Book Box | Discovering Kaikeyi, the woman behind the villain

How a book I didn’t want to read ended up changing my Diwali

Dear Reader,

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel(Sonya Dutta Choudhury)

I finally give in to a book I’ve been avoiding this Diwali: Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. Growing up, I’ve known Kaikeyi as the jealous, manipulative stepmother. The very name "Kaikeyi" brings up such strong associations: the stepmother who sends Ram to the forest, separates the brothers and brings King Dasharath to his deathbed. She is the villain in every version of the Ramayana I’ve read, from C Rajagopalachari to Kamala Subramaniam to Amar Chitra Katha comics.

Yet when I first spotted Kaikeyi on display in a New York bookstore, I felt an odd pull. The cover is stunning, the silhouette of a woman against a blazing orange background. But I can’t bring myself to pick it up. Something holds me back — maybe it is years of conditioning or loyalty to the Ramayana I’ve grown up with. This impression is so strong, so ingrained, that even seeing her name on a book cover makes me turn away. I know her story already — why dig deeper?

Time passes. Every so often, I come across Kaikeyi again, at bookstores, in articles, but each time I turn away, unconvinced. This surprises me because I love retellings, especially ones like books like Yajnaseni about Draupadi and Pandora’s Jar about the women of Greek mythology. But something about this book feels too radical and even too transgressive to engage with.

The Kullu Dussehra Mela(Sonya Dutta Choudhury)

Then, after two years of chance encounters, my reader friend Sumedha posts a glowing review. And this time I feel ready. The Kullu Dussehra Mela has recently come to an end. Along with thousands of people at Sultanpur, I have seen the gods of each village — hundreds of them —travel by foot along ancient paths for a grand gathering to honour Raghunath ji (Ram). For seven days, we celebrate with drums, dance, and local storytelling, listening to the stories of each deity with its own mythology. Of these, the grandest is the goddess Hadimba, the fierce protector and ancestor of the valley’s people. Every morning, her drums pull me out of sleep. Reading The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess, I discover how rich her stories are and how her origins are far more complex than her role as Bhima's wife. With these influences fresh in my mind, I finally decide to pick up Kaikeyi.

The Many Faces of a Himalayan Goddess(Sonya Dutta Choudhury )

And from the very first page, I am hooked. The story flows beautifully, beginning with Kaikeyi’s childhood in the kingdom of Kekaya, at the foothills of the Himalayas. Kaikeyi is smart, sensitive and clever, with the sensibility of a modern-day feminist, fighting to find her place in a world that undervalues her. She is the rebel that a dominant mainstream will find it necessary to vilify.

Reading Kaikeyi alongside the rich traditions of Kullu Dussehra feels like an awakening. Just as Hadimba’s story goes beyond her brief mention in the Mahabharata, Kaikeyi’s story is much more than her role in Ram’s exile. Both women show us the power of telling one’s own story, and that every story has layers if we are only willing to be open to them, to listen and to read.

What about you dear Reader? Do you enjoy retellings — which ones have you found most powerful — do write in with recommendations. And until next week, happy reading.

Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya’s Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@gmail.com

The views expressed are personal