Narrating The Silenced: A Narratological Study Of Kavita Kane's Sita's Sister Queen

Abstract

Contemporary Indian mythological fiction has emerged as a significant literary space for reinterpreting ancient epics through marginalized perspectives. Kavita Kane's Sita's Sister (2014) revisits the Ramayana through the voice of Urmila, the often-forgotten wife of Lakshman. Rather than presenting Urmila as a silent figure confined to the background of the epic, Kané reconstructs her as an emotionally and intellectually complex protagonist. This article examines the narrative techniques employed in Sita's Sister using Gérard Genette's narratological framework. It analyses the role of the disembodied narrator, internal focalization, narrative delay, flashback, diegesis, mimesis, and setting in shaping Urmila's psychological journey. The study argues that Kané's narrative strategy transforms the traditional epic into a feminist retelling by allowing the marginalized female voice to become the centre of narration. Through carefully structured narrative devices, the novel challenges patriarchal interpretations of the Ramayana and foregrounds female agency, emotional resilience, and identity.