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“Sita : An Illustrated Retelling of Ramayana” A Book Review.
Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of Ramayana is written by an Indian mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik.
Ramayana, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India which seeks to give various answers by giving the importance of virtue, in the life of a citizen and in the ideals of the formation of a state or of a functioning society.
This epic was written by Maharishi Valmiki who has narrated the life of Rama, a legendary prince of Ayodhya city in the kingdom of Kosala. The story follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of Rama’s stepmother Kaikeyi, he travels across forests in the Indian subcontinent with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana – the king of Lanka, that resulted in war. After defeating Ravana, the story continued by Rama’s eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king amidst jubilation and celebration.
Ramayana is still loved by millions of people but what exactly did Devdutt Pattanaik changed which made his book one of the bestsellers!
The very interesting part about this book is that it is written through the perspective of Sita. This book brings out the best examples of women empowerment.
From the perspective of Valmiki’s Ramayana, Sita was an innocent woman who prayed for the wellness of her husband. She was a devoted wife who calmly waited for Ram’s victory over Ravana.
But here, in this book, Sita is portrayed as an intelligent woman. Over the course of the tale, the Sita who questions grows into the Sita who understands and accepts unquestioningly.
Devdutt Pattanaik’s Sita seeks to provoke thought, to inspire, to expand one’s mind and realise one’s potential. The author points out the delusion of human nature – humans value things over thoughts, judge instead of understanding another’s point of view, live in fear not faith. What is implicit in the epic is made explicit.
Sita is not a victim but a warrior. She has grown up listening to the sages discussing the Upanishads.
She lifts Shiva’s mighty bow with ease. ‘Still it needs to be cleaned,’ said Sita, effortlessly picking up the bow with one hand and vigorously wiping its under surface with the other.
Not only strong, she is fierce as well. She is the one who killed Ravana’s twin in a fierce battle. “She ripped out his entrails,chopped away his limbs, crushed his heads, broke his knees and drank his blood.”
She is portrayed to be a wise and strong mother. A single mother to her sons, she is independent, not abandoned. It is Ram who is seen struggling to come to terms with what he must do as king. He remains devoted to Sita, and walks into the river Sarayu chanting her name.
Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of Ramayana is beautifully written by Devdatt Pattnaik who turned the tables as a new whole concept.
As a reader, this one really changed my whole perspective of Ramayana.
This book will not only teach you about the journey of Sita but also will give you a broader view of what whole Ramayana is.
As the book itself said, “What we possess is temporary, but what we become is permanent.”
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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