A review in SETU magazine by Chaitali Sengupta
The Hindu epic Ramayan focuses on the legend of Lord Shri Ram- the supreme man (Maryada Purushottam) who perfected righteousness. Although the epic is peopled with several women characters, they are mostly portrayed as powerless characters who not only endure extreme events but are also secondary to the status of men. The women in this epic are examples of their indomitable sense of stree dharma, be it Sita, Kaushlaya, or Urmila. The only exception is Kaikeyi, the second queen of king Dasharath, the fierce, villainous stepmother of Shri Ram.
Ramkishore Mehta’s original book ‘Parajita ka Atmakathya’claims to be a translation from Prakrit. It is based on the events described in the Valmiki Ramayan. Independent researcher Aishikk Sengupta says at the outset that ‘The author pens down his own narrative that he borrows from trusted translations and commentaries of the epic’. The translator Prof. Seema Jain explains that she “found the novel appealing in its logical interpretation of many aspects of the epic, which are floated as myths for public consumption.”
Read the full review here: https://www.setumag.com/2022/12/book-review-diary-of-kaikeyi-by-seema.html
