Overmodest Sita was never been

Overmodest Sita is never been my inspiration.

When the legendary epic Ramayan was being telecast-ed in the beginning of lock down my family thrilled  of reliving the pleasant past experience of watching the iconic show again. There used to be undivided silence in my home and in the surrounding during the streaming of the show. While all were in hurry to reserve their place  in front of the TV set  I used to be engaged in kitchen. 

I was making preparations for the meal. My sister-in-law bustled into the kitchen took her breakfast plate taken by surprise of my supposedly presence in kitchen by that time, she asked me won't you watch Ramayan. I said no I don't like the epic so rather I will cook the meal for you all. She pulled her face and moved  taunting me silly way out. 

I read her mind. Reacting is not my nature so kept working in my calm.  

My detest for time revered epic Ramayan can antagonise any fervent lover of our culture. I am not an atheist and don't disregard the venerated epic. I too admire the lessons of brother-hood, the aplomb in Lord Ram's character. Laxman's loyalty, Bharat's indisputable love and respect for his elder brother, a law abide and principled king Dasharatha, earnest disciple Hanuman and many characters that holds great virtues of life. The epic expounds the idealistic way of leading life. If the moral quotients will be enforced into life one will grow more humble being. In the same way I can't buy the unprincipled part of the epic.

The reason behind my detest is overmodest Sita and her absolute dependency on her husband. Through out the epic Sita is a submissive woman and virtually has no role beside standing by her husband being comply to him. 

Be it Sita, Urmila, Ahalya, Mondadori or Sarama (Vibhishana's wife) all the characters have potrait as passive and submissive. Beside shedding tears being subservient no other dimension has given to these female characters that could examplify to boost self-confidence of women of future.

I don't know whether its the male perspective of the greatest poet of  Era that only see women under protection and fettered with infinite code of conducts that ultimately makes them helpless. 

History witness in this land the burden of family's respect and dignity is only women's concern and men are quite liberal in many ground. 

There are a lot of possibilities in the poem where Valmiki could have poured some power into the female characters. He could have present them as warrior  instead of coy princess. Instead of essaying their roles with no say, poet could have present them as epitome of women power.

And my aversion has developed and advanced long back since my childhood. Those days television was not prevalent. We used to have puppet shows in the community and I used to watch them eagerly. And the climax when Sita sacrifices herself into the rift of earth, that impacts my innocence so deep that I used to sob literally. whenever I asked my grandmother about this persecution, she pacified me by saying a woman has to sacrifice.

Probably I was between 7 to 8 years old then but a lot of things was rankling inside  me and I just don't want to take the seminal blindly. I could never come to term with  ''Agni-Parikhya'' that Sita has immolated to prove herself sanctimonious. Beside that a lot of question were bothering me like, Why didn't Rama renounced his thorn to accompany his banished wife if at all the whole country cast shadow upon her, Why didn't King Janak Sita's father took her daughter back to his home and why didn't Sita never protest to the unjust-ices. My grand mother was my only source to whom I recourse my opinions. Sometimes she honestly agrres with my logics with a faint smile and sometimes in irk she reproves me to invest my mind more in studies. Perhaps she has no answer to my questions.

At some points of my life I couldn't muster my courage to protest and gave up to the stern prejudices of the world. I have been brought up in such a milieu that my mind has conditioned to take the unjust silently like Sita. That is what I have seen around me while growing up.

I always feel the epic is written with a motive  to incorporate the com-pliancy  and all feminine virtues of Sita into every girl child, how they supposed to behave both in parents and at their in-law's house.

Way back If Sita would have dared to rise her voice  today the women may not be seasoned as shy and unassertive. They may be upfront about their rights. As a princes Sita could have use her status to dissent the afflictions and empower females. 

 Indian tradition regarded Sita as an exemplary daughter, a paragon of law abided wife and even every Indian family wants a Sita as embodiment of their daughter-in-law, no matter their sons follow the attribute of Lord Rama or not.

This loath entrenched in my infantile mind and I could never release this out of my system. The female's role in the greatest work of history of ancient India has never been an inspiration for me rather it stunts me like a syndrome. Though I don't watch the time's revered epic that has been reason of my low self-esteem.

I know anyone who ever reading this either getting into nerve and taking me as a impiety.  Some says I thinks out of the way. But I think in this way. What is wrong in living with head high still being in right convictions..