Posted:
This is a telling tale on Indian mind-set. We don't accept strong woman. Pleading women, weeping women, seducing women, foolish women, superficial women - you name any brand and we accept them.
But we don't accept strong women. Strength, mental superiority and iron-ness are things we don't savor in our women. A woman who can control her instincts is a potential threat to male superiority and status quo.
Deep down, the male mind fears a woman who does not fall a prey to her instincts. No temptation comes from outside. The enemy lies within us. A woman can be carried away samundar paar', can be ill treated, all time tested mechanisms, Sam, dam, bhaya, bhed' can be applied on her; yet she can stand her ground. She can do it with a barrier of a grass blade because walls and veils do not protect a woman's dignity; her mind does. Mental strength is the only strength.
Sita, if we look independently is the original satya-agrahi'. Forced to live in Lanka, she refuses to take food, to dress up, in short, to enjoy life. Her mourning becomes her being. She's seduced. She's tortured. She's shown fear. The raakshasis' around her are instructed to mould her in whatever manner they can. The flame of her pure heart converts people like Trijata even in the land of demons.
Here's an epic scene from an immortal epic.
The two flows of life - tamsik' (consumption based) and satwik (abstinence based) are there for everyone to see.
The presentation is powerful.
Sita is slim. She's beautiful. She's vulnerable or so she seems to be. She's lonely. She's deep in sorrow.
Ravana, on the other hand is the king. He's in his own territory. He's powerful or so he seems to be. He's deep in erotic pleasures of life. To top it all, he's brought Sita to Lanka. He's relishing the prospect of enjoying her.
Here's a complete contrast.
No worldly wisdom can predict that Sita would win and Ravana would lose.
Sita challenges the basic patriarchal mind-set which treats women as pawn for all sorts of reasons - revenge, insult, scoring points, conveying messages, fulfilling long nurtured complexes and so on.
There can be more reasons. Why do we have all solid abuses in our country based on women? Your mother', your sister' - we all know them only too well. Women are symbols of weakness. Only women have honor; men do not share such useless things. Ravana was also fulfilling his long cherished complex.
He was rejected by Sita in her swayambar' - this might be the reason.
His sister was insulted by the brothers, Ram and Laxman - that might be the reason.
But his wrath had to fall on a lonely, simple, unarmed, unprotected woman.
Sita refuses to pay the price. She refuses to become a prey of his complicated complexes. She reverts the cycle.
That is Sita. That is a strong woman.
Wishing the cv will understand the in-depth meaning of strong woman not just the surface.
There were many instances in skr which could have portrayed it.
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