Week 4 Reading Diary A: Sita Sings the Blues

For this weeks readings I chose to watch the film on Youtube: Sita Sings the Blues!

I thought this would be a really cool option for a reading diary and will provide me with an entertaining way to reread/ watch the Ramayana epic!

The first five minutes or so of the story is not story based, but it does have really cool sitar intro music! At the five minute mark the story starts in the modern city of San Francisco, but it quickly transitions to India’s past. The video is actually pretty entertaining as the characters start to recount when the story takes place. I have noticed already some differences in spelling between the public domain version of the Ramayana that I previously read and this version. One of the kings wives, who nursed the king, asked him to send Rama away to the forest for 14 years, instead of crowning him king! Sita went with Rama, against his will. Rama btw is the reincarnation of the god vishnu, which is not mentioned in this version of the Ramayana. Sita is singing the blues as her and Rama go into the forest together! This is great! Rama is seen protecting Sita with his bow and powerful muscles killing all types of demons in the forest.

Sita ask Rama to get her the Golden Deer

Ravana is the king of Lanka, and steals Sita away from Rama. However, besides this he seems to be an upstanding member of society. Ravana falls in love with Sita and against the advice of Marchita he decides to steal her anyways. Of course he succeeds in capturing her all the while she confesses her love to Rama. Hanuman, monkey warrior, helps Rama find Sita. He finds her on the island of Lanka. Ravana confesses his love to Sita, but she does not reflect his love with her. She says so is devoted to Rama and Ravana says his raksishas with cook her for breakfast! Hanuman hides and wait for nightfall to rescue Sita. Hanuman sets fire to all of Lanka and then returns to Rama to explain he had found Sita.

Rama and Hanuman assemble and army to attack Lanka/ Ravana. Rama kills Ravanas demon army... yay! When Rama finally found Sita he was very cold towards her. He is not nice to her because she had been in another mans house. Rama suspects Sita of sleeping with Ravana. Sita cannot bare to live without Rama, even though she knows she has done nothing wrong. Sita goes through a trail by fire and Rama was then convinced she was pure. They then make-up and are still in love with each other.

End of Part One of Sita Sings the Blues ends at 44:28