Through the empowerment of the women of Kosala and the creation of robust relationships founded on mutual respect, Kaikeyi finds her place as the warrior queen of Kosala. Through this, Kaikeyi suggests a number of reforms for women’s rights: allowing the women of Kosala to gain an education, sell goods in the market and own property. The new queen proves herself first, saving her husband’s life on the battlefield and then using her newfound influence to gain a seat on the king’s panel of advisors. In a land that considers women as second-class citizens, where even the gods relegate women to a subservient role, Kaikeyi makes it a point to stand up for their rights. As Patel makes clear, Kaikeyi has only ever cared about mortal affairs, specifically those of women. In fact, Kaikeyi doesn’t even care about the gods. Gods and magic - usually the center of every story in “The Ramayana” - take a backseat in Kaikeyi’s tale. Once Kaikeyi reaches Kosala, Patel focuses on the new queen’s relationships in the court, and the politics that go along with it. It is with the manipulation of these connections that Kaikeyi ultimately finds a place as the third wife of King Dasharath of Kosala.

After the sudden exile of her mother, Kaikeyi finds a text that allows her to harness the magic of the Binding Plane, which allows her to visibly see the connections she has with those around her in the form of shimmering threads. Seen by her father as inferior to her younger brothers, including her twin Yudhajit, Kaikeyi is determined to rival her brother in every way as she becomes skilled in the arts of combat and politics. The novel begins with Kaikeyi’s early life as the yuvradnyi (princess) of Kekaya.

Instead of relegating Kaikeyi to the category of “evil stepmother,” Vaishnavi Patel aims to examine the vilified queen and give color and clarity to her actions in her debut novel, “Kaikeyi.”

The motive for Kaikeyi’s exile of Rama, and the character of Kaikeyi herself, was never truly explored, despite thousands of existing verses in the epic.

The meat of the epic comes from Rama’s travels through the forest during his exile at the hand of his stepmother, Kaikeyi, and his subsequent battle against the evil demon king Ravana who kidnapped Rama’s wife, Sita. Written by the poet Valmiki in Sanskrit over 2,300 years ago and containing 24,000 verses, “The Ramayana” is the story of prince Rama, the son of King Dasharath and an avatar of the god Vishnu. As one of the great Hindu epics, its influence cannot be understated. When I was growing up, my father regaled me with stories from “ The Ramayana” for years.

Kaikeyi a novel by vaishnavi patel