DesiPundit

Samanth interviews Nina Paley on the origins of her Sita Sings the Blues project. Youu’re missing out if you haven’t yet checked out her animated retelling of the Ramayan!

In Thiruvananthapuram, I read my first Ramayana, the Amar Chitra Katha version. I was puzzled and somewhat appalled that Sita was considered a heroine. She seemed so submissive — a terrible role model. But I was intrigued and wanted to understand why Sita and Ram were so revered. So I started reading other versions. That is when I discovered (that) the Uttara Kandam (the last seven sections of the epic that detail the life of Ram and Sita after they return from exile) is simply left out of many editions, which was even more intriguing. It made me want to read more versions.