Plus I think Hindu mythology and the religion itself portrays motherhood in such a complex and beautiful way, because mothers educate their children and develop their morals and may even train them in the arts of war-it’s something I find very progressive about many myths, so I always wanted to include that. The fact that Rama is her stepchild encouraged me to portray motherhood more expansively and to flip that narrative. I thought the story would be much more interesting if she truly loved all her sons and was motivated by fears besides jealousy.

I personally find it reductive to claim that DNA matters above all else, especially when she’s been raising and loving all four of the boys-why should blood matter to her so much all of a sudden? But before that point in the story, we hear that Kaikeyi (as well as Sumitra and Kaushalya) love all their sons the same. Instead, she tore her family apart so that her blood son Bharata would take the throne. It is emphasized that she didn’t want Rama to be on the throne because he wasn’t related to her by blood. In many versions and portrayals of the Ramayana, Kaikeyi often falls into the evil stepmother trope. How vital was this aspect when writing Kaikeyi’s story? But it was refreshing to see Kaikeyi focusing on motherhood as a more nuanced journey. This shift in the epic undoubtedly reduces her to an easily influenced woman who gives into her jealousy and insecurity. Often, Kaikeyi has been regarded as a stepmother -for Ramayana focuses way more on Rama than Bharata, but especially after she demands the throne for her biological son. I wanted to tell a version where her actions were not motivated by spur of the moment jealousy, but rather decisions based on her life experiences.

One day I realized I could write her story. I started doing little pieces of research, learning more about her and other women in the Ramayana.

Something about her story in particular got into my head and wouldn’t leave.Īs I grew older, I would occasionally look to see if anybody had written stories about Kaikeyi, but I never found anything about her. Ajji didn’t fully agree, and that disagreement-the fact that Kaikeyi ends up helping society but ends up viewed as a villain-stuck in my mind. One time, my Aai overheard my grandma telling us how Kaikeyi exiled Rama, and jumped in to point out that without Kaikeyi there would be no Ramayana, so her actions ended up being good. When I was growing up, my Ajji used to tell my sister and I stories from the Ramayana. Kaikeyi greatly brings one of the most infamous queens from Hindu epics to the forefront, but when one thinks of the other women in our mythology, especially those who are most written about like Sita or Draupadi, it’s inevitable to be curious: why Kaikeyi?

Kaikeyi goodreads