Review: Chaitali Sengupta
The Vanquished Queen: The diary of Kaikeyi
Author: Ramkishore Mehta
Hawakal publishers, ₹ 450.00 INR
ISBN:978-93-914314-88
The Hindu epic Ramayan
focuses on the legend of Lord Shri Ram- the supreme man (Maryada Purushottam)
who perfected righteousness. Although the epic is peopled with several women
characters, they are mostly portrayed as powerless characters who not only
endure extreme events but are also secondary to the status of men. The women in
this epic are examples of their indomitable sense of stree dharma, be it
Sita, Kaushlaya, or Urmila. The only exception is Kaikeyi, the second queen of
king Dasharath, the fierce, villainous stepmother of Shri Ram.
Ramkishore Mehta’s original book ‘Parajita ka Atmakathya’ claims to be a translation from Prakrit. It is based on the events described in the Valmiki Ramayan. Independent researcher Aishikk Sengupta says at the outset that ‘The author pens down his own narrative that he borrows from trusted translations and commentaries of the epic’. The translator Prof. Seema Jain explains that she “found the novel appealing in its logical interpretation of many aspects of the epic, which are floated as myths for public consumption.”
In a postmodernist milieu, it becomes
relevant to reinterpret both the mythological tales and the characters therein.
This is not a novel path; such reinterpretations have also happened before. The
plot line does not change, only the storytelling becomes different with the
passage of time. In ‘The Vanquished queen: the diary of Kaikeyi’ Mehta
revisits the character of Kaikeyi. She is the most despised, hated, abhorred
queen of Indian mythology. She’s the one who plots ruthlessly against Shri Ram
and is remembered for her dark deed of banishing him
to the forest, along with his brother and wife.
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Chaitali Sengupta |
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Seema Jain |
But such thoughts anger her. She
is a born leader, fearless at heart, a skillful warrior, raising questions
about a woman’s position in society. “This patriarchal society has equated
woman to the Earth or Wealth, for the possession of which man has fought wars.
My daughter, is it not insulting for a woman to be treated as inanimate, like
the Earth or Wealth? Are you happy being regarded as an object of consumption?”
(Page 29) The book abounds with her bold, questioning views which Sita, Kausalya
and Urmila have trouble digesting. Till the very end, Kaikeyi is shown striving
to ‘have a matriarchal society where women would show to men that they are
much more than mere biological tools for child-bearing and child-rearing.’
(Page 20) In this regard, the advice she gives to Sita stands out. ‘My
daughter! I’m talking to you of developing your potential in such a way that
the other person has no choice but to regard you as his equal, this being
dependent not on his convenience but on your potential and capabilities.’
(Page 29)
While Kausalya and Sumitra were
mostly dedicated mothers, endowed with ‘a supreme and fathomless capacity to
sacrifice everything’, she, Kaikeyi-the maharani- could not ‘involve
herself enough in the upbringing of Bharata’ (page 129) due to her anxieties
and manipulative efforts, her increasing interference in the state affairs. Kaikeyi’s
thoughts on having a matured spy network and state detective force, her
increasing influence on the council of ministers and the unstinted support she
received from Dashrath’s chief minister and priest Vasishta show her dominance
in the male-dominated society. She views Shri Ram and his world through a
feminist lens and although she praises him to be a clever statesman, with an
expert understanding of the intrigues and conspiracies Kaikeyi hatched from the
palace, she also despises him for sending Sita into exile. ‘Whatever
happened to Sita, the whole mankind should never forget that.’ (Page 39)
Prof. Seema Jain’s translation is lucid and masterful. It turns this enthralling and startling narrative into a quick and easy read. Balancing authenticity with readability is a difficult task when one is translating. Prof. Jain must receive her due credit for it. She has surely been able to ferry across the fiery, tainted, cursed Kaikeyi in the present-day context, as a strong female character. As a result, her work has indeed become ‘another pathbreaking milestone in creative and critical discourse.’ (Page 12)
Bio-note: Chaitali Sengupta is a published writer, poet, translator, and reviewer based in the Netherlands. Timeless tales in Translation is her latest work of 12 translated short stories by Indian authors. Cross Stitched words, her debut collection of prose-poems, is the recipient of an Honorary mention award at the New England Book Festival 2021. Her book Legends Speak: Bengali women’s narratives in translation is a collaborative work of translation.
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