Kavita Kane on Writing Hidden Voices of Mythological Women: Sita's Sister Urmila & Karna's Wife Urvi

Cyrus Says

In this episode of Cyrus Says, bestselling author Kavita Kané joins Cyrus to discuss her revolutionary approach to Indian mythology, where she highlights the lesser-known women who played pivotal roles. With eight bestselling novels, including Karna’s Wife (2013), Sita’s Sister (2014), Menaka’s Choice (2015), Lanka’s Princess (2016), The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty (2017), Ahalya’s Awakening (2019), Sarasvati’s Gift (2021), and her latest Tara’s Truce, Kavita has been at the forefront of bringing feminism to Indian mythology.
In this episode, she dives deep into the story of Urmila and Lakshman, where Urmila, unlike Sita, didn’t have the choice to accompany her husband to Vanvas. Kavita elaborates on Karna, the unsung hero of the Mahabharata, through the eyes of his wife Uruvi, a courageous Kshatriya princess who falls in love with Karna and dares to choose him over Arjun. Uruvi’s journey to reconcile with the social implications of her marriage and gaining acceptance within Karna’s family is a gripping tale of love and intelligence.
The conversation also covers the Apsaras’ art of seduction and how Satyavati wielded more political power than Draupadi. Kavita shares her motivation behind writing these stories, her fascination with characters from the epics who are often overlooked, and how she uses fiction to bring their narratives to life.
Tune in to this insightful episode and discover Kavita Kané's inspiration and process behind her groundbreaking work!

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