Maithili  (English, Paperback, Vashisth Palak)

Maithili: Establishing Sita-Rama Rajya, is part fiction, part real rendition of Ramayana. It takes us on an enticing journey to the city of Ayodhya — A city where discrimination is normalised in the name of religion and culture through ages of slow poisoning. It is a vivid depiction of Ram-Rajya, circumventing it from flamboyance to threadbareness. Urmila — The wife of Lakshmana, the prime minister in the court of Rama and Sita, grapples with the preposterous traditions prevalent in the Koshal kingdom. She cries, whispers, shouts, and screams to protect her subjects and her loved ones—Ironically, her quest demands standing up against both of them. The subaltern voices find a way to resonate in the golden pillared throne hall of Ayodhya, demanding justice and if not, they are seized in the epistolary narration of the protagonist. It is a fable of the generic love story of Lakshmana and Urmila pivoting upon their divided priorities that binds them together with an equable force that can tear them apart. It is a retelling of a canon from the lens of feminism and egalitarianism. Each character has a story to tell in a blend of vibrant colours that life has to offer, where jubilance and sombre juxtapose one another. The question is ‘Can you accept them with their respective virtues and vices?’.