A Study Of Eco Feminism in Chitra Banerjee' s Novel The Forest Of Enchantment'

Feminism help us to strive and empower the rights of women to access equal opportunity with men
irrespective of all fields.Further it respects women’s experiences related to Identity, knowledge and
strengths. Ecofeminism is a social movement which relates feminism with environmentalism.
Ecofeminism argues that the bigotry of women and the destruction of environment were results of
patriarchy and capitalism prevails in society. These thinkers draw on the concept of Gender to analyse the
relationship between human and nature.

The concept of Purusha and Prakriti is well documented in the vedhas.The word' Prakriti' represents
nature , femaleness which gives shapes and forms to nature by providing pure energy.It operates at two
levels one consist of eight fold nature and with life force.

Ecofeminism:

Vandana Shiva one of the famous renowned activist and ecofemist in India who is a main figure in the
anti- globalization movement.She is often addressed as “ Gandhi Of Grain' for her activism with anti-
GMO movement. According to her article “ Empowering women “(2004). She believes in women’s
responsibility towards the maintenance of improvement in achieving the reinstating the system of farming
in India where engaged by women.She further claimed that a woman focused system helped the society to
avoid such ecological destruction and industrial catastrophe which threatened daily life.

In the Twenty first century Literary text are experimented with new and diverse genre with retelling of
epic and fairy tales.Ecofeminism is employed by writers to evade the impact of colonialism and re-
establish their rational,cultural identity along with its value system. In Divakaruni’s ‘Forest of
Enchantment’, Valmiki’s Ramayana is retold from sita's point of view through the vision of nature. The
protagonist humanised her exile in dense forest. Inspite of the Wilderness she learn to heal from the pains
and suffering through the scary dense forest. She empowers her will power to face patriarchal society.
Divakaruni closely examined the relationship between women and nature.Sita is the embodiment of earth
where mother goddess was a personification of nature ,motherhood, fertility, creation & destruction. To
examine the parallel drawn between the representation of Sita and Nature to the extent that both were
exploited.

In the Ramayana Valmiki focuses his attention towards the patriarchal society. Though Sita is the central
character where the other character like Rama, Ravanan, Lakshman,Queen Yashoda Ahalya, Surpanakha
were interowen around her.Valmiki’s Ramayana failed to show Sita’s quest and Identity focused on Rama
and Ravanan So Divakaruni takes a chance to reveal her insight and thoughts to explore her joys, sorrows
and endurance towards nature.In the Preface Divakaruni says,

“write our story too. For always we've been pushed into corners, trivialized,
misunderstood,blamed,forgotten__or maligned and used as cautionary tales.”(Divakaruni, 2019,p.4)

Divakaruni further focuses on other female characters too and attempts to reveal the misconceptions of
other female characters through the voice of Sita.Sita's love for nature act as a source for imperative
empowerment of women and other female characters.The exile alterted not only Ram and Sita's life it
affected other characters who are interlinked to each other. In particular women characters were adored,
praised and cursed. Duggal says in 'A chronicle of commitment, Disloyalty, probity and Glory' about
sita’s voice towards other women’s in Ramayana as follows,

“ how Sita’s relationship with the environment allows her to speak for all of

the other women in the Ramayana, including those who are outcasts and

persecuted, resulting in a more modern and Liberal portrayal of women in

Indian mythology”(Duggal, 2022.p.10610)

Indian mythology and ancient puranas was not fabricated with stories of God further it interconnects God
with man, nature and all creatures along with life in nature.As they contain universal truth correlating
human with nature. In specific Vedic hymns refer to herding and agricultural activities. The ritual of
tilling the soil was closely associated with the Vedic yagna vajapeya meant for food . All the living beings
originate from these two level of Prakriti. Women are compared to nature because of the life -giving and
nurturing features of female. In The Forest of Enchantment Sita is symbolized as furrow because she was
gift of nature.Her birth from earth goddess is considered as a gift to childless king Janaka. In the book
Sita written by Pattanaik exposes Sita’s birth as follows,

“The farmers invited their king Janaka to be the first to plough the land with a golden hie. To the
sound of bells and drums and conch- shell trumpets, the king shoved the hoe into the ground and begun to
till the land.” (Pattanaik,Sita,Book 1,Birth)

