<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni&rsquo;s The Forest of Enchantments is a bold literary reclamation of the Ramayana&mdash;one of the most revered Indian epics&mdash;but with a twist: it is told entirely from Sita&rsquo;s point of view. This is not the Sita most Indians grew up reading about in Valmiki&rsquo;s verses or Ramanand Sagar&rsquo;s televised rendition. This Sita is flesh and blood, courageous, emotional, politically aware, and ultimately, assertive of her voice.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The novel is a sequel-of-sorts to Divakaruni&rsquo;s acclaimed The Palace of Illusions, which retold the Mahabharata through Draupadi&rsquo;s lens. Together, both works serve as powerful feminist counter-narratives to India&rsquo;s deeply patriarchal mythological tradition.</span></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Forest Within</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The story follows the traditional arc of the Ramayana: Sita&rsquo;s marriage to Rama, their 14-year exile, her abduction by Ravana, the war in Lanka, her return to Ayodhya, and the eventual abandonment despite her chastity being proven. But Divakaruni intersperses this familiar structure with rich introspection, female solidarity, and emotional realism.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sita, writing her own Ramayana, says in the opening, &ldquo;This will be my version. Mine alone.&rdquo; She reflects not just on her experiences, but also those of the forgotten women&mdash;Urmila (Lakshman&rsquo;s wife), Mandodari (Ravana&rsquo;s wife), and Surpanakha (the demoness sister of Ravana)&mdash;whose stories are often overlooked or vilified.</span></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Themes and Significance</span></h3>
<h4 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Feminist Reclamation</span></h4>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Divakaruni crafts Sita not as a passive sufferer but as an agent of her own destiny. She loves Rama, but refuses to be silenced or shamed by his decisions. She speaks out against injustice, questions dharma, and finds strength in sisterhood. In doing so, she becomes a symbol of the countless women silenced throughout history.</span></p>
<h4 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. The Complexity of Dharma</span></h4>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unlike traditional tellings that glorify Rama&rsquo;s adherence to dharma, Divakaruni interrogates it. Sita is forced into exile twice&mdash;once physically, once emotionally. The novel questions whether dharma, when used as a tool of patriarchy, serves justice at all.</span></p>
<h4 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. The Politics of Silence</span></h4>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The novel doesn&rsquo;t just give Sita a voice&mdash;it shows how her silence has historically been manipulated. When Sita speaks, it&rsquo;s not just about her story; it&rsquo;s a metaphor for reclaiming the female voice in myth, literature, and society.</span></p>
<h4 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Love vs. Loyalty</span></h4>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sita&rsquo;s love for Rama is portrayed as deep and nuanced, but it is also tested by his loyalty to the kingdom over his personal relationship. Divakaruni masterfully explores the emotional cost of such decisions, particularly on women.</span></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Literary Craft and Language</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Divakaruni&rsquo;s prose is lyrical, accessible, and emotionally rich. She fuses poetic descriptions of nature (especially the forests where much of Sita&rsquo;s life unfolds) with sharp internal dialogues. The language is modern yet respectful of the mythological context.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Through Sita&rsquo;s eyes, we not only see the grand wars and divine interventions but also the quiet griefs and daily joys of a woman&rsquo;s life&mdash;moments that are often lost in grand epics.</span></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Women of the Ramayan: Reimagined</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The novel dedicates thoughtful space to other female characters who are often misunderstood or ignored:</span></p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Urmila &ndash; A symbol of silent endurance. She spends 14 years alone while her husband, Lakshman, serves Rama and Sita in the forest. Her sacrifices are acknowledged and honoured in this version.</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mandodari &ndash; Ravana&rsquo;s wife, who is deeply moral and disapproving of his actions. Her grief and wisdom provide contrast to her husband&rsquo;s lust for power.</span></p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Surpanakha &ndash; Traditionally depicted as a grotesque temptress, Divakaruni portrays her as a woman humiliated for desiring love&mdash;an allegory for how society punishes women for their sexual autonomy.</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why This Book Matters Today</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the age of women&rsquo;s movements, identity politics, and rewriting of histories, The Forest of Enchantments is more than just mythological fiction&mdash;it&rsquo;s a socio-political statement. By rewriting epics from the viewpoint of their female characters, Divakaruni joins a growing list of feminist authors like Madeline Miller (Circe), Kamala Subramaniam, and Kavita Kane, who are reshaping the lens through which we view history and heritage.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sita&rsquo;s story, as retold here, resonates with modern struggles of love, betrayal, autonomy, motherhood, and justice. In Sita, we see every woman who&rsquo;s had to choose dignity over comfort.</span></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reception and Impact</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The book received critical acclaim for its elegant prose and bold retelling. Many readers found Sita&rsquo;s voice empowering, and scholars praised Divakaruni for blending mythology with a strong feminist critique. It has been used in literature classes and women&rsquo;s studies courses for its intersectional perspective.</span></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sita Speaks&hellip; We Listen</span></h3>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Forest of Enchantments is not just Sita&rsquo;s story&mdash;it is the story of every woman who has ever been expected to remain silent, submissive, or secondary. Through Divakaruni&rsquo;s pen, Sita transforms from a symbol of suffering into one of strength and sovereignty.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In a time when retellings are reshaping the boundaries of truth and myth, this novel is a reminder that who tells the story matters. And when women tell it&mdash;the forest, long seen as a place of exile, becomes a sanctuary of enchantment and empowerment.</span></p>

Sita’s Ramayana: The Forest of Enchantments Reborn

A feminist reimagining of the Ramayana that gives Sita agency, voice, and deep inner power

Sita’s Ramayana: The Forest of Enchantments Reborn

A feminist reimagining of the Ramayana that gives Sita agency, voice, and deep inner power

July 23, 2025 | 22:42 IST