IDENTITY QUEST AND EMANCIPATION OF URMILA IN KAVITA KANE'S SITA'S SISTER

Abstract India is a land of cultural conglomeration which is built on the hope and faith of Indian folk. It is deeply rooted on mythology. Mythology is a genesis of every religion and culture in the world. Kavita Kane is an Indian writer and former journalist. She is known for writing Mythology- fiction. All of her books are based on Indian mythology. She is an author of the new era of retelling. She is the best- selling author of five books, a senior journalist and a columnist and is considered a revolutionary force in Indian writing. She gives mythological account in her novels. Kavita Kane’s Sita’s sister is a part fiction, part reality rendition of Ramayana from the perspective of Urmila, Sita’s younger sister, second daughter of King Janaka and Lakshmana’s wife. Urmila is a character that finds little mention in Valmiki’s Ramayana, and the various versions. However she is a significant contributor to the events in the story and definitely, one of the strongest characters. This story traces their journey from the mentally stimulating and gender impartial environment at the court of Mithila, a place where they interact with learned sages and learn to question and argue intelligently, to the partichal household at the palace of Ayodhya. This explores the sister’s emotions as they transition from the frank and open assertiveness of Sunaina to the scheming and simmering rivalry between Kausalya and Kaikeyi. Sita’s sister is essentially a book that talks about all the women in the Ramayana, unlike Valmiki’s Ramayana that is about Rama, Sita and their Exile. This article attempts to convey gender equality, suffering of women and also the image of contemporary society