Reading Notes: Sita Singes the Blues, Second Half


  • Interestingly, begins with a comparison of a cheating laundry man's wife and Sita - implying a comparison of Rama with the laundry man 
    • Rama, while he does not beat his wife, does banish her 
  • Sita blames it on her karma - interesting, considering that she is also considered an incarnation of the Goddess
  • Her twins, Lava and Kusha, learn the songs of Rama from sage Valmiki - the same Rama that did injustice to their mother, although they don't know that 
  • On the side story, Nina's boyfriend breaks up with her, and Nina is very sad and begs him to have her back 
    • In a way, parallel to Sita's story; she is playing the subjugated one here
  • When Rama hears Lava and Kusha singing his praise one day, he realizes they are his sons; he invites Sita back to Ayodhya, contingent that she does another trial by fire 
  • Sita takes this as too much, and decides to prove her purity another way: by calling upon Mother Earth to take her back into her womb
    • And thus, Sita forfeits her time on earth 
  • Interestingly, the end of the movie shows Vishnu at the feet of Lakshmi - complete opposite from normal imagery!
    • Indicates the filmmaker's respect for Sita
    • Very interesting plot twist here - Lakshmi takes the dominant role in the divine duo

An image of Rama and Sita emphasizing Sita as a manifestation of the Supreme Goddess Adi Parashakti (pictured in the top right).

Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues, Link to Animated Movie

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to a Future Doctor and Leisure Philosopher

Image
Hello all! My name is Vinay Kalvacherla, and I am a sophomore Religious Studies, pre-med major. Many people wonder why I chose this major - when I introduce myself to people, one of their first questions is usually always, "what are you going to do with that?" That question usually becomes clear when I tell them that I am pre-med; but regardless, people often wonder why I'm not a stereotypical biology or biochemistry major. My reason for pairing Religious Studies and medicine stems from many things. Primarily, I came to college to learn more about people. I believe that it's impossible to be an effective healthcare provider without knowing about people and being able to interact with people. And, more specifically, I feel that religion is a foundational aspect of understand why and how people think the way they do - another consideration that can significantly impact patient-provider interactions. Having said these things, does that mean that my sole purpose of stud
Read more

Week 12 Story: Arjuna's Martyrdom

Image
Arjuna was born to fight wars. No, literally - he was born into the Kshatriya caste, which constituted the warriors and rulers. He had been preparing for battle and warfare since he was born. He had been the most astute warrior ever known, never faltering with his bow and arrow. And, today, he was faced with the hardest battle of his life. He stood in the Kurukshetra Battlefield, facing his cousins and teachers. Drona, Bhishma - the whole crew. He didn't know what to do. He stood and stared at everyone sharpening their weapons and preparing for battle before leaning in to his charioteer, Krishna, and whispering, "I don't think I can do this anymore. I've fought the toughest of wars in the world, but this is tougher than those. I cannot bring myself to kill my cousins and teachers, Krishna." Krishna immediately grabbed the reins and steered the chariot into the middle of the battlefield. Everyone on both the Pandavas' and Kauravas' side froze and st
Read more