“Lanka’s
Princess” - Kavita Kane
We all have heard, read and seen the story of
Ram, the great warrior Prince of Ayodhya. Some from Ram’s point of view,
some from Sita’s and a few from Ravan’s or Hanuman’s perspective. Each version
represented its protagonist in a different way. All of them lead to the
depiction of the final battle between the good and evil, but none really sheds
light towards why the evil became evil and why was the good drawn towards going
for a battle.
Lanka’s princess, Surpanakha is the central
character in this book by Kavita Kane. Surpanakha, hard as nails, was named
Meenakshi when born. Her unsparing character leads her mother and siblings to
rename her Surpanakha. She was more of an asura but was very attached to
her father, a rishi. Ignored by her mother over the more favourable
Ravan and Kumbha, Meenu turned towards her naani for love and care.
When Ravan won Lanka, the golden city, from his
step brother Kuber, he lavished his sister with riches and grandeur befitting a
princess. After bitter altercations and blackmailing, Meenu went on to marry
Vidyujiva, Ravan’s rival, who wanted to usurp Ravan and take over Lanka.
However, madly in love, Meenu could not see beyond the tenderness and love of
Vidyujiva for which she had hungered since she was a child. The deviously scheming Ravan waited for more
than a decade to kill Meenu’s husband. In the ensuing wrath, Meenu left Lanka
to reside in Dandak forest, where she trained her son Kumar to seek vengeance
from Ravan. However, Kumar was accidently killed while meditating by Lakshman.
In rage, Surpanakha approached Ram, Sita and Lakshman. She was taken aback by
the two handsome princes and proposed them. They jested with her but refused to
marry. Again facing rejection and being shunned by them, she attacked Sita.
Lakshman on his elder brother’s order mutilated her face and sent her on her
way. After devious plotting and molding the situation to her needs, she
approached Ravan and asked for justice for herself while keeping Ravan equally
enthralled by telling him that the spoil of the war will be Sita, the one he
longed for. The rest as we all know is history or rather mythology in this
case. Surpanakha got her retribution.
This take on Ramayana from the Surpanakha’s
side is eye opening. It begs you to dwell on the intensity of vile on the ‘other
side’ of the war. Were the auras really that evil? Was Surpanakha evil?
Was she forced under the pressure of circumstances to become evil? Did she
chose this path of destruction or was she unknowingly steered towards it by her
destiny? A minor character in the yearly held Ramleelas becomes the central
character in this book that makes it an even more interesting read. The unknown
facts are revealed and amalgamated into the story.
I have always been a fan of mythological and period
literature. This too adds to my shelf as a prized possession, something that is
rare to find and surprises you till the end of the pages.
My Take: Read it for a fresh perspective
towards what you already know.
Book Courtesy: WritersMelon
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