It was an event that book lovers were gung-ho about. US-based author
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, who is an author, poet and activist, was in the city recently and her fans were an excited lot at the SoBo event.
The author of The Forest of Enchantments, who teaches writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Programme, read out from her latest book, at the event. Her book places Sita at the centre of the novel and tells the
Ramayana from Sita’s point of view. It comments on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, depicting women’s struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men.
The author read the book and signed copies at
Crossword Bookstores
. It was a thrilling experience for the customers. Kartik
Swaminathan, a young attendee said, “This was entirely different from our grandma’s version of the Ramayana. It’s contemporary, more insightful and certainly powerful.”
Welcoming the author, Maulik Desai, among the organisers said, “Our bookstore has pioneered the entire experience of attending reading sessions with authors, bringing readers closer to them than ever before, and changing the way books are being consumed today. In her book Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has weaved a familiar story into a whole new tapestry for the readers.”
The author read out excerpts from the book at the event and her fans just couldn’t get enough.
Here are a few excerpts from, which tells the ancient epic from Sita’s perspective.
‘How entangled love is with expectation, that poison vine!’ muses Sita, as she awaits for Ram’s return. She had herself sent Ram on an errand to capture a deer that had captivated her attention, against Lakshman’s wishes!
“If Ram is a lion, you’re a dog. If Ram is fragrant
sandalwood paste, you’re gutter mud,” screams Sita with rage, when Ravan asks her to imagine herself in his embrace.
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