Against the Current: Sita and Her Foils in - Bad Request
Against the Current: Sita and Her Foils in - Bad Request Against the Current: Sita and Her Foils in - Bad Request
19 The poem first appeared in Indian Express, 17 November 1985. It later became the basis of skits presented by activists combating the oppression of women and was reprinted in Questioning Ramayanas, p. 239-240. 20 Vijaya Dabbe, Iti Geetike (Manasa Gangotri: Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies, 1996), pp. 51. Translated into English as “The Questions Return” by Pratibha Nandakumar and Shashi Deshpande for Telling Ramayanas in Modern South India. 21 Another meaning of the term is “truth.” 22 I am indebted to Velcheru Narayana Rao for the information about hakku in this paragraph. 23 Nîvu dharmânni jaripe yantram. Nenu pillalni kaneyantram. 24 See Narayana Rao, “A Ramayana of Their Own,” p. 134, note 1, in which he lists the collections of women’s songs on which his paper is based. 25 “Kutirai Kompu” appeared in Paratiyar Kataikal [Stories of Bharathi] Madras: Poompukar Press, 1977, pp. 285-292, was reprinted from Kataikkottu [Collected Stories], (Madras: Parati Piracuralayam, 1938). My translation of the story appeared in “Ram as Abductor: Subrahmaniya Bharati’s Ramayan,” Manushi: A Journal about Women and Society, no. 116 (January-February 2000), pp. 15-18. 26 Bharati named his set of new fables Nava-tantra, a take-off on the classical Sanskrit Pancha-tantra. 27 A straight story is a truthful one while a crooked story, like the crooked scepter of a Tamil king, indicates departure from the proper manner of proceeding. 28 Muppala Ranganayakamma, Ramayanavisavrksam, 3 vols (Hyderabad: Sweet Home Pub., 1974-6). 32
29 “Illage jaigimdi” appears as story 3 in volume one. For a summary of the contents of all three volumes, see www.ranganyakamma.org/summary_of_vishavruksham.html. 30 I am grateful to Nasi Sankagiri for sharing his detailed views on this story. I also benefited from the discussion at the Telugu Literary Society based in Detroit, which discussed Ranganayakkamma’s three- volume novel at their meeting on 9 February 2002. 31 This is not a story that contemporizes the characters per se, since Ranganayakamma identifies herself as a Marxist and sees the Ramayana as a narrative that reflects its origins in a patriarchal and feudal period of history. Nonetheless, the author does indeed re-envision the story through her Marxist framework, a recent ideological prism that shapes the way in which she approaches every incident in her retelling. She locates herself as differing in significant ways from both the Ramayana attributed to Valmiki and from Viswanatha Satyanarayana’s conservative Telugu retelling called Ramayana Kalpavrkasamu [Ramayana the Giving Tree]. To demonstrate her opposition to it, she named her novel, as a rejoinder, Ramayana Visavrksam [Ramayana, the Poison Tree]. 32 “Surpanakha Sokam” was first published in Andhra Sachitra Vara Patrika, 11 May 1984, and was reprinted in Kavanasrama Kathalu (Visakhapatnam: RK Publications, 1995). Alladi Uma and M. Sridhar translated the story into English in Ayoni and Other Stories, pp. 131-138 33 “Rao” is a widely found caste suffix among Telugu Brahmins; Ravana was a Brahmin demon. Ramaraju means “Lord Rama,” and is a non-Brahman name in Andhra. 34 It is beyond the scope of this paper to recount all the clever in-jokes found in this concise but humorous take-off on the story of Surpanakha, but the conceptualization of 33
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19 The poem first appeared <strong>in</strong> Indian Express, 17 November 1985. It later became <strong>the</strong><br />
basis of skits presented by activists combat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> oppression of women <strong>and</strong> was<br />
repr<strong>in</strong>ted <strong>in</strong> Question<strong>in</strong>g Ramayanas, p. 239-240.<br />
20 Vijaya Dabbe, Iti Geetike (Manasa Gangotri: Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies,<br />
1996), pp. 51. Translated <strong>in</strong>to English as “The Questions Return” by Pratibha<br />
N<strong>and</strong>akumar <strong>and</strong> Shashi Deshp<strong>and</strong>e for Tell<strong>in</strong>g Ramayanas <strong>in</strong> Modern South India.<br />
21 Ano<strong>the</strong>r mean<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> term is “truth.”<br />
22 I am <strong>in</strong>debted to Velcheru Narayana Rao for <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation about hakku <strong>in</strong> this<br />
paragraph.<br />
23 Nîvu dharmânni jaripe yantram. Nenu pillalni kaneyantram.<br />
24 See Narayana Rao, “A Ramayana of Their Own,” p. 134, note 1, <strong>in</strong> which he lists <strong>the</strong><br />
collections of women’s songs on which his paper is based.<br />
25 “Kutirai Kompu” appeared <strong>in</strong> Paratiyar Kataikal [Stories of Bharathi] Madras:<br />
Poompukar Press, 1977, pp. 285-292, was repr<strong>in</strong>ted from Kataikkottu [Collected Stories],<br />
(Madras: Parati Piracuralayam, 1938). My translation of <strong>the</strong> story appeared <strong>in</strong> “Ram as<br />
Abductor: Subrahmaniya Bharati’s Ramayan,” Manushi: A Journal about Women <strong>and</strong><br />
Society, no. 116 (January-February 2000), pp. 15-18.<br />
26 Bharati named his set of new fables Nava-tantra, a take-off on <strong>the</strong> classical Sanskrit<br />
Pancha-tantra.<br />
27 A straight story is a truthful one while a crooked story, like <strong>the</strong> crooked scepter of a<br />
Tamil k<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>dicates departure from <strong>the</strong> proper manner of proceed<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
28 Muppala Ranganayakamma, Ramayanavisavrksam, 3 vols (Hyderabad: Sweet Home<br />
Pub., 1974-6).<br />
32
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