An Ideal Society Is Not A Destination, It's A Journey

To slot AMISH as a writer of mythological thrillers is possibly the worst literary mistake you could make. In this interview with Gautam Chikermane, he reveals his philosophy—from his insights into our ancient texts to his concerns, circa 2017. Excerpts:

- Gautam Chikermane

Your warrior Sita is completely different from the wailing Sita we know. Why?

Modern India has an impression of Sita Maa, based on some TV serials, Amar Chitra Kathas and other modern interpretations.

That’s because the version of the Ramayana that has been most influential in modern India, at least in north India, over the last few centuries, is Tulsidas’ Sri Ramacharitamanas. It was written at a time when our culture had suffered some horrific attacks from the Turkish invasions. And even Amar Chitra Katha reflected the biases of the medieval era. If you notice, Asuras were always dark skinned and with horns. That’s not the way they are described in the Vedas and the ancient Puranas. Some are dark skinned, some fair skinned. And the other way around as well.

I am not talking about the story that is a few hundred years old. If we look at the story which is a few thousand years old, then you see Sita Maa the way I have described her. Here men and women are treated as equals, the caste system is not based on birth and those are the versions that I love. Those are the versions that are applicable in the modern age.

Was Valmiki’s Sita a hero?

In Valmiki’s Adbhuta Ramayana, Sita is a warrior. In this Ramayana, there were two Ravans. The elder Ravan was the more powerful one and he was not killed by Lord Ram but by Sita Maa, when she took the form of Maa Kali. Then, there’s the