Enveloped in the serene surroundings of Sage Valmiki’s ashram, resides a quiet story; a story of a woman that encompasses love, struggles, and separation. She raises her twin sons, who remain blissfully unaware of her extraordinary past—her true name, her divine origins, or even the blotched truth of her renunciation as the forsaken wife of the beloved and divine king of Ayodhya. But as destiny plays its twisted games, her young boys are to encounter their father— both unaware of their connection to sing in his honour. As she grapples with the reality of truth coming to light, she is forced to revisit all the memories. In the pages of Valmiki’s Ramayana lay the bare facts of her life, her husband’s galore triumphs and the injustice that life put her through. As painful as those memories are, she still has a way to go. For years, she spent her life raising her boys with the thought of it all being over, only for fate to yet again puts her through the unimaginable. This is the story of Sita. A story of revelations, reunions and renunciations. 'Like a kaleidoscope, where a slight twist of the hand can totally change the picture, Agrawal's Ramayana changes our perception in seemingly tiny ways. The impact is as dramatically different as the best kaleidoscope.' —Mallika Sarabhai, recipient of the Padma Bhushan, legendary classical dancer, actor, and social activist 'This tenderly retold story of the earth goddess Sita and her twin sons Luv and Kush addresses the strength and vulnerability of her legacy. The foundational epic text of the Ramayana presents the complex moral dilemmas of the compulsions of kingship and the personal and domestic. Pragya Agrawal's narrative evokes Sita's resolute path through love and marriage, exile and abandonment. —Namita Gokhale, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author, acclaimed writer, and co-founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Pragya Agrawal is a dual qualified landscape architect and an architect from CEPT University, Ahmedabad and BIT Mesra, Ranchi. After several years in the design and construction industry, she now also builds with words as her second craft. Born and raised in India, she was deeply shaped by the ancient stories and rich cultural heritage of her homeland. The Renunciation is her debut novel, illumining the quiet strength of Sita—the guiding force behind the Ramayana's turns of fate—as seen through the eyes of a believer and a daydreamer. She lives in London with her husband, their two children, and a head full of stories.