In “Three Hundred Ramayanas,” Ramanujan explains that “we have a variety of Rama tales told by others, with radical differences among them” (39). We can see that firsthand between Sita Sings the Blues and the version of Valmiki’s Ramayana we read in class. Ramanujan mentions, “another point of difference among Ramayanas is the intensity of focus on a major character” (43). This made me instantly think about how in Sita Sings the Blues, Sita is the main character without a doubt. She sings these beautiful blues songs throughout the film, including after Rama banishes her back into the forest or at the very end when she proves her purity. Even when Rama is the one taking action, for example when Rama is fighting off the Rakshasa demons in the forest, your focus is still drawn to Sita. Based on Ramanujan’s comments, I see Sita Sings the Blues aligning with Kannada village telling of the Ramayana which “focuses on Sita” and “her trials” (43). It does not solely align with Kannada though because it does not focus on her birth or her wedding. Nina Paley criticizes Sita to the point of her being very submissive, however, the focus is on Sita in this retelling of the Ramayana.
Emma, I agree that the various perceptions of Sita are one of the most interesting variations of the Ramayanas. We are able to see Sita in a completely different light, almost as a completely different character, depending on where the emphasis is.
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