While digging the ground for cultivation the king Janaka picked Sita from the earth. The King felt happy
and people informed him that earth goddess Bhumadevi has blessed him with little princess. Its clear Sita
is a metaphorical depiction of nature for her birth symbolises nature.With the blessings of Bhumadevi
naturally she has the skill of healing.As she grew she used to cure her people with the knowledge of
herbs. During her later stages she firmly believes in flora and fauna which nurtures and heal her from all
sorrows and sufferings. As Pattanaik describes King Janaka's happiness in seeing a new born child while
digging,

“ Suddenly the king stopped.The furrow revealed a golden hand; tiny fingers rising up like grass, as
if drawn by the sunshine. Janaka moved the dirt away, and found hidden within the soft, moist earth a
baby, a girl, healthy and radiant, smiling joyfully, as if waiting to be found.” (Pattanaik, Sita, Book 1)

With the blessing of Bhumadevi naturally she has the skill of healing with herbs. Most of the myth
characters used to have this power of healing where Oenone wife of king Paris also blessed with the skill
of healing. Sita discovered the power when people started complaining about disease in champak, a copse
of bamboos and a rare harshinger. She just stroked the leaves with love, dugged the roots and did some
prayers wholeheartedly the plants started to recover from diseases and broomed with flowers and fruits.
In rejoice people celebrated her for her goodness and whispered the prayers.People of Mithila praised Sita
as follows,“Amazing; miraculous; look, they’re already healing;I tell you, she's the earth- goddess herself,
appeared straight out of the ground just to bless us.”( Divakaruni, 2019,p.5)Sita felt happy for her
blessing from goddess of nature. She rejoice for her nature’s first lesson where she realized the power of
love she firmly believes that love towards nature rewarded with a great powerful healing. As Sita says in
The Forest of Enchantment’ that,

“My strange Gift with plants was a mystery to me. Perhaps it was because, like them, l was earth-
born. Maybe for the same reason, when l touched a plant, l knew its healing properties. I could tell which
grasses cured headaches and colds, which seeds fended off infections,which herbs to give women when
their monthly blood flowed too long, and which potions healed the shaking sickness or gladdened a long-
depressed heart. ( Divakaruni,2019, p.7)

Sita continues her medical service with herbs so that servants and people started to approach her for
curing even some complicated disease also. Her mother queen Sunaina delighted over her skill as she
upholds the secret.But the news travelled over her small kingdom so people and some medical
practitioner also approached her for doubts. For some long term diseases they constructed a healing
house. Sita says “At my touch they grew quite and breathed easy, and some did not open their eyes again.
Only one man, who had been in unbearable pain… grabbed my hand and touched it to his forehead,
whispering that word again,. Goddess. ( Divakaruni, 2019,p.7)

Sita's vision towards forest and people who were living as tribes with different names is different from
others because Shantananda king Janaka's chief advisor used to blame the rakshasas and create a bad
impression among king and people. But Sita objected the accusation of the Rakshasas. To prove the
Rakshasas innocence she sometimes planned to reach the wild forest and wanted to study their real nature
and interested to reveal the bad impression of the tribes. Shatananda says to king Janaka in 'The Forest of
Enchantment’ as follows,

“Shatananda, my father’s chief advisor, distrusted the deeply: the forest___and the rakshasas who
lived in them. He was a little obsessed by rakshasas,.. how fierce and wild they were, Not like humans.
They bred in darkness and practised dark magic. They loved to feed on human flesh. They were watching
us he claimed, watching and waiting to take us over. He was always trying to get my peaceful father… to
cut back the woods. ‘(Divakaruni,2019, p. 8)

Like Shatananda people have different opinion about Rakshasas only Sita has a good view where she
wanted to explore more about their rights and living. She was fascinated to visit the forest to understand
their way of life but none gave her a chance to visit. She used to observe the wilderness of forest from her
terrace. Most of her dreams are related to nature. As Sita says,

'So l satisfied myself by standing on the terrace on monsoon afternoons, watching the silvery rain
bathing the tops of distant trees. Lighting cracked open the sky, spilling its longing unto me. Sometimes I
dreamed that l was walking the wilderness with its swaying grasses, it’s leaping, golden beasts, the earth-
mother the way she'd been before people bent her to their desires. ‘( Divakaruni, 2019,p.8)

