The retelling of Lakshmana’s wife Urmila’s story explores consent

In the Ramayana, when Sita wedded Rama of Ayodhya, Urmila wedded his brother, Lakshmana, who was so devoted to Rama and Sita that he followed them into exile for 14 years, leaving Urmila behind. Since they were in the jungle, he wanted to serve them in the day and guard them at night when they slept, so he begged for the boon of sleeplessness for 14 years. On their first night of exile, the sleep goddess appeared before Lakshmana and offered him that boon, on the condition that someone else had to slumber for 14 years instead of him and sleep his share. Lakshmana nominated Urmila, and she accepted the task of sleeping for 14 years to allow her husband to serve Rama and Sita with full devotion.

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Control and consent

The play was performed at the Prithvi Festival in November last year, and is back in the city for a second run. It explores the power dynamics in the relationship between Urmila and Lakshmana, raising questions about consent, agency, and approval. The hour-long staging includes Meedhu Miriyam, Sooraj S and Anil Iyer playing the main characters. “I have been preoccupied with the notion of sleep for quite some time. It is one of the fundamental things that we think we have control over. However, when you talk to people who are working in the corporate sector or people who are artistes, the one thing that they seem deprived of is sleep. Is it really your personal choice? You may want to sleep on time and wake up on time but do you always have control over it? Sometimes, the body is sleeping, the mind probably is working. In Urmila’s case, when Lakshmana asks her to sleep his share, she’s willing to give up 14 years of experiences — bitter or happy, whatever was meant to come her way,” says Raphel.

The play raises the question of consent. “In a situation where it is about something as primal as sleep or any other major or minor decision, Urmila’s consent must be taken, but it wasn’t,” Raphel suggests, adding that the other issue raised is that of emotional violence, where one is forced to do something they don’t want to, or are made to suffer something that they have no control over resolving. “At a young age, Urmila sacrificed 14 years of marital life. In the play, Urmila is strong and considers herself a person who has a voice, rather than somebody who is submissive to a larger political movement. She refuses to sleep Lakshmana’s share and because she cannot differentiate between her sleep and his, she refuses to sleep her sleep too. So, we look at a situation where if she had an agency to 
protest, how would she protest?” she elaborates.

Another popular notion that the play raises is that because Urmila, without as much as a question, sacrificed her youth and life for 14 years at the command of her husband, she was considered an admirable woman and a symbol of selflessness, devotion and love. “Even today, we often observe around us that when you take all the orders that come to you, you are perceived as beautiful, and are accepted. When you begin to challenge something, you’re seen as something else.”

ON Today, 6 pm and 9 pm; January 7, 5 pm and 8 pm 
AT Prithvi Theatre, 20, Juhu Church Road, Janki Kutir, Juhu
Call 26149546
Cost Rs 710