The Liberation of Sita

Valmiki's Ramayana is the story of Rama's exile and return to Ayodhya of a triumphant king who will always do right by his subjects. In Volga's retelling it is Sita who after being abandoned by Purushottam Rama embarks on an arduous journey towards self-realization. Along the way she meets extraordinary women who have broken free from all that held them back: husbands sons and their notions of desire beauty and chastity. The minor women characters of the epic as we know it -- Surpanakha Renuka Urmila and Ahalya -- steer Sita towards an unexpected resolution. Meanwhile Rama too must reconsider and weigh his roles as the king of Ayodhya and as a man deeply in love with his wife. A powerful subversion of India's most popular tale of morality choice and sacrifice The Liberation of Sita opens up new spaces within the old discourse enabling women to review their lives and experiences afresh. This is Volga at her feminist best.