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Sita Ramayana Samhita Arni Moyna Chitrakar 9781554981458 Books

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Sita Ramayana Samhita Arni Moyna Chitrakar 9781554981458 Books

This graphic novel is an interesting retelling of the Hindu epic The Ramayana from the point of view of Sita, the queen of Ayodhya. The words are written by Samhita Arni, who as a child wrote an absorbing retelling of another Hindu epic: The Mahabharata: A Child's View. The colorful, dramatic, appealing pictures are by Moyna Chitrakar, a folk artist who lives in West Bengal, India.

Sita is not known for being particularly active or assertive. In fact, her obedience and devotion to her husband Rama are legendary. Yet by focusing on Sita's point of view, this retelling has something to say about a woman's perspective on war and justice.

The story begins at the end, with the queen Sita entering the forest and begging the forest to shelter her. The forest wants to know why she was banished from Ayodhya, and she tells her story.

This retelling emphasizes Sita's compassion for other women, including those who are considered enemies by the men. She believes that Lakshmana's rash decision to cut off the demoness Surpanaka's nose is the cause of her (Sita's) abduction and the war in Lanka. "Violence breeds violence, and an unjust act only begets greater injustice," Sita says.

When she is Ravana's prisoner in Lanka, Sita becomes close to one of her demoness guards: Trijatha, who, unlike the other guards, feels compassion for Sita. It is Trijatha who tells Sita the story of the war between Rama and Ravana.

As much as Sita is overjoyed that Rama won the war, she still feels compassion for Mandodari, Ravana's widow, as well as for all the other "enemy" women. "They would be queens no more, and their people had met death on the battlefield-for what? For one man's unlawful desire. . . . It was such a high price to pay."

The story also features a few other powerful females, including an apsara (divine female) who warns Hanuman about a sorcerer, and the goddess Chandi Devi.

In the end, of course, even Sita's devotion to Rama cannot help her against the rumors that surround her because of her sojourn with Ravana. Sita finally makes a decision to leave Rama and return to her mother, the Earth.

I have included this book on my online Gender Equality Bookstore.


Tags : Sita's Ramayana [Samhita Arni, Moyna Chitrakar] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>The Ramayana is an epic poem by the Hindu sage Valmiki, written in ancient Sanskrit sometime after 300 BC. It is an allegorical story that contains important Hindu teachings,Samhita Arni, Moyna Chitrakar,Sita's Ramayana,Groundwood Books,155498145X,Comics & Graphic Novels - General,Fairy Tales & Folklore - Country & Ethnic,Cartoons and comics,Comic books, strips, etc,Folklore - India,Graphic novels,Graphic novels.,Legends;India;Comic books, strips, etc.,Legends;India;Juvenile literature.,Man-woman relationships,Vaalmaiki,Valmiki,Vishnu (Hindu deity),CHILDREN'S FOLKTALES & MYTHOLOGY,CHILDREN'S GRAPHIC WORKS (GENERAL),COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS Literary,Canada,Children: Grades 4-6,India,JUVENILE,JUVENILE FICTION Comics & Graphic Novels General,JUVENILE FICTION Fairy Tales & Folklore Country & Ethnic,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Folk Tales Mythology Fables,Juvenile Grades 4-6 Ages 9-11,Juvenile literature,Legends,Young Adult Graphic Novels

Sita Ramayana Samhita Arni Moyna Chitrakar 9781554981458 Books Reviews

This book was in the graphic novel section of our local library which happens to be my 9 year old son's favorite area. I am a yoga teacher and pulled it off the shelf because it was telling "The Ramayana" story from, as the title makes clear, Sita's perspective. My son, who draws, found the artwork compelling, liked that it had Hanuman and "that guy with a lot of heads". We checked it out. My son was thoroughly engrossed in this book. I was truly surprised how fast he read it and how much he had to say about it. "Sita's Ramayana" is a big hit.

I came on smile. today hoping to find another book collaboration between Ms. Arni and Ms. Chitrakar -- alas, we'll have to go with something else. Perhaps, if the author and illustrator see this review they'll consider another project together.
I got this book for my twelve-year-old daughter to read as part of her study of Ancient India, because I was intrigued with the idea of a warrior epic re-told from a woman's point of view. Along with Sita's Ramayana, my daughter and I read a good, brief summary or two of the Ramayana and several of the cantos (particularly those dealing with Sita) in R.C. Dutt's translation (available on the web).

