The Girl Who Chose by Devdutt Pattanaik
After the Fun in Devlok series and Pashu, comes The Girl Who Chose, the story of Sita. As it says on the cover, this is Devdutt Pattanaik’s way of narrating the Ramayana. This new book by our favourite mythologist, not only brings Sita to the forefront, it also narrates the tale in an appealing manner.’…in the din of Ravana’s cruelty and Ram’s valour, something is often overlooked- the story of Sita, the girl who chose.’
The author highlights the five choices made by Sita, and each chapter gives a brief insight into Sita’s thought process,‘You are bound by rules, but not I. I am free to choose.’ For Ram, duty superseded choice, and it was the choices made by Sita that affected the course of events. While the writing style is simple, Devdutt Pattanaik’s signature drawings make the book unique.
The author ends the book by making the young readers aware of the fact, that good and bad are found within everyone and the choices made, mold the character of a person.
A rather analytical approach towards narrating a well known myth; will definitely appeal to the young readers of today!
‘Humans make choices. Humans can also help. Thus human society is all about choices and rules. We can choose to help or choose not to….All choices have consequences….The Ramayana thus shows that it is not easy to choose, just as it can be very difficult to follow rules.’
About artikaaurorabakshi
Artika Aurora Bakshi
Artika Aurora Bakshi is the author of five well-acclaimed children’s books,My Little Sikh Handbook, My Little Sikh Handbook 2: Ardas, My Little Sikh Handbook: Travel Journal, My Little Sikh Handbook: The Mighty Sikh Empire, My Little Handbook of Feelings, and an anthology of stories, Hold On To Me. Her first story, set in Amritsar, during the pre-Partition period, All She Had Left, was published on Story Mirror.
Her short stories have been published on Kitaab.
She co-manages thegoodbookcorner.com, a manuscript help and book review site. Her passion for reading has led her to helping other writers with their manuscripts.
She is a Contributing Editor for Nishaan, and the Associate Editor for SLIM Marketer.
She comes from a family of lawyers and has a master’s degree in International Banking & Finance.
A regular at the Galle Literary Festival and The Ceylon Literary and Art Festival, Artika’s articles and book reviews have featured in the Daily Mirror, Daily News, The Ceylon Chronicle, and various blogs, such as, talkingcranes.com, sikhchic.com, sikhnet.com.
An avid reader, Artika runs an online book club with a membership base of over 600 members.
Her quotes are featured under soul_nightingale_artika on Instagram and on Soul Nightingale by Artika Aurora Bakshi on Facebook.
You can reach Artika at bakshiartika@gmail.com .
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