Emancipating Savitri

A person, culturally entrenched and geographically confined as well as defined as he is, is certainly at odds with any homogenising imperative like reading Savitri. This intimidating piece of poem - which is forbiddingly one-piece as well - somehow carries a coercive indispensability for devotees unlike other similar prescriptions which have a happy air of optional signage floating around them.

Now, Savitri surely is not for everyone. How many in India even have the ability to read a few lines correctly, let alone comprehending the context or the meaning? Further, the risk of mistaking the dialogue of an adverse force as Sri Aurobindo's message looms always as a minefield.

These quibbles, obviously lead to more weighty objections that are ordinarily missed due to familiarity. How far the scaffolding of the legend hinges us to imageries of old religions and whether the symbol is really emancipatory and allows us to break the shackles of the past? [TNM55]