Uttara Kanda: A unique rendition on the Ramayana

By Karishma Mishra

3rd Year, BA Journalism Honours

Edited & designed by: Ayushi Rani

"O Rama, I loved the pure man you were in your youth, not the man you have become-not this man who is shackled by the royal throne. My love for you died sixteen years ago."

As a reader, I love to read mythology but what I like the most is the retelling of the epics. One of such literary triumphs and my recent favourite is Uttara Kanda, written by S.L. Bhyrappa’s. This novel reinterprets the timeless epic of the Ramayana through a critical and feminist lens. Originally written in Kannada, this masterpiece is gracefully translated for non-Kannada readers by Rashmi Terdal.

The narrative starts where the original Ramayana puts little focus on, that is after Sita was abandoned by Rama. It delves into Sita's perspective of her life and how she never recovered from her banishment. The text concentrates on the crucial themes of dharma, power, family relations, patriarchal dominance and societal expectations.

Although the whole novel is a mind opening piece, some of its parts completely hooked on to me. One of those is the depiction of Sita as a woman who gets suicidal thoughts, sees her children as a burden and has intense anxiety every time she thinks of her beloved husband who has banished her only to satisfy some of his subjects.

Another part that is less highlighted in the original text is the relationship between Sita and her mother-in-law, Kaushalya. Kaushalya treats Sita like her own daughter and makes her feel loved in ways that Sita was never made to feel by her own mother. Also, the relationship between Sita and her sister Urmila is beautifully presented, where Urmila is the only person who comes to meet her in Valmiki's ashram and who contests against what king Rama had done to her sister.

Rama, who is mostly known as a strong and determined king, is represented as a romantic person. The readers get glimpses of his soft side where he combs Sita’s hair and makes plaits in them as pretty as ornaments. He constantly checks on her when she seems to be unhappy and tries his best to spend time with her.

Apart from these, there are other parts also which would force you to rethink about different characters of this epic. It throws questions on Ayodhya and the entire Kosala kingdom that rejected Sita. Was it necessary that she suffer for the people of Kosala to prosper? Why should a woman deserted by her husband be obliged to keep her pregnancy?

Rather than as commonly presented divine connection, the novel presents Rama as a flawed husband and Sita as a strong woman who is adamant in her decisions. So, if you want to expand your bubble of ideas and thoughts related to mythological characters of Ramayana, Uttara Kanda is a great choice.

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