These lines exposes Sita's attachment with forest and her terrace planting ideas. She enjoyed planting
in and around the Palace. The idea of terrace planting is an ongoing trends in Urban where people in
apartments started planting organic plants in balcony and terrace. But Sita practised terrace planting
during the epic age itself. This shows her interest in plants and nature. She says ‘Now l was enjoying
a moment of rest on the palace, watching the shadows from the hills grow long on my father’s terrace,
glad to have a little time to myself before my next task.Evening was a time I both loved and hated. It
was the time when the old stones of the terrace were comfort- cool underfoot, and the breeze carried
the alluring fragrance of unknown forest flowers.’(Divakaruni, 11)

Sita further reveals her journey towards Panchabati forest where some sages informed about the
Rakshasas who live in the forest. There is always a conflict between Rakshasas and people who were
real natives and livelihood of forest. “Making our way towards Panchabati, which, Ram was told by
sages we encountered, was the true heart of the forest, mysterious and unspoiled and beautiful, home
to beings unlike any. ( Divakaruni,2019 p. 127)

Sita’s interpretation of Rakshasas was focused clearly her support and tenderness for their life was
well revealed and portrayed. Even after marriage becoming a queen her quest for Rakshasas and
forest was continued to reform and rebuild them as a good civilized people.Sita who was a good
 daughter of Janaka, good wife of Rama, mother of Lava and kushuv, good princess and Queen for
citizens, admirer of nature.

Unlike Sita Urmila her sister is fascinated with dolls and dress up in Mother's jewellery. Her mother
Queen Sunaina used to advice Sita to train some self – defence training and the idea of being a warrior.
Though Sita is aware of good and bad Sunaina says” I sense that your future's going to be different from
that of most princesses, she said. lt might take you to dangerous places where you'll need to defend
yourself. But let's keep it a secret.”(Divakaruni,2019, p.9) So Sita agreed to train herself to defend by
weapons and other life skills. To train her Sunaina invited some mysterious women from the hill near the
kingdom. Sita learned some strategy to save her from pain and injury. She performed some strenuous
fights as her mother praised her for learning life defence skills and says ‘Now I ‘m as much at ease as a
mother can be, sending her daughter out into the wild world. ‘ (Divakaruni,2019,p.10)

Though Sita learned life skills her interest and attitude towards nature increases as she refused to pick the
flowers from the plant for Pooja as she considered it as a murder.

Divakaruni highlights other female characters who suffer under Male Patriarchal society. King
Dasarath who unable to bear a child blames Queen Kaushalya and married another two queens He
knows the fault was with him not with Queen kaushalya. He showed his love towards Kundi and
neglected other two.After some rituals all the three wives blessed with a child. This shows how male
suppressed their faults and blamed female for their impotence.

The next victim for male domination is Urmila who is soft and childish by nature was left alone when
Ram and Lakshman goes for exile. Though Urmila requested Lakshman to accompany her during her
exile but Lakshman avoided her for his love and affection towards Rama. Atlast he left her for
fourteen years in palace where she leaved a solitude life as a dead women. As Urmila was very clear
about marriage relationship where all the good and bad to be shared between husband and wife. As
she could not bear the sufferings of her husband in forest leaving all wealth and prosperity so she
decided to avoid such richness and wanted to leaf a happy life with his husband in forest. So un each
part females were dominated and subjected to negligence for their own goodness and happiness.
There is no difference between father and their sons all neglect their wives for the goodness of
country. This clearly depicts the sufferings of women in male dominated society.

Another victim was Ahalya who was a blessed daughter of Brahma and wife of sage Gautam. Indra
who inspired for Ahalya for her beauty approached to court her. But Ahalya avoided him for her faith
towards her husband sage Gautam.But Indra wanted to court her by disguising him as Gautam and
spoiled her virtueness. Later Gautam came to know cursed both of them without any enquiry with
Ahalya. He changed her into a stone. After Rama's touch she gets relieved from the curse and
changed into her original figure. After the change she decided to take a pledge of silence. Sita came to
know the life and sufferings of Ahalya through Lakshman and asked justice for her but Rama
couldn’t reply her. This shows his support towards the male patriarchal society. But Sita never
compromise herself the act of Gautam who created a fire in Sita’s mind. At last she met Ahalya and
came to know her the vow of silence this made her to realize the pain and sufferings and her injustice
towards her by Gautam. Inturn Ahalya breaked her silence and talked to Sita where she praised her
for accompanying her husband Rama leaving the rich palace and accept the forest life for her
husband.

