It is easy for her doubters (as well as for Rama himself) to forget that she had been abducted and not willfully living with Ravana. She was banished by her husband because an honourable king could not be wedded to a woman who ha spent so many nights in a strange man's house. She had been abducted by Ravana and after she survived it, she faced questioned about her own purity. Many in the group also drew comparisons of Sita with modern day victims of sexual harassment.

The lawyer who deals in matrimonial and family law, said that if there was one take away from Sita that the modern woman could carry home, it was her strong sense of self. While the world wants to remember her as a beacon of grace and purity, we need to remember that she in her own way also represented rebellion and the power to say no,' Mishika said. 'Sita is more relevant than ever today, especially in the age of me too. According to advocate Mishika Singh, this was a great move. However, historians and academics like Devdutt have attempted to paint a different picture of Sita - one which is not bound or defined by the identity of her husband or her status as the wife of Rama.

Many have seen it as an attempt to further mollify Sita's character as just one to support Rama's ascension to divinity. The focus was on attempting to deify Rama as a god and an avataar of Vishnu, as well as a just king who will follow rules at all costs. But rather a reminder of the dominance of men as historians, poets, writers and scribes in ancient times and also as contemporary interpreters of these ancient sources.ДЄccording to historian and author Devdutt Pattnaik, much of the patriarchal parts of the Ramayana, including Uttara Kanda', the last chapter of Valmiki's Ramayana in which Rama exiles his wife for staying with another man, were added later when the text became of part of a Vaishnava traditions. This does not in any way mean that there were no strong women in the past that can serve as icons of feminism today. However, when it comes to women, researchers often come to a halt due to the sheer lack of strong women characters in legends and lore. Local folklore, history and mythology often provide the basis for pop culture and it is not uncommon to find the roots of contemporary icons in older, even ancient and obscure traditions.

Sita ramayana