A Powerful Tale of Love, Betrayal and Respect – Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments is Sita's Ramayan

 

After reading ‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Divakaruni, I was really looking forward to reading ‘The Forest of Enchantments’, mostly because I was mesmerized by her portrayal of the deep emotions of some of the most talked about mythological characters, accompanied by an engaging writing style.

Both the books force you to really take a step back and think about the characters and events from a fresh perspective. Mostly because we have read the Ramayana and the Mahabharata form childhood, we have a certain impression about some of the characters, which you will be forced to rethink.

Coming back to ‘The Forest of Enchantments’, the book starts with Sita’s twins leaving for Ayodhya along with sage Valmiki to sing the great Ramayana written by the sage himself in King Ram’s court. Predicting that the epic written by Valmiki will not be even close to her version of the story, Sita sets on to write her own epic, The Sitayana. The Forest of Enchantments is Sitayana.

We follow Sita, from teenage to the very last day of her life, and the people around – the people she loved and who loved her. We follow through her childhood lessons of martial arts, her extreme knowledge about herbs and their medicinal properties and her fondness towards gardens and it’s flowers and trees. Her bond with her sister Urmila is special, they are mostly found sharing their happy and sad moments together, most willingly there for each other through life. Her selfless love for Ram right from the moment they placed eyes on each other of course becomes the center of the plot. Sita’s nervousness to leave Mithila and go to Ayodhya after her marriage is like any other woman. She listens when her mother sits her down and prepares her, listing the do’s and don’ts as she steps into her in-laws. Her innocent bond with Shiva’s bow and the conversations they share prepares her for the extreme journey of her life. Sita is found questioning the characteristics of love and happiness, with each unfolding event, each being more difficult to bear than the previous, and the constant turmoil going on inside her as she continuously juggles between her duties as a queen, a daughter, a sister and a lover.

I found the depiction of some of the characters quite new and interesting, Queen Kaikeyi being one of them. The most beautiful and skillful among King Dasharath’s three queens, Kaikeyi is shown in a different light – her pride, her competitiveness and her overall bold character is bound to attract your attention. Another one is Lakshman. He is described to be the serious, obedient brother – hardly found smiling, mostly frowning, willing to give up everything for the sake of his brother.

Characters like Ravaan, Mandodari, Surpankha and Hanuman are portrayed with special care. Sita’s repulsion mixed hatred towards Ravaan, learning Ravaan’s story (what makes him the person he is) and as she spends her days in captivity in Lanka, is there any change in her perception of the beautiful beyond imagination golden land of the rakshasas and it’s people? What did Sita think about Lakshman’s disorientation of Surpanakha’s face when she offered her love to the two brothers, which eventually led to all her sufferings? You need to read the book to find out!

The description of the palaces, the royal courts, the forests and Lanka are exceptionally vivid, making the reader visualize every intricate detail in the mind. The book is a fantastic page turner and gives you a ride through the emotional turmoil, happiness, heartbreak, betrayal and devotion faced by Sita, in her tragic love story.

My rating - 4/5

Happy Reading! 😇