The script was adapted from the book “Sitayana - Epic of the Earth-Born” by K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar published in 1987 wherein the author (a professor of English) portrayed Sita’s story in verse form in English.

Ramayana is a perennial favourite of movie makers, musicians, and dancers for ages who have taken the whole or segments of the epic to portray the moral content of human behavior.

However, very few attempts have been made to tell the story of Ramayana from Sita’s perspective. That Sita is the raison d’ętre for the itihasa Ramayana has been recognized for quite some time.

Recently some dance groups took it upon themselves to give Sita due prominence. “EkAntha Sita”, a dance drama was staged a few years ago by the Dhanajayans' troupe of Chennai emphasizing the efforts of Sita as a solitary warrior in bringing up her twin sons, Lava and Kusa.

The current production in the USA, “Sitayana” was conceived by Sathyapriya Mandjiny, a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bharathanatyam dancer.

In collaboration with Ramya Kapadia (an accomplished Bharathanatyam dancer and dance teacher), and Smitha Prasad, an accomplished Carnatic vocalist of the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina, the idea was given shape to produce the dance drama.

Ramya Kapadia provided the choreography and direction while Smitha Prasad scored the music. With a cast of 20 dancers and dance students of the region, and a live orchestra consisting of vocal, veena, flute, mridangam, tabla, keyboard, and ghatam artistes (8 of them) the concept was executed into a live production attended by an audience of over 350 people. Many would-be attendees had to go back home for lack of capacity in the auditorium.

The orchestral group members lent voices to the dancers and actors who mimed their roles.

Sathyapriya played the lead character Sita and was ably supported by the other characters. The birth of Sita (from the trench), her musings about Rama upon hearing his valor, her wedding to Rama, her going into exile with Rama and Lakshman were enacted admirably.

Ravana (portrayed by a real life research scientist) was outstanding in his role as the cruel and misguided demon king during the abduction of Sita and in his persuasion of Sita to be his wife. The role of Hanuman at the Asoka vanam was brought out brilliantly by a software engineer. Rama’s role was shown in a subdued manner except to indicate his authority and valor in the war.

The poignancy of the rejection of Sita by Rama once after her rescue (the fire ordeal) and the second time after regaining the throne in Ayodhya was brought out in full measure by Sita.

The denouement of Sita subjecting herself to a disappearance into the earth’s womb at the end, when the earth opens up to take Sita back (whence she came), was enacted to great acclaim by the audience. In her endurance. In that respect the Nayammar Nandanar belonged to the same category as portrayed by Gopalakrishna Bharathi in his magnum opus Nandanar Sariththirak Keerthanai.

This was a major venture for Ramya Kapadia in bringing a full length epic to the stage in the duration of two hours without losing the goal of keeping Sita at the epicenter and she succeeded in it with the able assistance of her supportive crew. All the actors performed admirably. Vocal and instrumental music were interwoven seamlessly with the voice rendition for the actors. Sitayana was a veritable visual and aural feast for the audience.