|
|||||||
| Language and Cultural Identity in Amish Tripathi's Sita: Warrior of Mithila | |||||||
| Paper Id :
17447 Submission Date :
04/03/2023 Acceptance Date :
18/03/2023 Publication Date :
22/03/2023
This is an open-access research paper/article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For verification of this paper, please visit on
http://www.socialresearchfoundation.com/anthology.php#8
|
|||||||
| |||||||
| Abstract | Language is a tool of communication, whereas cultural identity refers to an individual’s sense of belonging to a particular culture or group. These two inter-connected and inter-dependent variables, for the study of this mythological novel, involves learning about and accepting traditions, spirituality, ancestry, aesthetics, thinking patterns, foods, festivals, values, customs, etc. Moreover, myths and epics are exemplary patterns for knowing cultural history of a country. These patterns, in a country like India, also laid the foundation of many ideologies and concepts, which are apparent even today in Indian life and society. Perhaps this is the reason why Indian society envisages epics and myths—the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagwad Gita, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana, etc, as the finest examples to guide the behaviour of many people rooted in Indian culture. The present study is a modest attempt to explore language and cultural identity in Amish Tripathi's Sita: Warrior of Mithila through the reflective journey of Sita. In this novel, Sita is not merely a character of the Ramayana, but she becomes a real woman who observes and learns from various phases of her life and accordingly inspires many through her words and deeds. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keywords | Traditions, Myth, Epic, Language, Cultural Identity, Sita, exile. | ||||||
| Introduction |
Literature is the mirror of society, which reflects social, cultural, economical and historical life of human beings. On seeing historically, literature is no longer bounded by any specific, cultural, economic, political or linguistics constraints, therefore, Indian fiction in English also has a relatively short but highly charged history. Today Indian English Fiction has developed into a branched tree with stable roots. This came about only because of the conscious and commendable efforts by many writers in the past. The present day has its vicinity writers like Kiran Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri, Jaishree Mishra, Anees Jung, Aravind Adiga, Chetan Bhagat, Vikram Seth, Anita Nair and Amish Tripathi, etc. For most of the households in India there was a time when sitting in front of the television and watching Ramayan and Mahabharat and any others retelling of Mythological stories was almost like family rituals. The tales were told through generations almost hypnotizing the children who would hold into every word like the absolute truth weaving a world of their own and always reimagining themselves as the leads. The main reason for the popularity of Mythological stories was because they offered something for everyone |
||||||
| Aim of study | Mythological thrillers have become a genre in itself, with more and more writers giving wings and words to their imaginations. We are driven to discover these messages from the past and communicate them in a modern way through good stories. So here a study is made to know the language and cultural identity used in Sita: Warrior of Mithila, the second book of Ram Chandra Series written by Amish Tripathi. | ||||||
| Review of Literature | Unlike in more traditional retellings of the Ramayan,
Amish 'Sita is a warrior princess who proves herself as an able administrator
and strategist. Many researchers, in their own ways have interpreted and
evaluated Amish Tripathi's novel 'Sita: Warrior of Mithila'.His works have been
explored by various authors with various aspects and perspectives.But no
research paper seems to be written on ,' Language and Cultural Identity in Amish
tripathi 's Sita: Warrior of Mithila '.It is necessary to review a few
literature available on his works on the same book. Devi ,T.V. Sri Vaishnavi," Reinventing Sati and
Sita: A Study of Amish Tripathi 's Central Women Characters from a Feminist Perspective."
Adalya Journal,Vol.9, issue 1, January 2020,pp.504-511,Web
G.,Dr.Sivranjani. "The Portrayal of Sita by Kambar
and Amish Tripathi : A Comparative Study."Pune Research Scholar,vol.5,
issue 3, pp.1-4,June-July,2019, Web. |
||||||
| Main Text | The present
study examines the Language and Cultural Identity in Amish Tripathi's Sita :
Warrior of Mithila through the ruminative journey of Sita. Memories of deals
and speech of Sita and other characters of the book keep men and women
consoled, refreshed, strengthened and help to steady them in life. In this
novel Sita is not just a character of the Ramayana but she is an able
administrator and force warrior. And the reflective life’s events of Sita
inspire many in their lives. This is the
second book in the Ram Chandra series Sita: Warrior of Mithila published in 2017,
deals with the character of Sita in the light of a new woman. The author cracks
to modify the operable impression of voiceless Sita of Ramayana into a voice of
present day woman. The present novel is based on mythology which has a
significant role in structuring and deconstructing the image of women from
exploited, suppressed and weak creatures to powerful strong, empowered and
social and national reformers. As the book's
title shows that the main character in the book is Sita and the whole story
rotates around her. The journey of Sita's childhood, education, ruling of
kingdom and selected as a Vishnu, her Swayamvara and exile with Ram and
Lakshmana is retold. Sita is depicted
as the one who is born to revert Dharma. Sita is shown as the Avtar of Goddess
Laxmi, the companion of Vishnu. She is portrayed as the symbol of female purity
and virtue. The story of the
book Sita: Warrior of Mithila starts when king Janak and Queen Sunaina were
travelling through Trikut Hills to take the blessings of Kanyakumari. "Janak the
king of Mithila and his wife, queen Sunaina had travelled a long way to the
Trikut Hills, nearly a hundred Kilometers, South of Ganga River sought to meet
the legendary Kanya kumari and the royal family certainly needed her blessing."