All these women characters were subjected to endurance but Divakaruni in The Forest of
Enchantment’(2019) she shows Sita as a renowned character though she was subjected to endurance
she reforms herself to face such challenges from the male dominated society.Throughout her exile
with Rama and abduction with Ravanan Sita rebuilds her identity. During her exile after agni pariksha
she had a dream where many women characters address her with the word Endure. They were
Sunaina, Ahalya,Mandodari,sarana,Kaikeyi,Shabari and Surpanakha where everyone repeating the
word and forcing Sita to accept Endurance.

“Endure they seemed to say. Endure as we do Endure your challenges The word resonated
through me. I stood up slowly, holding on to a tree trunk for support. “( Divakaruni 2019,p.322 )

The word Endure hurts her badly as her mother’s saying that her life in future may be with
difficulties. Though her mother trained to overt all difficulties she takes some time to recover her
memories of Ram's Love and marriage. Inspite of her love she hold an anger towards Ram for exiling
a pregnant woman blindly believing his people’s rumour about her infidelity.Sita accepted Agni
pariksha his mind wanted to satisfy his councils and people. Though the memories of Ram hurts her
Sita boldly decided to live in the forest focusing all energies towards her victory.

Had I planned to he banished to the forest on the eve of our coronation, to be abducted, or even
rescued? Had I planned on the rumours upon our return,or Ram's harsh decision? All these had
happened without my choice,but l’d survived them. Wasn't that all we could do as imperfect human
beings?( Divakaruni 2019,p )

These lines clearly focus on the Endurance subjected to Sita who the princess of Ayodhya. But
unfortunately she become a victim for Ram' faith towards his country. A king who fail to listen his
wife’s reply for the accusation put forwarded by people’s and inturn announced a cruel and harsh
decision towards a pregnant wife.This decision punished even their babies who pushed to live an
 ashram life at an infant age facing a wilderness livelihood in forest. As they were future prince of
Ayodhya with good wealth and prosperity but they lead a simple life in ashram.

“All the way back, I pondered the word endure, what it meant. It didn’t mean giving in. It didn’t
mean being weak or accepting injustice. It mean taking the challenges thrown at us and dealing with
the as intelligently as we knew until we grew stronger than them”( Divakaruni, 2019 )

These lines clearly highlights the feminist point of view where Sita was cruelly subjected to endurance
but boldly changed the obstacles into a step of success by leading a simple life in ashram making her
medicinal skill for the sake of ashram and nearby tribal people.Now Sita reforms into Sitayan as a
renowned feminist unlike other women’s who were subjected to endurance by patriarchal society still
suffer where they accept it as their fate. But Sita’s feminist ideology made her to think forwardly for the
solutions to upcome the obstacles during her second exile with pregnancy.Unlike her husband she wanted
to teach moral and ethics for her babies in ashram.

Though Sita was pregnant she boldly accept the exilt but she wanted Rama to do justice for his wife. In a
kingdom People used to follow King's ideology but if the king's wrong decision might motivate them to
take such accusation towards their wives. So sita's worries was not to misguide people towards injustice.
Sita says in' The Forest of Enchantment',

“You who care so much about the citizens of Ayodhya, did you think of the impact your actions would
have on the women of the city? That men would punish their wives harshly… ., saying King Ram did so.
Then why shouldn’t I? ( Divakaruni, 2019,p 356)

Sita’s relationship with nature is often exposed in this work where for second time to test her chastity she
declined to prove herself and boldly decided to live in the woods renouncing her rich princess life and
palace. Since she see the forest has nurturing mother goddess empowered with great courage and will
power.Sita decided to leave in ashram and says,

