Novel          : Sita’s Sister

Author        : Kavita Kané

Publication: 2014, Rupa

Pages            : 311

Genre          : Indian mythological fiction

Price               : 295 (Flipkart)

Blogpost by Dhanu

Content 5🌟/5

Cover design 5🌟/5

The novel pinned deep into my life and helped a lot to decode many hidden facts in Ramayana from the perspective of Urmila. My first journey towards the magical wordings of Kané. The only novel that I had read again and again (for research purposes) but gives the meaningful sight beyond its reality.

The novel centres around the most important hideous female character, Urmila. The author brings out Urmila who waited for her husband’s (Lakshman) during his servile in his elder brother’s (Ram) exile. As the title implies, she is the actual sister of Sita but not a biological sister. Urmila is the only daughter born to King Seeradhwaj Janak and Sunaina. Her maturity and her presence of mind make her stand in all crucial situations of her life.

The plot moves with the story of Urmila with the pristine twenty-two chapters. The prologue of the novel narrates the childhood of Urmila from where she started to build her moral values with broad-mind.

The novel also picturizes the beautiful romance between Lakshman and Urmila (Mila for him). The gesture of Lakshman unpinning Urmila’s hair bun is one of the cutest act in their love life. Both had mutual understanding which takes over their life with love and peace. Because of Urmila, Lakshman can peacefully perform his respectful duties towards his elder brother, Ram.

Urmila is a passionate woman who dedicatedly works hard throughout her life. She utilizes the fourteen years of her husband’s servitude in her education. Urmila’s passion for art and literature keeps up the character more alive. Because of her knowledge, she tactically presents herself in the legislations of her brother-in-law and the courtly matter of Ayodhya kingdom.

Urmila is a real feminist, she achieves what wants and has the courage to stand against the fouls. She stands for herself, she stands for her sisters, she stands for her family and stays strong and long in her love. Can’t this be enough to be a feminist? She always has a solution for every issues and tactfully solves it. She had been always treated in second position in her lovable ones life. But she never feels low about it. She proves herself from where she is.

By unveiling her, the readers can easily connect with the original masterpiece. As always, the sacrifice, achievements and talents of a woman were silenced in the midst of packed characters and kept her as a voiceless woman in history. Sometimes it is tough to follow the contemporary writing of ancient works’ plot and its characters. But Kané also considered this and made a clear set for her readers, which sets a hassle-free journey towards the mythological story.

The writing style of the author is always an awe-striking thing for me. Because she made a job of reading the story of Indian mythology with ease. The Indian Literary Works in the Vedic Period always had a standard way of writing which are not up to the understanding level of the common people. But Kané has well-penned her works with careful usage of wordings. She normalized the conversations between each character which becomes the success of this novel. 

The cover design is presented with aesthetic touch. It also portrayed the image of Urmila’s face which shows her readiness to face the world with her story.

The attempt of the author to bring out the shadowed mythical female characters is an appreciative one and she has succeeded in it. She chooses the new female characters to let the world know about their existence and their irresistible part in History.

In this novel, I can witness the new, bold and divinely Urmila. Highly recommend this novel for the mythical experience in a contemporary style.

Lines:

Marriage did not hold much interest for Urmila but it was a social discipline she would have to conform to.

The two cradles had rocked in perfect harmony since childhood as smooth and strong as the bond was to blossom between two girls.