be highly recommended to readers.
Sources:
Amazon. “Sita’s Ramayana.” Amazon, Amazon.com, Inc., 27 Sept. 2011, www.amazon.com/Sitas-Ramayana-Samhita-Arni/dp/155498145X.
Arni, Samhita and Chitrakar, Moyna. Sita’s Ramayana. Groundwood Books, 2011.