SIGNIFICANCE OF SITA IN TODAY’S WORLD

Sari clad Sita sitting under a tree, waiting for Lord Ram to rescue her; a scene from the Ramlila comes to my mind when I think of Ramayana and Sita in particular. The image altered when I grew up as I familiarized myself with the different versions of Ramayana. It changed from the demure to the tough character she is in actuality.

The traditional tale ascribes Rama as the savior and Sita as submissive Pativrata following her husband everywhere. Real Sita is modern yet traditional in her approach in dealing with the situations in her life. The situations range from her Swayamvara to accompanying her husband to fourteen years of exile to remaining faithful while in captivity and yet proving her chastity in front of fire to bringing up her children all by herself and finally  going down to mother earth when asked  to prove her purity again.

 Sita in her own way represented rebellion and the power to say no. She has a strong sense of self which is evident to her reaction to her captor Ravan and also in her reaction to her ordeal by fire. She in a way gives power and strength to women who put up with problems and do not speak up. Sita is an integral part of our psyche. She is more relevant today as a torch bearer of women’s rights.

 Every Indian woman has a fragment of Sita in her. Proportion may vary but the rudiments are there. She is placid though tough, calm but focused. She has the capacity to overcome all the hurdles that life throws on her and comes up successful. In an authoritative patriarchal society she finds a place for herself.

 Has something really changed for today’s women from the time of Sita? Not  Much. Unlike men, she has to prove her chastity all the time. She is put in restraining and self-effacing roles. Why? The answer lies in the patriarchal attitude of the society as a whole. The Laxman Rekha still exists in the way men control women; ranging from her behavior, her dress up, who she interacts with and where she goes. Social ridicule and abandonment are the punishments she has to face in case she defies the order of the family she is married into. Women are facing problems and finding solutions with resilience and will power.

Some positive changes are there over a period of time but much needs to be done. The grooming of the boys at young age of being equal to girls in all respects will bring about an attitudinal change which will go a long way in reducing the disparities.

Mahatma Gandhi had advocated women be encouraged to smash the chains of domesticity, to come out of purdah, to lead political movements and be part of an equal world. We need more men like him, Ram Mohan Roy, B R Ambedkar, Ishwar Chander Vidyasagar and Jyotirao Phule to fight for women’s rights so that our daughters grow up in an equal world. It may seem like Utopia but is it asking for much?