While Ram accepts the exile, Bharat chooses abstinence, Sita turns into the dutiful wife, Kaekyei gets labelled as the woman who played a game to save Ram, Ravana becomes the symbol of demon-hood, Hanuman flies with the mountain and even the hunch back Mathara gains importance in the epic because of her manipulative ploys there are many who get neglected. King Janak’s first ‘real’ born and Lakshman’s wife. That’s where ‘Sita’s Sister’ becomes different because Kavita Kane breathes life into a character who has remained in the shadows in the epic and who one doesn’t often talk about. But they dim when contrasted with the two central characters. All the rest of the characters are woven around them. So, most of my comment for this review would hover around her style and consequently questions that one asks once the read is over. What Kavita does in this book is to use her artistic license to create a picture about a character who has often been overlooked. After all, I can’t really be commenting on ‘plot setting’ and judging if Mithila and Ayodhya have been amply described or not! Not much can be said about ‘characterisation’ either because that has already been done eons ago. Note: When the story is based the Ramayana, it is difficult to do a book review in the traditional format. In One Line: The untold love between Urmila and Lakshman – revealed! Publisher: Rupa Publications Private Limited

Sita's Sister by Kavita Kané