The act of cutting Surpanakha's nose off has divided mythology enthusiasts for some time. While some malign her reputation for wandering alone in a forest and wooing a married man, others deem Laxman's actions as the metaphorical equivalent of disgracing her, raping her. Thirty-two-year-old Manini Anandani, who recently published her first book, Mandodari, speaks of many such alternative versions of highly misunderstood female characters of the Ramayana, at intimate book clubs in the city.

A passionate mythologist, Anandani received her postgraduate diploma in comparative mythology from Mumbai University in April 2018. Her quest to start a conversation about these untold folktales began when she encountered Ravana's first wife, Mandodari, in the Sanskrit department of the varsity library. "Most Indians are only familiar with BR Chopra's television milestone of the epic," she says. "But, there are thousands of folklores that most people are unaware of.