Chandrabati was the first woman poet in Bangla who lived in the 16th century in the Mymensingh district of present-day Bangladesh. She is credited with retelling Ramkatha from Sita’s point of view. The village women of modern-day Bangladesh still sing parts of Ramayan of Chandrabati for its lyrical quality and emotional effectiveness.
Sita has returned from Lanka after the war. Ram is the king of Ayodhya now and she is the queen. Sita is sitting in the palace and is requested by her girlfriends of the royal household to narrate her story. She thinks that she has been unlucky since birth and has always been a sufferer in spite of having Ram as her husband and a brother like Lakshman. She reminisces, "About my luck, what shall I say, God created me a sufferer since my birth."
She bares her heart before the women audience. It is narrated in Baromasi style — a month-wise depiction of the incidents in her life during the last year of exile. Ram, Lakshman and Sita reach the Panchavati forest on the banks of the river Godavari and decide to make their cottage there. She is abducted by Ravana and taken to Lanka to be kept in the Ashok Kanan. Then she narrates the coming of Hanuman. She is consoled by Hanuman, who shows her the ring of Ram. She is convinced that her whereabouts are known to Raghavendra and she will be saved. She comes to know through the demonesses guarding her that Meghnad, Kumbhakarna and other warriors have been killed. Lanka is devastated, and Ravan and his clan have been destroyed by Ram's arrows. Sita has regained her Raghumani.
The voice of Sita should be heard. The deletion of the book ‘Chandrabati’s Ramayana’, translated from Bengali by Nabaneeta Dev Sen, from the syllabus of BA (Hons) English of the Delhi University shows the questionable attitude towards women. Ravana was the embodiment of physical, financial and military power. Indra, the king of Devas, was a prisoner of war, living in a stable in Lanka and cutting grass for the horses. Yama protected Lankapuri as its chief guard. Vishwakarma was the chief architect of golden Lanka. The Ashok Kanan was better than the Nandan Kanan of heavens. Ravana declared that Sita if she pleases, would be his queen consort in place of Mandodari. But Sita rejected Ravana’s advances. She abandoned food, ornaments and lived as an ascetic. She wanted to die but lived because she wished to be back with Ram again. It was the strong will and character of Sita that defeated Ravana. The destruction of golden Lanka results from an insult to the feminine power symbolised by Sita. It gives a message that great civilisations suffer irreparably if women are insulted.
And what do we see now? There has been a flurry of messages on WhatsApp in recent times, where Sita is not to be seen along with Ram. What is the rationale behind the deletion of Sita from the heart of Hanuman? Hanuman’s heart only has the idol of Ram as per some WhatsApp messages. This is unacceptable. There can’t be Ram without Sita.
Ram orders the exile of a pregnant Sita because her character is doubted by some nasty men of Ayodhya. Sita accepts her fate. She never blames Ram for her distress and her exile in the forest. She has nowhere cursed any male or female for her problems. Of course, she fears the curses of the desolate women of Lanka whose sons and husbands were killed during the war.
While in exile, she gives birth to twin sons and waits for the call from Ram. She is invited to be a part of Yajna but here again, she is asked to show her chastity in front of all by a fire ordeal. She is deeply hurt by and makes it clear that she will not return. She enters the burning flames never to come back.
Sita is the hero of Chandrabati’s Ramayana and rightly so. Her ability to endure suffering and pain gives the persona of Sita, as a hero in literature. The bards have sung the valour shown in the Ram-Ravana war, whereas the sorrows suffered by Sita are not mentioned appropriately.
Why is there a hesitation to give women their due? What about gender equality? The much-avowed concept of Ram Rajya struggles in the face of Sita’s tribulations and there are uncomfortable questions about the treatment meted out to her. Perhaps, there is a chance that people may like Bali Rajya where there was ecstasy for all the people in his kingdom. There were no troubles and exploitation. Bali ensured the equality and dignity of women and men of all castes. King Mahabali (known also as Maveli) is still remembered every year during the Onam festival as an ideal king, who could banish troubles and sorrows.
The story of Sita by Chandrabati should be studied by all for its beauty of verses and the human effect that is not overshadowed by emotions. Sita is the soul of India and her name and glory will last forever.
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