Week 4 Storytelling: The Real Housewives of Dasaratha

Previously on The Real Housewives of Dasaratha...

Last season, we met the three beautiful wives of King Dasaratha – his first wife, Kausalya of Magadha; Sumitra of Kashi; and the lovely young Kaikeyi of Kekeya. The people of Ayodhya rallied around the family’s struggle to produce an heir to the throne. The world cheered when Dasaratha’s horse returned and the Ashvamedha sacrifice was successfully completed. In a surprise twist, each of the housewives gave birth to a son (or sons!), welcoming Rama, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, and Bharata into the first family of Kosala. All seemed well in the royal house, but how will our housewives deal with the new pressures of raising children, competing for a spot in Dasaratha’s heart as well as on his throne? Find out in the shocking new season of The Real Housewives of Dasaratha.

We open on a sweeping scene of the idyllic, luxurious mansion of Dasaratha and his wives. Cut to Kaikeyi, resplendent in a flowing sapphire sari, lounging with cucumbers covering her eyes.

Mántara, an old, hunched Hispanic maid, enters.

M: Pardon my intrusion, señora, but I must eh-speak to you alone.

K: Mm?

M: Señora – are you not aware that the whole village is preparing a party?

K: (chuckling) Oh, we’re always either preparing for a party, having one, or cleaning up after it! Surely you of all people know that, abuelita. At least I know I’m not late for this one.

M: Pero no! Señora! Forgive me, but this is no time for laughing! I have heard… I risk my job to come to warn you… Señor chooses the boy Rama for to be his heir to the throne!

K: Oh, Mántara, you almost had me worried! I don’t see how this matters to me. Besides, that day is far off yet…

M: Oh, but Señora, this is eh-terrible news for you! When Rama is chosen, you will be cast aside and Kausalya will forever be queen bee around here! You have the easy life now, but how long you think that will last? Eh? How long you think you will be favorite when Rama is king?

Finally, Kaikeyi removes the cucumbers.

Señora, you must use your power now to stop this! I remember, you tell me you have the power of two boons, any two wishes you desire and Señor must grant your request. Use them now, banish the boy Rama and make Bharata heir to the throne!

Kaikeyi rises, angry.

K: Mántara, you have gone too far this time!! You cannot talk to me this way!

M: But señora…

K: No! I have heard enough from you! I can take care of myself just fine around here, thanks. (She walks to an ornate vanity and combs her lustrous hair.)

M: (turning to leave, muttering) Yes, paint your lips and make your cheeks bloom like lotuses! I know how it is you keep your grip on Señor… but beauty will fade, even yours, and then we will see who holds the power – a useless old hag or the mother of the king.

Kaikeyi whirls about in a fury, mouth open to scold, but Mántara has already left and shut the door.

Cut to Kaikeyi in the confessional.

Of course I meant what I said… but then, you know, I… Well, I started to think and I was like, maybe she’s right. You know, I am obviously like, the most beautiful wife around here, hello, but…

And you know, I don’t have to explain myself, I don’t have to apologize. I earned those boons, I’m the queen b[leep] around here and they all [bleep] well know it. I ain’t bowin’ down to nobody. A lady’s gotta take her claws out to survive sometimes.

Cut to new scene: Dasaratha stands outside the closed door to Kaikeyi’s suite. She can be heard wailing inside. Dasaratha pounds on the door.

Dasaratha: Kiki, baby, open up! What’s wrong? I love you!

Kaikeyi wrenches open the door. She is a hot mess, mascara smudged and streaming down her face.

Kaikeyi: (wildly) You love me?! Ha! You cannot love me! Why, you evil man, you lying dog, you must hate me! You must wish me dead!! (The last word is drawn out into a sob, and Kaikeyi crumples to the floor.)

Dasaratha, alarmed, scoops her up and sets her on the bed.

D: Kiki, my love, what on earth has gotten into you? What have I done to offend you?

K: Why, you have named Rama heir! What is to become of me, when he is king? Or sooner! You know how Kausalya hates me, the others have always been jealous of me. Surely I will be a pariah in my own home! But, no matter… what can they do to me, when I will first die of grief and shame? (Kaikeyi *appears* to faint.)

D: Kaikeyi? Kaikeyi, my love! (gently shaking her) You mustn’t think this way. I will always love and protect you. Please! What can I do to make you well again?

K: (opening her eyes) You truly love me?

D: Yes, you know I –

K: And you will do anything for me? Remember the boons you granted me.