(Page 14) When they were
passing through the jungle the queen saw a pack of wolves which had surrounded
a solitary vulture. The vulture was screaming loudly. The pack of volves was
trying to close in but the bird repeatedly pushed them back. Queen Sunaina
pushed her horse and began to rush towards the scene. "Sunaina
was perhaps fifty meters away when she noticed the bundle for the first time.
The vulture was protecting it from the pack of volves. It was lodged in what
looked like a little furrow in the dry mud. The bundle moved 'By the great Lord
Parshuram! excalimed Sunaina. 'Thats a baby!" (Page 17) Sunaina was
overjoyed to see the child and she told king Janak about the child. Janak and
Sunaina pronounced to adopt the baby child. Now Sita turned
to five years of age, on the same day Queen Kaushalya, the eldest wife of King
Dashrath of Ayodhya, gave birth to a son named Ram. Sita is growing as
beautiful and courageous just like Sunaina. Sunaina is also
shown as a brave and pragmatic lady who is sensibly governing the kingdom
individually whenever king Janak is spending most of his time in the world of
Philosophy. Sunaina is
runtuning Sita in a way that she can rule the kingdom of Mithila one day. As
she says; " You will
help me govern Mithila someday,' said Sunaina. 'You will need to be mature and
pragmatic you must use your heart to decide the destination, but use your head
to plot the journey. People who only listen to their hearts usually fail. On
the other hand people who only use their heads tend to be selfish. Only the
heart can make you think of others before yourself. For the safe of Dharma, you
must aim for equality and balance in society. Perfect equality can never be
achieved but we must try to reduce inequality as much as we can. But don't fall
into the trap of stereotypes. Don't assume that the powerful are always bad or
that the powerless are always good. There is good and bad in everyone. (P-36). Now Sita is
eight years old when king Janak and queen Sunaina chose Rishi Shvetketu's
Gurukul for her to learn different subjects life philosophy, mathematics,
science and Sanksrit. She learns other subjects also like geography, history,
economics and royal administration. Sunaina insisted Sita to learn warfare and
martial arts. Sita spent five
years in Gurukul of Shvetketu. She was thirteen when Maharishi Vishwamitra was
on visit to the Gurukul. He observed Sita's powers in warfare with a keen eye.
Guru Shvetkatu told him about Sita's strength and merits in every field of
life. "She has
the wisdom of king Janak, great Malayaputra', answered Shvetketu. ’But she also
has the pragmatism and fighting spirit of Queen Sunaina. And, done I say, my
gurukul teachers have moulded her spirit well.' (Page -51) Maharishi
Vishwamitra visited the gurukul for the second time and confirmed Sita as a
seventh Vishnu, who are propagators of good. He was persuaded being the next
Vishnu about Sita for being the next Vishnu. At the age of
sixteen Sita lost her mother Sunaina. And she maintained the law and order of
Mithila as the Prime Minister. She was now a beautiful young lady and of
marriageable age. She has convinced her father to arrange the Sawayamvara for
her to get married to Ram for the future of India. Sita requested Vishwamitra
to somehow get Ram to Mithila for the Swayamvara. Vishwamitra took Ram and
Lakshman to kings Janak’s court at Mithila. In Janak’s court there was a test
of powers to win the hand of Sita, Janak had announced that whoever bends and
strings the great Shiva’s bow he has with him and uses it to purpose will get
her hand in marriage. Firstly Lanka's king Raavan began to walk towards Pinaka
then Vishwamitra stopped him and announced that the first man to complete is
Ram. After hearing the declaration Raavan glared at Vishwamitra and then at Ram
and felt insulted then shortly left the Swayamvara. Ram easily bends
the bow and when he tries to string it, it snaps into two. Janak is glad and
offers Sita's hand to Ram, the prince of Ayodhya. Raavan besieges
Mithila next day with 10,000 troops after being insulted. Mithila's police
force was too short to face the battle with Raavan. For the sake of Mithila Ram
is compelled by Vishwamitra to use the Asurastra, the biological weapons,
banned many centuries ago by Lord Rudra, the previous Mahadev. "It was
well known that Lord Rudra, the previous Mahadev, had banned the unauthorized
use of daivi astras many centuries ago. Those who broke the law would be
punished with banishment for fourteen years, he had decreed. Breaking the law
for the second time would be punished by death." (P-236) For about a year
after marriage of Ram Dashrath thinks it was time he handed over the kingdom to
Ram who is the rightful successor according to ancient custom. The announcement
of King's desire pleases all people. The rejoicings in the town were fully in
swing. But unfortunately on the very day on which Ram's coronation was to take
place. Ram, Lakshman and Sita left Ayodhya for the exile for breaking the law
of Lord Rudra. While wandering here and there far away from Ayodhya, Ram, Sita
and Lakshman decided to set up their Shelter on the bank of river Godavari in
the forest of Dandkananya.
