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‘My Sita Is Strong, Resilient and Complex’: Chitra Banerjee 

In the age of resurrecting Ram, Chitra Banerjee has resurrected Sita in her novel, The Forest of Enchantments.

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In the age of resurrecting Ram, Chitra Banerjee has resurrected Sita in her latest novel, The Forest of Enchantments.

“Having given Draupadi a voice, I wanted to focus on Sita, who is a real icon of Indian womanhood. It seemed more timely, considering everything happening in the country,” she said.

At the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the author spoke of her novel, which has broken popular narratives of the epic, Ramayana, and breathed a new lease of life to both the characters of Ram and Sita.

“In the popular retelling, Ram is seen as perfect. But in my book, I have managed to show Ram in his complexity and his nuances. It’s not as simple as saying Sita is good and Ram is bad. They are two people who love each other differently and have different value systems.”
Chitra Banerjee, Author
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Deconstructing the characters from the epic, Chitra said her Sita is intelligent, sometimes headstrong, strong, resilient and complex, unlike the Sita in the popular versions.

In the age when literary and creative freedom are at stake due to the sensibilities around them, Chitra said she was aware of the repercussions. However, one could not fault her work because Sita is innately a wonderful character, one with a wonderful womanhood, she added.

“I am just showing her in all her complexity, all her strength, so that she can be a true icon for women today.”
Chitra Banerjee, Author

Pointing at the high standards of perfection and purity on women today, she said, “It’s very important for us to show that icons are also human.”

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