Mar 12, 2023Liked by Rohini Chowdhury, The Story Birds
This is a profound story! Many thanks to Mr. Shetty and to The Story Birds. I am sharing this with a colleague whose area of research is menses - sacredness and ritual.
I am struck by two things. 1) to wed is not as we have come to think of it in the west but rather a far older idea of consummation. Or, to bed. And the brother will not wait. His vow to wed becomes an urgency to bed. ok, let's name it: rape. 2) the multiple outcomes are each cautionary tales that clearly denounce the brother's actions/intentions. And this is quite extraordinary b/c let's face it - consideration of female sovereignty is rarely addressed. But maybe I'm wrong about this. Maybe it is present in more stories than I am aware of and/or maybe I am misreading this story.
Thanks so much for your comment and thanks for sharing the story! I don't yet know enough to give any kind of informed response. It's always so layered, but Mr. Shetty did express the view that this should be told as a cautionary tale so very likely you did not misread this story. I am sharing your comment with Mr.Shetty, in case he can furnish further insights.
I think this is an incredibly powerful tale. Reading your statement on female sovereignty, the story that immediately came to mind was of Apollo and Daphne.
It is a bold story, especially in these times. It is not only rape we are looking at here, but also questions of incest. I wonder how much of the denunciation of the brother's actions/intentions in the tale is because of their incestuous nature though. Would they have been as strongly denounced if he had not been her brother, for instance? I wonder.
Thank you very much for your appreciation of the story. Folk stories are always guiding lamps in life. Though they do not go deep into the characters the general morality of the plot is important . As mentioned in the beginning, this is a cautionary tale .
We are fortunate that in India we have such a rich heritage of folk wisdom.
I am grateful to you again for your insights which inspire me to bring out more such stories.
This is a profound story! Many thanks to Mr. Shetty and to The Story Birds. I am sharing this with a colleague whose area of research is menses - sacredness and ritual.
I am struck by two things. 1) to wed is not as we have come to think of it in the west but rather a far older idea of consummation. Or, to bed. And the brother will not wait. His vow to wed becomes an urgency to bed. ok, let's name it: rape. 2) the multiple outcomes are each cautionary tales that clearly denounce the brother's actions/intentions. And this is quite extraordinary b/c let's face it - consideration of female sovereignty is rarely addressed. But maybe I'm wrong about this. Maybe it is present in more stories than I am aware of and/or maybe I am misreading this story.
Thanks so much for your comment and thanks for sharing the story! I don't yet know enough to give any kind of informed response. It's always so layered, but Mr. Shetty did express the view that this should be told as a cautionary tale so very likely you did not misread this story. I am sharing your comment with Mr.Shetty, in case he can furnish further insights.
I think this is an incredibly powerful tale. Reading your statement on female sovereignty, the story that immediately came to mind was of Apollo and Daphne.
It is a bold story, especially in these times. It is not only rape we are looking at here, but also questions of incest. I wonder how much of the denunciation of the brother's actions/intentions in the tale is because of their incestuous nature though. Would they have been as strongly denounced if he had not been her brother, for instance? I wonder.
ah, I think that is a very good point!
and yes, Apollo and Daphne is certainly the Roman version of this story
Thank you very much for your appreciation of the story. Folk stories are always guiding lamps in life. Though they do not go deep into the characters the general morality of the plot is important . As mentioned in the beginning, this is a cautionary tale .
We are fortunate that in India we have such a rich heritage of folk wisdom.
I am grateful to you again for your insights which inspire me to bring out more such stories.