Against the Current: Sita and Her Foils in - Bad Request

Pudumaippittan on Ahalya’s Fury about Sita
As his chosen penname, Pudumaippittan [“one who is mad for newness”]
indicates, C. Viruttachalam (1906-1948) found modern literary forms fascinating.
Although he worked in a number of capacities during his life, including as a newspaper
editor and screen writer, and experimented with many forms of prose, he earned his
reputation as Tamil’s pre-eminent modern writer primarily for his short stories. Perhaps
the most incisive, demanding, and frank interrogation of Ahalya’s tale in modern prose,
his “Deliverance from the Curse” appeared in print in 1943. 35 Connoisseurs of modern
Tamil view it as a landmark in modern retellings of puranic tales.
In virtually all pre-twentieth century treatments of Ahalya, the tale functioned
rhetorically as proof that Rama brought deliverance to those in need. Her husband,
Gautama, had cursed her to turn to stone when he learned she had sexual relations with
Indra disguised as Gautama. Rama’s liberation of Ahalya, rather than the details of
Ahalya’s life, justified the story’s inclusion in various Ramayanas. For example, Valmiki
as well as Kampan, the celebrated twelfth-century Tamil poet whom Pudumaippittan
admired deeply, focused upon how Rama removal of Ahalya’s curse and his
compassionate treatment of her, won her devotion.
The taunting disclaimer that preceded Pudumaippittan’s piece, however, indicated
his self-consciousness about diverging from earlier treatments: “For those acquainted
with the Ramayana, this story might be incomprehensible; unpalatable, too. I am not
concerned with that.” Indeed, Rama’s liberation of Ahalya occupied only a small part of
“Deliverance.” The remainder responded to two questions presented as inseparable.
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