A review by brucefarrar
Sita's Ramayana by Moyna Chitrakar, Samhita Arni

4.0

Moyna Chitrakar painted this version of the Ramayana drawing on Vālmīki’s poem and some regional variations including the Benagali Chandrabati Rāmāyaṇa. It’s an adaptation of her Patua scroll original. “…Patua is a folk-art form that combines performance, storytelling and art. The story is recited or sung as the narrator hold up a painted scroll, pointing to the image that goes with the words.” Chitrakar’s bold brush strokes, curved shapes and vivid primary colors lend themselves well to the transition from folk art to graphic novel format. For this adaptation Arni has written a text told by Rama’s queen Sita giving the epic from a feminine perspective.