I've come to love this book -- but it wasn't love at first sight. At first, I was rather put off by the illustrations -- definitely not my style and I found them difficult to "read." I often had trouble telling one character from another, or understanding the action. My daughter, who is quite accustomed to reading graphic novels and manga, read half the book and put it down in frustration, saying that it was hard to understand and then her favorite character was killed (I never found out who that was, but it must have been a bad guy!).

However, as I read the book slowly and carefully (having first studied the portraits of the "cast of characters" at the beginning of the book), I got better at reading the illustrations and found that I could understand the story quite well -- and it was beautifully told. And my daughter picked up the book again, finished it, and said she thought she understood it well enough.

Then I read the book again, aloud, to my daughter (and we worked together on understanding the illustrations) and this time the poignancy of Sita's story struck me even more strongly. The entire scene of Sita's reunion with Rama after he wins the war with Ravana (a scene which does not appear in the original Ramayana; it must have been created by the author and the illustrator of this book) -- this scene is heart-wrenching, but also uplifting because of Sita's strength, clear vision, and willingness to "speak truth to power." Sita's confrontation of Rama about the destructiveness of his actions, and her profound statements of the effects of war on women and children -- these are some of the most powerful and moving statements of truth I've ever read, in any work.

To my surprise, my daughter was captivated by the cantos of Dutt's Ramayana that I read aloud to her The Tale of the Hermit's Son, The Breaking of the Bow, Mandodari's Lament, Ordeal by Fire, Woman's Truth Vindicated, and Sita Lost. (When a couplet was difficult to understand, I would read it, explain it to her, then read it again.) She says she wants to read the entire Ramayana. I'm hoping to find Dutt's translation in book form, and the Chandrabati Ramayana (another retelling of the myth from a womanly point of view).

This experience has been a reminder to me that we shouldn't underestimate children's capacity to understand and appreciate the great epics. Pre-teens and young teens seem to crave heroic tales, and the same kids who gobble up "fan fiction" series can be fascinated by literature like the Ramayana, if we give them the opportunity.

But back to Arni and Chitrakar's beautiful Sita's Ramayana -- Moms, read this book to your daughters! And perhaps even more important -- read it to your sons...again and again as they grow, if necessary!
The illustrations are excellent and give a good introduction to Eastern culture. there could be added a little more explanation or a basic outline of this story (myth). Perhaps some follow ups ; addition books on this subject matter. Canada has become a nation of polyglots and this arouses more curiosity about our new Canadians.
I was looking for a storybook, not a comic book style take on epic. I still admire the effort though.
This version of the Ramayana is perfection. It is beautifully written from Sita's point of view. The art is very earthy; bold strokes and strong colors evoke strong emotions from the reader. I thought Sanjay Patel's version of the Ramayana was the bee's knees (and it is) but Sita's Ramayana is the bee's knees and cat's pajamas!
This graphic novel is an interesting retelling of the Hindu epic The Ramayana from the point of view of Sita, the queen of Ayodhya. The words are written by Samhita Arni, who as a child wrote an absorbing retelling of another Hindu epic The Mahabharata A Child's View. The colorful, dramatic, appealing pictures are by Moyna Chitrakar, a folk artist who lives in West Bengal, India.

Sita is not known for being particularly active or assertive. In fact, her obedience and devotion to her husband Rama are legendary. Yet by focusing on Sita's point of view, this retelling has something to say about a woman's perspective on war and justice.

The story begins at the end, with the queen Sita entering the forest and begging the forest to shelter her. The forest wants to know why she was banished from Ayodhya, and she tells her story.

This retelling emphasizes Sita's compassion for other women, including those who are considered enemies by the men. She believes that Lakshmana's rash decision to cut off the demoness Surpanaka's nose is the cause of her (Sita's) abduction and the war in Lanka. "Violence breeds violence, and an unjust act only begets greater injustice," Sita says.

When she is Ravana's prisoner in Lanka, Sita becomes close to one of her demoness guards Trijatha, who, unlike the other guards, feels compassion for Sita. It is Trijatha who tells Sita the story of the war between Rama and Ravana.

As much as Sita is overjoyed that Rama won the war, she still feels compassion for Mandodari, Ravana's widow, as well as for all the other "enemy" women. "They would be queens no more, and their people had met death on the battlefield-for what? For one man's unlawful desire. . . . It was such a high price to pay."

The story also features a few other powerful females, including an apsara (divine female) who warns Hanuman about a sorcerer, and the goddess Chandi Devi.

In the end, of course, even Sita's devotion to Rama cannot help her against the rumors that surround her because of her sojourn with Ravana. Sita finally makes a decision to leave Rama and return to her mother, the Earth.

I have included this book on my online Gender Equality Bookstore.