Book Review : The Forest of Enchantments, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I had my eyes set on this book for quite sometime and finally being able to finish the book in about a week was an achievement for an impatient mortal like me.

After long, a book managed to keep me hooked and grappled, despite knowing the obvious,we have heard since our childhood.

BOOK : The Forest of Enchantments
AUTHOR : Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
PUBLISHER : Harper Collins
RELEASE DATE:  JANUARY 2019
MY RATING:  4/5

PROBABLE SPOILERS AHEAD!

MY THOUGHTS:

The Forest of Enchantments in one line - is the story of Sita, but her version of Ramayana. To put it more subtly it would be apt to call it the 'Sitayan'(as also quoted in the book) - where Sita is the protagonist and the story embodies - Sita's tales and the various other ladies who were a vital part of her journey right from the day she was found, to her childhood in the house of Mithila, her marriage to Ram, the unfortunate exile for 14 long years, her tenure as the Queen of Ayodhya , to her sudden banishment in the forest and finally motherhood.

Chitra, the author gives the twist to this epic as that of a tragic love story between Ram and Sita which the world knows as Ramayan. She has stuck to the original script without giving it much variations - making the read worthwhile.

Surprisingly when the epic is referred to as a love story - it sounds quite cryptic isn't it?!
But trust me, the book has beautifully highlighted the various essence of love which Sita experiences herself or vicariously through her voyage of life.

From love and it's various contradictions, it's sources, it's magic - love that could kill, love that would mean, wanting what the other wants not what you want for them, the seduction of love, the suffering caused due to love, to learn that love can't transform another person, and finally the art of forgiveness - love in ALL it's form! The story emphasizes on Love being an ocean - unfathomable, astonishing, measureless.

The book revolves around the decisions taken by Sita but also cites instances of her being made mere victim to some. Alas!

What I liked about the book is the simplicity in the writing, which kept me glued throughout. There is something about the writing, that stays with you - urging you to go on.

Along with the story of Sita, the book brings to life the various women like Sunaina,Urmila,Kaikeyi,Koshalya,Ahalya,Surpanarekha,Mandodari,Sarama, Trijala, Indira who played crucial parts in every stage of her life - imparting the essential lessons of life.

While Sita narrates her aspect, it doesn't aim to show her godly avatar but truly amplifies her human side - the form in which she was born in. With her emoting, expressing her reactions , her anger , her submissiveness , her heartbreaks, her desires, make her as earthly as possible. Plus it makes the character quite relate-able.

As put by the author - Sita fills the gaps between the adventures taken by the male characters in the epic - in between their victories and defeats. What went behind the scenes involved a melange of joys, cries, the desperation, the anger, jealousy,sorrows, vengeance and longing!

No epic till date has been all starry with everyone involved being justly treated - न्याय /अन्याय!

With each flip of page, it was evident that Sita definitely was a woman of substance - defying odds but to my surprise what was noticeable was her forward thinking which reflected in various instances in the book. She was trained in martial arts despite being a princess - she was a healer and shared a special bond with the plants and herbs - she often reached out to her people to cure them despite her stature.
When Ram says, “In my kingdom, every man will have a voice, no matter how humble he is,” Sita wants to ask, “What about the women?” Another time, Sita debates in her mind, “Not all women are weak and helpless like you think.”

Another interesting take was the relationship between Sita - Mandodri - Ravan. It leaves you with what if, that were true thought?😞

During the final turn of events which patronized her to prove her innocence, she shows the courage and heart breaking-ly takes a stand saying -
'Because if I do what you demand, society will use my action forever after to judge other women. Even when they aren't guilty , the burden of proving their innocence will fall on them. And society say, why not? Even Queen Sita went through it. I can't do that to them.''
“For the sake of my daughters in the centuries to come, I must stand up against this unjust action you are asking of me.”
"Because this is one of those times when a woman must stand up and say, No more!', instead of choosing to be with her husband and children - her complete family - she gives up a tempting prize and takes a bold decision.
Something which even in this Yug, we as women fail to do. This was set as an example centuries ago - shouldn't this be something we must ponder on?! Maybe we are holding onto the wrong lessons after all?

Although rhetorically many might question - why did she do it the first time around in Lanka?!

Before her final moments - she leaves yet an invaluable lesson for her boys : Lav and Kush - "Balance duty with love". This was a message for 'Ram', as the King Of Ayodhya and not her husband, who to dispense justice to all citizens of Ayodhya wronged his own wife queen, his unborn children for an inexplicable reason - sacrificed his private life for a public one.
On the hindsight, Sita pursued what SHE felt was right - as it was said to her by the Gods in one of her visions - that the lesson you teach will be a quieter one but much important . Ram a benevolent man - albeit cared for and loved Sita so much yet at some instances he only cared what his subjects thought of him. He continued compensating for the mistakes his father King Dashrath committed - almost deliberately leading to the tragic turn of events in his and Sita's life. He choose to suffer in his desire to be the perfect king and let the rest slip by. Perfection in one maybe led to the imperfection in other?! There is lot of takeaways from the book as the author takes you through the life of Sita - echoing her thoughts through the various events happening in her life - how she is portrayed as an ordinary woman with a lot of emotions - holding herself responsible for her actions - when faced with tragedies, still showing the courage to overcome every obstacle with dignity.

Many might view the book portraying feminism at optimum levels - but for me the author wins me over with her stance.💗 Something that stayed with me through the read was what Queen Mother Sunaina tells her daughters when King Dashrath refuses their nursemaid Malini to come to Ayodhya : But instead of consoling us, my mother spoke sternly – “Pull yourselves together. Surely I have brought you up better than this? We come into the world alone and we leave it alone. And in between too, if it is destined we will be alone. Draw on your inner strength. Remember you can be your own worst enemy or your best friend. It's up to you. And also this : what you can't change you must endure.”  Endure a word solid as a tree trunk.
It is one of must have books in your shelf - if you have a penchant for mythology. The review is not in any way plagiarised from any other source, it is solely my hard work put into creating the content - except few excerpts from the book picked for citation. It is a narrative of my views - folks are more than welcome to agree or disagree with the above review.