Surpanakha
is a much vilified character in the Ramayana. But we never hear the story from
her perspective. Kavita Kane’s latest book, Lanka’s Princess, gives us exactly
this. Freya Fatema Rehman reviews the book, with a lead female antagonist at
its heart, in this post. She says it is a sure recommendation if you are into mythological retellings and
feminist writing.
Why I picked Lanka’s Princess
Surpanakha plays an important role in the Ramayana
tale by being that butterfly that flaps its wings leading to a world of
destruction. She is the instigator of Ravana, her little sisterly act leading
to war and the downfall of Lanka. Apart from that very little is told of her in
the epic.
But how does Surpanakha get to that point of anger,
hatred and revenge, where she wants to kill Ravana and will go to any lengths
for it? What in her life led her to here? It was these questions that made me
pick up Lanka’s Princess.
Lanka’s Princess is the story of a girl, youngest
in the family, named Meenakshi for her beautiful eyes. A beautiful girl marred
by life and situations, that bring out the worse in her, and bring forth
Surpanakha, one who is hard as nails.
My Takeaways from Lanka’s
Princess
Kavita Kané’s books usually have lead female
protagonists who haven’t been given much voice in the telling of the epics.
This is a first though, where the lead is an antagonist. Surpanakha as we know
her has no redeeming qualities, by the end there is no good in her. But Kavita
Kané explores the paths she takes though life showing the various little
incidents that shaped her mind and soul into the demon she became, leaving me
with mixed feelings in the end – animosity and sympathy for another woman dealt
a bad hand of cards.
Writing mythological fiction must be challenging,
these are age old stories that must be retold as new, with facts and timelines
already fixed and the story well known. And yet, Lanka’s Princess got me to see
a much neglected character in new light, her trials, her outlook and her
choices that made her who she was.
In Lanka’s Princess, Kavita Kané explores
Surpanakha’s character in deep detail, not holding back on her angst and
negativity that fills the book. She shows up the importance even a dark skinned
society gives to beauty and fairness, with Kaikesi, Surpanakha’s mother being
the most vocal one, and the impact unkindess can have on a child’s mind and how
far reaching it’s impacts are.
