Sita Sings the Blues

Ramayana has been a significant period in Hindu mythology that illustrates the example of good
and evil. Sita sings the blues is an animated film that discusses important parts of Ramayana in
which Sita, the protagonist, portrays her life by singing different songs (blues). The movie is
narrated by the three shadow puppet discussing the whole story of Ramayana informally. There
are many scenes in the movie that relates the life of the director Nina Paley to the life of Sita, and
some sacrifices that both has to do. This essay will discuss the life of Sita and her sacrifices with
respect to the movie, and further relates it to the texts of epic Ramayana by Valmiki.
The movie reflects the summary of the Ramayana, and centers Sitas life from the time she got
abducted by Ravana till her death. The story starts by portraying Ramas exile to the forest from
his fathers palace that was caused by the conspiracy of his evil mother Kekeyi. Sita, his beloved
wife, decides to accompany his husband to the forest showing her sense of caring and noncomplaining nature. The film however, doesnt mention the sacrifice of his brother Lakshman by
accompanying him and Sita to the forest. Further, Ravana the cruel but intelligent king is
encouraged by his sister Soorpanakha to kidnap Sita, as she was the most beautiful women on
Earth. One day, Ravana, with help of an illusion of a deer distracts Rama, and successfully
Kidnaps Sita. Meanwhile, the film has many songs that Sita sings describing her sorrows and
happiness, hence the title. Apparently, Rama gets to know about Sitas abduction and becomes
dejected; he further gets to know that Ravana has abducted her. With the help of Hanuman and
his army he goes to Lanka, Ravanas abode, and rescues Sita by defeating Ravana in a fierce
battle. Rama, however, refuses to take Sita back due to his doubt on her chastity. Sita undergoes
a fire ordeal in order to prove Rama about her purity and after proving herself and once again
without complaining she goes back with him. However, one day, Rama gets to know that his own

public is making fun of him in letting Sita to return with him regardless the fact that she was with
some other man. Rama in order to fulfill his duty as a king banishes Sita, and asks Lakshmana to
take her to Valmiki in the forest; there she gives birth to twin sons, luv and Kush. Rama gets to
know this and once again asks Sita to return back, but only after she proves her chastity. This
time, however, she shouts out loud out of sadness that if she is pure and chaste, her mother Earth
would take her back into her womb. This was a mesmerizing moment for Rama; Sita got
accepted to her mother, and this is how she dies.
In conclusion, the story tells us about the many sacrifice that women has to face in the course of
life. The story contains parallel life of Nina Paley that tells us about her break up with his
husband and other sacrifices that she has to do. Ramayana is a very significant episode in the
history of Hinduism that tells us about various kinds of dharma and karma that one has to fulfill
in order to live a prosperous life. Rama has to perform his karma of banishing Sita due to his
dharma of being a king. Rama is portrayed as an ideal king and ideal son; however, it is very
complex to tell whether he was an ideal husband.