“Chetavni to Ravan” – A Painting from the Ramayana Series by Rounak Rai
Feminine Strength Meets Arrogant Power
In this fierce and evocative painting titled “Chetavni to Ravan”, artist Rounak Rai depicts a lesser-highlighted yet powerful moment from the Ramayana — Sita’s direct warning to Ravana during her captivity in Ashok Vatika. This scene isn’t just a confrontation — it is a moment of resistance, prophecy, and unshakable inner power, rendered through Rai’s sharp visual language.
On the left, Ravana stands smug and overconfident, his ten heads almost cartoonishly stacked, symbolizing both his immense ego and divided mind. His arms are crossed — a gesture of denial and disdain. But the composure of Ravana is visually challenged by the striking pose of Sita, seated under the shade of a tree, rising with a pointed finger — speaking truth to power. Her gesture is assertive, bold, and defiant. Behind her, demonic female figures watch, symbolizing the silent yet complicit witnesses of Ravana’s tyranny.
The background is split into emotional contrast — Ravana bathed in red, a metaphor for violence and pride, while Sita is nestled under green foliage, a sign of purity, patience, and moral strength. The tree that divides them becomes symbolic — a line between adharma and dharma, between arrogance and wisdom.
The handwritten Devanagari script blends directly into the artwork, becoming part of the emotional atmosphere, not just narration. Sita’s words here become almost prophetic, foretelling the doom that Ravana invites upon himself by disregarding virtue and violating dharma.
Rounak Rai’s visual style remains bold and unmistakable:
Folk-inspired simplicity, yet emotionally complex
Exaggerated forms, linear contours, and direct gaze
Color symbolism (red vs. green, blue-grey skin tones)
Flat spatial design, pushing focus toward the emotion, not realism
In “Chetavni to Ravan”, Rai re-centers the voice of Sita, not as a passive victim but as a force of spiritual warning and fearless truth. The painting speaks volumes about female agency, the moral blindness of ego, and the power of words — a reminder that sometimes the strongest weapons are not arrows, but truths boldly spoken.
It is a brilliant example of how Rounak Rai’s Ramayana Series not only illustrates ancient tales, but redefines their emotional essence for the modern viewer.
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