Recensions of Ahalya’s Tale from the Ramayana to Kane’s Ahalya’s Awakening

Abstract

This researcher has analysed the character of Ahalya in Kane’s Ahalya’s Awakening by juxtaposing her against different traditional versions along with her position in some modern retellings.The researcher has extended the study by employing the theory of Sex Positive Feminism– significant aspect of Feminist Literary Criticism. At the same time, this paper also explores the contemporariness of Kane’s retelling,Ahalya’s Awakening and examines its validity in relation to Indian culture. In the traditional versionssuch as Valmiki’s Ramayana, Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas andKampan’s Iramavataram, Ahalya has been perceived as a stone figure who had been cursed by her husband Rishi Gautam for adultery. In comparison to these versions, Kampan’s the Iramavatharam brings more focus on Ahalya. As she knows that her lover is a pretender but she enjoys his flirtation and seduction. In some retellings of the Ramayana like K B Sreedevi’s Silaroopini, V. R. Devika’ s Ahalya: Scarlet Letter, Sujoy Ghosh’s short film titled, Ahalya, S. Sivasekaram's Tamil poem Ahalikai, Kavita Kane’s Ahalya’s Awakening etc. are written from Ahalya’s perspective where Ahalya has been given voice to tell her side of the story. She has been presented as a human being not as an object or a stone figure. She has been portrayed bold, outspoken, and straightforward woman who takes stands for herself.