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readwithshashank's review
4.0
Among the list of recommendations, I picked this next, partly due to the fact it was a really quick read and could complete in a few hours.
The book’s message is about how women should disentangle themselves from the invisible control of men around them and have their own existence. Volga has written four separate stories and then connected them using Sita as a central character.
Sita followed her husband Lord Rama into the forest without a second thought, resisted Ravana and maintained her strength and composure in all situations. Yet, she had to go through the Agnipariksha to prove her purity. She came out of it unscathed, yet she was eventually banished from the Kingdom. She did her job as a doting mother, groomed her sons and eventually united with Mother Earth. Her sons were welcomed and accepted in Ayodhya (she still wasn’t).
It’s a creative interpretation where Sita meets four women and how lessons from each of them help in her self discovery. The four characters being: Surpanakha, Urmila, Ahalya and Renuka Devi - each with their own path, thinking and learnings to share. The stories clearly highlight in each woman’s life and how they suffered based on decisions taken or rules made by men, without due consideration to women.
I hope we all work towards correcting/ removing the gender biases and make the world a better place.
The book’s message is about how women should disentangle themselves from the invisible control of men around them and have their own existence. Volga has written four separate stories and then connected them using Sita as a central character.
Sita followed her husband Lord Rama into the forest without a second thought, resisted Ravana and maintained her strength and composure in all situations. Yet, she had to go through the Agnipariksha to prove her purity. She came out of it unscathed, yet she was eventually banished from the Kingdom. She did her job as a doting mother, groomed her sons and eventually united with Mother Earth. Her sons were welcomed and accepted in Ayodhya (she still wasn’t).
It’s a creative interpretation where Sita meets four women and how lessons from each of them help in her self discovery. The four characters being: Surpanakha, Urmila, Ahalya and Renuka Devi - each with their own path, thinking and learnings to share. The stories clearly highlight in each woman’s life and how they suffered based on decisions taken or rules made by men, without due consideration to women.
I hope we all work towards correcting/ removing the gender biases and make the world a better place.
sravreads's review against another edition
5.0
Volga is my first Telugu author.
I've always been proud of my heritage and especially prideful of being a Telugu person- perhaps it comes from my not living in India. This form of longing to understand and be a part of Telugu cultural norms as best as I can be has always gnawed away at my being. It shows through my accent-marked fluent Telugu. But, reading this book has finally given me the understanding of what it really means to be a Telugu woman marked by the societal standards that I have only been half-exposed to my entire life.
This book is quite short- it's around 70 pages (on my Kindle Paperwhite) and is a very alluring read. Essentially, it is a short story collection in which Sita has various discourses with female characters with tragic backgrounds like her. To this day, I've probably read 20-30 different variations of the Ramayanam but after reading this- I finally can retire from searching for the feminist answers I kept asking throughout this book. This is a book that we need in these times. For women, this is an abandonment of old values that are impressed upon us from the Ramayana and it is a nod toward understanding the injustices that are served to the woman. Essentially, it's a feminist lens reading of the Ramayana. I won't get into the analysis because then the book will not hold its charm.
The interview at the end of my copy with Volga was equally mesmerizing. A marxist, feminist Telugu author and activist, she has set out to accomplish for this country what we have constantly failed to do. We need to start accepting Telugu and other Indian authors and need to bring them out into the public because their views and ideologies will help progressive ideologies prosper in this country. Women are slowly becoming aware of their status as an equal, but we need to pursue it on a more governmental, societal level. I absolutely admire the progressive ideas that these authors are putting out, and wholeheartedly thank Volga for writing this book: the Ramayanam that women need to read. No longer should Ramarajyam be the ideal. We should all strive to be the Sita at the end of this book: bound to nobody but herself.
I've always been proud of my heritage and especially prideful of being a Telugu person- perhaps it comes from my not living in India. This form of longing to understand and be a part of Telugu cultural norms as best as I can be has always gnawed away at my being. It shows through my accent-marked fluent Telugu. But, reading this book has finally given me the understanding of what it really means to be a Telugu woman marked by the societal standards that I have only been half-exposed to my entire life.
This book is quite short- it's around 70 pages (on my Kindle Paperwhite) and is a very alluring read. Essentially, it is a short story collection in which Sita has various discourses with female characters with tragic backgrounds like her. To this day, I've probably read 20-30 different variations of the Ramayanam but after reading this- I finally can retire from searching for the feminist answers I kept asking throughout this book. This is a book that we need in these times. For women, this is an abandonment of old values that are impressed upon us from the Ramayana and it is a nod toward understanding the injustices that are served to the woman. Essentially, it's a feminist lens reading of the Ramayana. I won't get into the analysis because then the book will not hold its charm.
The interview at the end of my copy with Volga was equally mesmerizing. A marxist, feminist Telugu author and activist, she has set out to accomplish for this country what we have constantly failed to do. We need to start accepting Telugu and other Indian authors and need to bring them out into the public because their views and ideologies will help progressive ideologies prosper in this country. Women are slowly becoming aware of their status as an equal, but we need to pursue it on a more governmental, societal level. I absolutely admire the progressive ideas that these authors are putting out, and wholeheartedly thank Volga for writing this book: the Ramayanam that women need to read. No longer should Ramarajyam be the ideal. We should all strive to be the Sita at the end of this book: bound to nobody but herself.
priyankav's review against another edition
4.0
Lot of force fitting, but very nice perspectives on feminism told through Sita’s experiences and her interactions with similar women who were disadvantaged by the patriarchy
ananya343's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arshabenny's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
niharika19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nuts246's review against another edition
3.0
I normally stay away from translations and from books that have an overt 'feminist' tag. This book reminds me why. Though the premise is interesting- a reimagining of the Ramayana where Sita meets other female characters from the epic each of whom has something to give her- the prose is laboured and the pieces read more like essays than like short stories.
However, once you put literary expectations aside, the book delivers. Soorpanaka, Ahalya, Renuka, Urmila. All women who have been victims of patriarchy, and have risen over it to become their own person. By imbibing the lessons they have learnt, Sita eventually gets her own liberation. The same liberation that women are fighting for even today.
Meanwhile Ramchandra remains a prisoner of the Arya Dharma he has sworn to defend.
In the larger context, if this is the Ramarajya we are striving for, it is not going to be particularly good for anyone.
Definitely a book I would recommend for someone who wants to examine patriarchy and expectations from the female gender. Perhaps not for someone who wants a cosy retelling of the Ramayana.
However, once you put literary expectations aside, the book delivers. Soorpanaka, Ahalya, Renuka, Urmila. All women who have been victims of patriarchy, and have risen over it to become their own person. By imbibing the lessons they have learnt, Sita eventually gets her own liberation. The same liberation that women are fighting for even today.
Meanwhile Ramchandra remains a prisoner of the Arya Dharma he has sworn to defend.
In the larger context, if this is the Ramarajya we are striving for, it is not going to be particularly good for anyone.
Definitely a book I would recommend for someone who wants to examine patriarchy and expectations from the female gender. Perhaps not for someone who wants a cosy retelling of the Ramayana.
vritika_kanwal's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
commonpriya's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
roshnithakrar's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75