Reading Notes: Nine Ideal Indian Women, Part A
I've written about Sita's birth before, but I still find this a very interesting subject. This story says that Sita didn't know how she was born. I could write a story of a girl who was adopted and unaware of this. She'd be the favorite of her parents and siblings. I'd write that she found out about her parentage, and maybe they are poor or cruel so the king and queen took her in.
I love the "love at first sight" idea with Rama and Sita. Rama wasn't even supposed to be there so it was a beautiful accident/coincidence. I might write my own version of this, though I'm not sure how I'll change it up. Maybe Rama's character will not be a prince, but some peasant. Or perhaps Rama will be the one testing women to be his wife.
Another concept that caught my attention was how Sita's siblings and Rama's siblings were all married off as well. Rama and Sita were the only ones caught in love at first sight. I thought about writing this from maybe one of Sita's sister's perspectives. She's forced to marry a stranger because her sister married a man with brothers.
I wondered if maybe the story of Surpanakha could be twisted. I could reverse the roles of good and evil here. Maybe Surpanakha was innocent and simply saw Rama and felt love at first sight. Instead of gently letting her down, Rama's character would reject her cruelly, Sita would laugh in her face, and Lakshmana would taunt her.
I noticed that this version better explained and justified Rama's coldness toward Sita upon her return and exile. I like that the wife of Bali cursed Sita's happiness, so this further backed up the reasoning for Sita's unhappiness. However, I still hate the way this ends. Sita deserved so much more from Rama. I would rewrite this ending so that Rama never exiled Sita. He would quiet his subjects' rumors and doubts.
Image Information: Sita Being Absorbed into the Earth, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: "Sita" from Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee
I love the "love at first sight" idea with Rama and Sita. Rama wasn't even supposed to be there so it was a beautiful accident/coincidence. I might write my own version of this, though I'm not sure how I'll change it up. Maybe Rama's character will not be a prince, but some peasant. Or perhaps Rama will be the one testing women to be his wife.
Another concept that caught my attention was how Sita's siblings and Rama's siblings were all married off as well. Rama and Sita were the only ones caught in love at first sight. I thought about writing this from maybe one of Sita's sister's perspectives. She's forced to marry a stranger because her sister married a man with brothers.
I wondered if maybe the story of Surpanakha could be twisted. I could reverse the roles of good and evil here. Maybe Surpanakha was innocent and simply saw Rama and felt love at first sight. Instead of gently letting her down, Rama's character would reject her cruelly, Sita would laugh in her face, and Lakshmana would taunt her.
I noticed that this version better explained and justified Rama's coldness toward Sita upon her return and exile. I like that the wife of Bali cursed Sita's happiness, so this further backed up the reasoning for Sita's unhappiness. However, I still hate the way this ends. Sita deserved so much more from Rama. I would rewrite this ending so that Rama never exiled Sita. He would quiet his subjects' rumors and doubts.
Image Information: Sita Being Absorbed into the Earth, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: "Sita" from Nine Ideal Indian Women by Sunity Devee
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