Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has put Panchali/Draupadi at the centre of the story because she wanted to show the important role that women played in history, the role that has been often “glossed over.” While her latest book, The Palace of Illusions , is a rendition of Mahabharata from Draupadi’s point of view, she is soon going to retell the Ramayana from Sita’s perspective. Excerpts from an interview:
After telling Draupadi’s story, was it inevitable that you would write about Sita too?
Yes, once I wrote Palace I wanted to write the story of Sita because I feel that the character of Sita has so much resonance in our culture. Over the centuries her character has been misrepresented and she has been made out to be much more docile than the original texts show her to be. The woman’s story has gotten lost and I want it to be re-highlighted. I think it strengthens the culture by saying that the woman’s voice is worth hearing, let’s not silence that.
How difficult has it been to write about Sita?
Sita is more of a challenge than Panchali. In the Mahabharata , Panchali was already a complicated character. So when I was writing her, my project was to make her timeless and modern. Now Sita’s character has been interpreted to be compliant, and I really have to work a lot more to bring out the key moments and develop them. I want to imagine conversations between Sita and the other women who are important in the Ramayana .
There have been many interpretations of the Ramayana focussing on different aspects. What has your research uncovered?
One of my major sources is the version by Krittibas (Ojha, medieval Bengali poet), who was very interested in Sita; she is very feisty in his version. There were also a lot of folk songs about Sita, really moving and touching, and that shows she has been part of women’s thoughts.
So when can we expect to read Under the Sorrow Tree?
I have finished with most of the research but even as I write I discover that I need to know more, so I have to go back to the texts. We will see how long it takes, may be by the end of 2018. It is a really important project and I don’t want to rush it.
Your books are centred on women, and are unapologetically feminist. How do men react to them?
The themes are women-centric, but one of my hopes is that more men will read stories about women. It is important for men to read books about strong women and enjoy those books, because things like that begin to change social attitudes.
You live in Houston, Texas. How do you reconcile to Donald Trump in the White House as a feminist writer?
It is not the ideal situation but then which situation in life is ideal? Perhaps these attitudes towards women will become prevalent and I must write to counter that. I think of my writing as part of my activism. Through what I write I hope to raise some consciousness, start some conversations. And that’s why I am always happy when my books are chosen for schools and colleges, and youngsters are forced to read something that maybe they wouldn’t otherwise. Perhaps they will like it, discuss it and it will make them think.
After retelling two of India’s greatest epics, what’s next on the agenda?
I think our mythologies have a lot of wonderful stories. I’m particularly looking at the works of Kalidasa, he has some wonderful plays and strong women characters. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are well known, but a lot of people don’t know Kalidasa’s stories so it would be worthwhile to make them accessible, especially for the younger generation. We take our heritage and we hope to make it interesting.
Prachi Joshi is a Mumbai-based travel and food writer.