D: Yes, yes… Why, I had even forgotten about the boons! So yes, of course, I will do anything to keep you happy.

Dramatic close up on Kaikeyi. She still appears to be in a swoon, but the hint of a smirk curls her crimson lips.

K: Then you must not make Rama heir but banish him, and give the throne to my son Bharata instead.

We are left with a scene of Dasaratha, desperate, shocked, and speechless, holding the obstinate Kaikeyi in his arms. Cut to black.

So, will Rama become heir to the throne, or will Kaikeyi get her wish? And how will the other wives react when they find out? Tune in next week for the most intense Housewives yet, with a shocking twist that will change the ladies’ lives forever.

Author’s Note:

This story is a retelling of the dramatic events surrounding the banishment of Rama. The story is full of sneaky dealings, manipulation, family drama, jealousy… just like a modern reality TV show! I styled this story as a Real Housewives show – it fit so perfectly. I reimagined certain aspects of the characters’ lives as more modern, but I also kept some elements true to the story. I think the mixture of modern and ancient elements adds a unique touch to the story; it’s fun to play with ancient stories in a more accessible and lighter context.

The characters of Kaikeyi and Dasaratha are a bit exaggerated in this story, though I think I captured important parts of their personalities from the original. Kaikeyi is portrayed as a lounging, shallow, “trophy wife”-type woman. I also emphasize her jealousy and her ruthless manipulation of her husband to get what she wants. This combines her actions in the Ramayana with the caricature of a reality show celebrity. Dasaratha is shown here as a man who is easily manipulated, making foolish promises under the influence of, ahem, beauty. This too plays up his actions in the original story and fits them to a stereotypical TV persona.

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way

Images: From Dasaratha and Vishvamitra ; Kaikeyi and Dasaratha, Source 

Week 4 Reading Diary B: Servants and Sages and Gods, Oh My!

So, that title is a bit cheesy and, I think, merits an explanation: there are so many more characters in this version than in Narayan! To add to the difficulty, they are very unfamiliar names to an English-speaking reader. So, it is a bit difficult to keep all the names apart and remember who everyone is. It doesn't help that in this version Kooni is called Manthara - that was a bit discombobulating. Though I appreciate the greater detail in this version, it is a harder read and easy to get bogged down in all the names and characters.

The narrative seemed a bit slower in this section, though I guess it was similar in Narayan, just not as noticeable. There also seemed to be less unfamiliar material here, which helped a bit to get through the narrative. The main story of Kaikeyi and Dasaratha and Rama's leaving seemed pretty much the same, although in this version Dasaratha's death isn't as sudden or dramatic. I kind of preferred Narayan's version; it was perhaps a bit melodramatic, but I liked it.

Some new material here came in the middle of this narrative, when Rama meets some people in the forest. They meet Guha, who has his own god-story to tell, and then they meet a sage named Bharadwaja, who I'm pretty sure wasn't mentioned in Narayan.

Overall, I guess, this section was pretty similar to Narayan, but it was still pretty slow. There's just not much action in this part of the story, though, and I'm sure it'll pick up real soon. I'm hoping then there will be more detail to answer some of the questions and curiosities Narayan left me with.

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Buck's Ramayana

I like the style of this version of the Ramayana much better than Narayan. It is much more thorough and detailed, more of a story, whereas Narayan's version often read like a summary - almost like a Sparknotes version in some parts. This was more of a complete and, I'm assuming, direct translation.

I like how the story is framed as an oral narrative. The sort of chanting, invoking of the gods at the beginning reminded me of similar invocations and narrative styles in Homer. It started the story off with a very "epic" atmosphere.

I also like how this version talks about Valmiki, who composes the Ramayana, within the Ramayana. It seems unusual for the creation of a story to be part of the story, but it is an interesting way to frame it and adds to the appreciation of this story as an epic poem and oral narrative. I imagine it would be a bit confusing, though, if one had no familiarity with the Ramayana, to start with this part of the story and then backtrack.

In this section, I was really glad that a deeper backstory was given to the rakshasas and to Ravana in particular. In Narayan's version, the reader is basically just told that rakshasas are bad and evil and Ravana is really bad and evil and scary, and that's that. It was a very simplistic narrative of good and evil. Here, though, I loved reading about the history of Ravana. It also helped explain some things that were vague in Narayan: Ravana's invincibility to gods but vulnerability to humans, how he was able to defeat and enslave certain gods, even where he got the pushpaka vimana. It was certainly longer and more dense, but very fascinating.