‘WHOSE SITA? OURS OR THEIRS?’: CROSS-CULTURAL TRANSLATIONS OF THE ‘SITA MYTH’ IN NINA PALEY’S “SITA SINGS THE BLUES”

Sita, the heroine of Valmiki’s Ramayana, occupies a central position in the ancient Indian epic, but more importantly in Indian culture and every Hindu household. She is the ideal woman and the role model - the very personification of the ‘pativrata’ - that the patriarchal society expects all women to look up to. In this context, it is interesting to note the various alternate readings of Sita’s portrayal which have emerged in contemporary times from the numerous retellings of the Ramayana. One thing which is common in these texts is the central focus on Sita; the entire narrative revolves around her, her choices, her decisions, which lend her the much-required voice not found in Valmiki’s epic poem. This paper takes into account the ‘Sita story’ as we find in Nina Paley’s 2008 animated film, “Sita Sings the Blues” to explore if the perspective of the narrative changes due to the cross-cultural translations. The study involves an examination of the film particularly for three reasons - (i) to look at Paley’s work as ‘counter cinema’ or ‘counter-narrative’ keeping in mind the insider/outsider perspective; (ii) to read in between the lines in order to understand Paley’s experimental techniques and alternative forms in relation to the multiplicity of the Ramayana tradition; and (iii) to pay particular attention to the songs (the lyrics as well as the choreography) in order to explore if they contribute to the retelling of the Sita myth.