My family I are hooked on a TV miniseries called WandaVision.
Here is what I see going on in WandaVision.
Wanda and Vision are a loving wife and husband. They live an idyllic suburban life in 1950s America, with a Chevrolet, a Frigidaire, chicken dinners and nosy neighbours.
But that charming reality is not as it seems.
In another greater reality, Wanda and Vision were Avengers! They were warriors for good fighting against evil.
In this Avengers reality, Vision was killed on the battlefield.
Wanda refused to give up on her fallen partner.
Wanda used her superpowers to bring Vision back from the dead.
Wanda created an alternative reality in which she and Vision could be united once more.
So, WandaVision is about a strong virtuous woman with superpowers who brings her husband back from the dead. Where have I heard that before?
In another magical alternative universe. In the alternative reality of Indian mythology, where many heroes and heroines have amazing superpowers, whose narratives are all tangled together and sometimes inconsistent, where time and causality are fluid, where good characters sometimes discover the dark side within, but where the dividing line between good and evil is always discernible.
Wanda's story is basically the Savitri-Satyavan story.
Savitri was also a strong virtuous woman with superpowers who brought her husband Satyavan back from the dead.
Savitri’s superpowers were her intelligence and devotion. Wanda’s superpowers include telekinesis, energy manipulation and neuroelectric interfacing. Sure, there are differences between the two characters, and the telling of the two stories. But if the two heroines were to meet, they would have plenty in common to talk about.
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Savitri negotiating with Yama in Raja Ravi Verma's Painting |
