Sita Burns.

Valmiki’s tale has described Ram as a luminescent figure full of virtue and dharma. His eyes are the mirror of compassion, his hands describe his powers, his bowing down is his moral rectitude, and his voice is the sound of the cosmos. He uplifts and inspires. But here, I would like to compare Ram’s actions with those who make us their Sita in theatres of life. Allow earthly me to write on the heavens.

The love story of Ram and Sita was very beautiful, but very unkind too. In my opinion, each one of ours is. Isn't it? Assuming that Gods did love just like humans, Ram's behavior towards Sita is only a bit understood. But Sita maintains the Godly within her.

Sita was supposed to be immersed in love, so she did. She never expected that her morals would be questioned again and again. Being a pious princess, she became an example of an unfortunate tale at the hands of Ram who indeed was her lover too. I can only humanly question, Why Ram and his big kingdom made it so impossible to turn back and search for Sita. The major plot twist is, that Ram knew and believed her, yet she had to face the judgment of the crowd to uphold the moral image of her husband. It feels like she remained a pawn between men and wars. The love story was outshined by the story of heroism and resistance. Society also wept at it yet wanted and caused the separation of Sita Ram. Despite Ravana's end, the evil prevailed, despite Vanwas, the distance prevailed.

In an alternate reality, When Ram Sita reunited after the war, the story should have happily ended. And that's how major plays, our first brush of Ramayan, and many serials based on it, ends. It is not to hide the real version of the story but only to skip the questions about the real ending that I am having right now.

The dichotomy in Valmiki's version of it makes it both a tragic love story end to end dripping in love, as well as it makes it a tale of unforgettable and unfair sacrifice. There are people wishing newlyweds to resemble "Ram and Sita" but there are also people reluctant to keep their daughter's name as "Vaidehi". Could Sita have been saved if society trusted her or was it Ram that could have saved her in a moment of warm faith?

It is always said that religious and epic stories give us answers. Is standing up to the standards of society important enough to make a sacrifice of that sort? Is Sita burning herself the answer? Is Ram in never-ending pain the result?