Kane’s Urmila: A Relevant Feminist Myth Creation

Abstract

The epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have been an integral part of the Indian cultural tradition. Since centuries, they have been told and reinterpreted several times and handed down from one generation to another. The Ramayana is based on the morals such as the triumph of goodness over evil, obedience, brotherhood, love, compassion, sacrifice – all looped into the thread of Indian cultural tradition with an emphasizes on the value of dharma. However, there are some female characters that have been left on the margin in this epic and have been portrayed as upholders of male honour. They are devoid of the proper attention for their roles and sacrifices they deserve. Kavita Kane in her novel, Sita’s Sister has revisited the Ramayana from the daring and unwavering Urmila’s (Laxmana’s wife) perspective – a marginalized character who has never received the responsiveness she is worthy of. Kane has given voice to the muted character of Urmila. The present paper studies the contemporary relevance of Sita’s Sister from feminist- revisionist myth-making point of view.