GIVING VOICE TO URMILA: 'A STUDY OF KAVITA KANE'S NOVEL SITA'S SISTER'

ABSTRACT: Mythology has always been part of our collective unconscious. It has and always will rule our values and belief system. As Roland Barthes says in his Mythologies, a myth is a special form of myth told with intent. The famous epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are always used to portray the typical woman in order to maintain patriarchal norms. However, rewriting mythology has been an effective tool for feminists to subvert notions of the ideal woman. In this regard, the article will study Sita's sister Kavita Kane. Urmila, is the most unheard of character in the Ramayana. She is always blamed for not accompanying her husband, unlike Sita. Sita's sister presents the Ramayana from Urmila's perspective. The article compares Sita and Urmila and shows how the patriarchy rejects characters like Urmila who do not follow its rules. The rewrite gives voice to the unheard and marginalized Urmila and presents her in a completely different perspective