“To return to the peaceful forest, it’s healing green canopies To return to the ashram community, where
everyone trusts and accepts me…I'll meet Ram, just as he wishes. But not like this, dressed up as a queen.
Because I' m not a queen any longer. I'm Sita, the forest dweller, Sita, daughter of earth. And yes, Sita,
daughter of fire as well. ‘(Divakaruni, 352) Saudamini informs Sita and Urmila about Ram's planning for
another agni- pariksha so Urmila insisted not to take the test requested to return ashram to save your
dignity. ‘After the pain and humiliation l suffered last time? ‘l ask. ‘After the gods themselves proclaimed
me innocent? After all his apologies? This is why he wanted to bring me to Ayodhya? ‘ These lines
exposes Sita pain and sufferings of first agnipariksha. For this sake Ram brings this beautiful Princess for
such a violence without trusting her chastity and virtueness. As Valmiki failed to portray Sita's suffering
and Ram's crucial violence towards her though she is a mother goddess. Rama in 'The Forest Of
Enchantment’ calls Sita for Second Agnipariksha as he says,

‘I would like you to come back to Ayodhya and live with us so that we can be a complete family.
The Children need you __ and l do to. As you know, l have never taken another wife. But there ‘s one
thing you must do first ___ you must go through a test by fire here in the courtroom, so that the sages and
attending kings and ministers of the court can witness the fire- God vouching for your innocence snd
purity. In this way, the citizens of Ayodhya will be satisfied for good. ‘(Divakaruni, 355)

Sita hearing this from Ram evokes an anger and hateness towards him where he wanted to satisfy his
councils, ministers, sages and people by taking another agnipariksha to prove her virtueness. She in
despair not able to bear the harshness if Ram her lovable husband who treats her in unjust and cruel way.
This clearly shows the patriarchal society where women’s were exploited for their goodness.In despair
Sita continues,

‘O King of Ayodhya! I address you in this way because you've always placed your role as king
ahead of your role as husband. In this court, which has been set up to dispense justice to all citizen, l ask
you this, for I’ve been a city if Ayodhya too: Did you act justly when you sent me away to the forest,
knowing I was innocent of what gossip- mongers whispered?... Were you compassionate, the way a king
is meant to be, when you banished me without telling me what you were about to do, without allowing me
to defend myself or chose my destiny.’(Divakaruni, 356)

Once in Srilanka under Ravanan's abduction she suffered and lost all her hope of returning to Ayodhya.
She cried for Ram's love where the memories haunted her. She lost her strength. She upholds her
virtueness for the promise made for Ram during marriage. Though Ravanan forced her and wanted to
marry only after Sita's willingness. Ravanan belongs to Rakshasas an uncivilized man shows kindness to
get her love. Ravana wanted her to be the queen on Lanka.But she was stubborn with her love and
believed one day Ram will save her.As Ram believed only his people’s voice and neglected his wife
Sita’s reply for Ravana's abduction. Rama ordered for Agnipariksha though she was a goddess to prove
her virtue.

This act clearly exposes the attitude of King Rama where there is no difference between him and sage
Gautam.The injustice of Gautam towards Ahalya where he misunderstood the situation and punished her
to change as stone without enquiring Ahalya for the mistake done by Lord Indra.Resembling
Gautam ,Rama also punishes Sita without any enquiry blindly believing his people’s voice send her from
his country to forest blaming her virtue. Though Ravanan is a Rakshasas didn’t hurt her for his love inturn
patiently waits for her acceptance to marry her wanted to admire as a queen of Lanka.

A world renowned ecofemist, Vandana Shiva had been fighting for women welfare against environmental
destruction.Her book “Ecofeminism” views climatic change is related to feminist issues. In her point of
view Ecofeminism opposes global seeds and purchasing the parents o indigenous women. As she coined a
term ‘two way threft'. Further they argues that they steal biodiversity from Third world producers.
Because they justify women’s interest in conserving and preserving nature in terms of caring and
nurturing the environment and safeguard from the exploitive patriarchal systems. Sita has the will power
to heal nature and herself.

As it is clear that Sita is a metaphorical depiction of nature where she resembles nature who is related to
the ecofemist spirituality movement. As the movement focus on women’s interest in environment
preservation who cares and nurtures nature to save biodiversity.

References:

1Borah Rulika, A Study of Ecofeminism and the conflict between civilization and Nature/ Men and
woman in Ramayana with Reference to Chitra Lekha Banerjee’s novel The Forest of Enchantments,
RJELAL, vol. 7.lssue 4.2019(oct-Dec) pg(463-471)