There are nearly the closing years of the exile events gather round when Surpnakha (sister of Ravan) falls in love with Ram and offers herself as wife of him instead of Sita. For a while, she is playfully fussed between the brothers; but when she hurts Sita she is deformed and dismissed. Then she made haste for complain to Raavan on the happenings and urged him to punish Ram. Her description of Sita as the most beautiful woman fits more for Ravan than Ram acts as additional stimulus to Ravan to lay out a plan to abduct Sita. One day Ravan came to abduct Sita with his army when Ram and Lakshman were away from Dankaranya forest for hunting. Sita fights Raavan and his army along with Jatayu and Makrant. And lastly Sita fainted and was abducted by Ravan. When brothers returned Sita was not found anywhere then they saw Jatayu who was dying for having defended Sita against Ravan. Here is a clue what had happened. Ram Resuced Sita with the help of Hanuman and Vibhishan and returned Ayodhya happily. Ram fights Ravan and punishes him for his evil deeds. |
||||||
| Conclusion | This is to conclude that Sita is rightly a personality and character which has earned the love and regard of the people through the ages. She is not a week or clinging type of heroine and can never be taken for granted. Her sense of pride dignity is high and for all the sweetness and amiability of her character, she speaks her mind. She stands by Ram in all her fortunes. Her life is a strange mixture of the real and the ideal. | ||||||
| References | Secondary Sources
1. Cultural Identity in the selected Novels of Raja Rao and Amish Tripathi by S. Kumar-Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian thesis @ INFLIBNET
2. From a Victom to A Warrior : Journey of Sita in Amish Tripathi's "Sita : Warrior of Mitihila" Dr. Manish Kumar K. Bhaduria Research Scholar, School of Language, Department of English, Gujarat University, Ahamadabad
3. Chhetri, Priyam, "Tripathi's Sita : Wonder Woman from Mithila" Deccan Chronicle 9 June 2017
4. The News Indian Express on Culture, Language and Identity by Nanditha Krishna, Published, 30th January 2021, 07.21 A.M.
5. Relationship between Language, Culture and Identity, Cool Chandni, May 02, 2014
6. Racism Noway The Importance of Culture, Language and Identity, racismnoway.com.au
7. Fry Herman Northrop World Authors, The H.W. Wilson Company, 1975, P-507
8. Re-Framing Feminity through retelling mythology; A feministic study of Amish's Sita December 2020. Dr. Priti Bala Sharma, Amity University
9. A Comparative Study Hindu Scripture in Fiction of Amish Tripathi and Ashok Banker by Anil Kumar R. Patel Chintan Prakashan Kanpur – 208021
10. The Cultural Identity esofindia.indiatimes.com, Mridul Mazumdar April 04 2020, 17.07 IST
11. https://literarydevices.net>myth Example and Definition of myth literary Devices
12. http://writingexplained.org>myth What is myth? Definition, Examples of myth in Literature
13. https://englishliterature.net>epic Epic definition and example literary device – English Literature
Primary Source
Sita: Warrior of Mithila Westland 2017 |
||||||
| Endnote | 1. Vishnu Sita replies, Vishnu is a title given to the greatest of the leaders, who are propagators of Good. They leads their people into a new way of life. There have been six Vishnues in this present Vedic age that we live in. The previous Vishnu was the great Lord Parshu am (Sita 134) 2. Kanyakumari, the Virgin Goddess. A divine child. It was believed across the Sapt Sindhu, level of the seven rivers, that the blessings of the living goddess helped all who came to her with a clean heart. And the royal family of Mithila needed her. |
||||||
