Demystifying Urmila

A Feminist Reading of Sita's Sister

Abstract

The mythical tales are often male-centric and there is a constant glorification of male characters. Only a handful of female characters are glorified to suit the needs of the male-dominated world. Rewriting Indian mythology is a tool handled by modern female writers to throw light upon the lesser-known female characters and their perspectives. Sita’s Sister speaks about Urmila who is misunderstood and suppressed in the Ramayana. Urmila not only voices for herself but also for other women around her thereby proving her scholarship. The present paper carries out a meticulous exploration of the voyage of Urmila from a sheltered princess to a scholar.