Chapter I

Chapter - I

Introduction: Overview of Indian Literature

Literature is a mandated medium through which one can understand the social

situations, language, history, personal emotions, and various cultural practices. The

chronicle of any literature preserves the ever-evolving human history, and it gives space

for us to reflect on our lives. On discussion with others, it adds voice to the explanation

of timeless human themes, and hence literature makes one think. Around the world there

are different types of genres in Indian Writing in English. This field is now well established

and has been bringing up many excellent writers with great thoughts. Hence many of

them are migrated and their themes are based on Indianness, and respectively their medium

of creativity, passion, learning, expression is close to their homeland. Moreover, many

novels in Indian literature, especially those that deal with social changes, are translated

by various writers and this demonstrates the influence of Indian literature in the present

milieu.

Calcutta, Madras and Bombay were the major centres of British power established

in India and they enforced the English language education. Before emerging as a distinct

field, English literature in India flourished beginning from the arrival of Europeans as

traders to India. Most of the Indian writers write about the traditions, legal and social

systems and also translate literature in Indian languages into English. Translation of

Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, and Islamic scriptures were also attempted which brought to

light the theological and other religious beliefs of Indians.

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As the English language developed and spread among the people, the desire and

determination of the colonial rulers to strive for freedom became much stronger. E.F. Oaten,

a young man won a prize for his pioneering essay on Anglo- Indian Literature at Cambridge.

Later, the work was published as a book, Cambridge History of English Literature, a

comprehensive and critical study which confined primarily to the writings of English men

in India on Indian subjects. Although Americans, Australians, Canadians, and South

Africans write in English, their inventive work is described, not only as English literature

but also in their respective literature. In every literature, the social and religious reform

movement also became powerful with the spread of the English novels and it also improved

the knowledge of English, as English literature and non-literary writings revealed various

options for social equity. According to K.R.S. Iyengar in Indian Writing in English, there

are three types of Indian writers in English:

Firstly, those who have acquired their entire education in English schools

and universities. Secondly, Indians who have settled abroad but are constantly

in touch with the changing surroundings and traditions of their country of

adoption. And finally, Indians who have acquired English as a second

language. (Iyengar 11)

Among many other writers, the writings of Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo,

Mulk Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan, and Raja Rao, laid a strong foundation for the genuine

Indo- Anglian novels by writing in English. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a prominent Indian writer

not only wanted English but also, wanted more English men in India. According to him,

English is a crucial language for communicating throughout the world, as it is considered

a global language and he insisted on establishing education in English by his expression:

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The settlement in India by Europeans should at least be undertaken

experimentally, so that its effect may be ascertained by actual

observation on a moderate scale… On mature consideration,

therefore, I think I may safely recommend that educated persons of

character and capital should now be permitted and encouraged to

settle in India, without any restriction of locality or any liability to

banishment, at the discretion of the Government. (Iyengar 18)

As Raja Ram Mohan Roy was an expert in the English language, he wrote and

spoke in impressive English, years before Thomas Babington Macaulay, wrote his

Minute. Macaulay, a British historian, and a politician are best known for his work,

History of England. This book-imposed English as a standardized medium of higher

education in non-independent India. And Macaulay’s Minute Upon Indian Education,

introduced in 1833, provided the introduction of English as a medium of instruction and

revealed in his speech as

Whoever knows [English] has ready access to all the vast

intellectual wealth, which all the wisest nations of the earth have

created and hoarded in the course of ninety generations. It may be

safely said, that the literature now extant in that language is of far

greater value than all the literature which three hundred years ago

was extant in all the languages of the world together. (Iyengar 9)

As an outturn, India has evolved in developing its distinctive dialect of English

which is known as Indian English and has semblance to British Pronunciation and spelling.

The Western education paves its way to new scopes of the thought process for Indians
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and this in turn, led to inducing thoughts of freedom and democracy, the pride of

humanism, love of the land, the adoration for men, to men. The idea of individualism

indeed reinforced and enlightened the impact on the young and educated adults. With

modernization, every individual with dignity and status, irrespective of caste, creed,

religion, or sex, has endorsed awareness among the social thinkers and authors have been

enlightened as creative writers.

The Renaissance in fashionable Indian literature begins with Raja Ram Mohan

Roy. He served as a bridge between Europe and India and excelled in many languages

especially, English. This helped in benefitting and rejuvenating several young nationalists

like Dadabai Naoriji, Rande Ramakrishna, and many more. They learned and utilized the

English Language to fight against British rule and create an awareness to think rationally

and politically. This led to further renaissance in India, which created an immense effect

on the individuals by submitting themselves with the serene beauty of the English language

and literature. This created the efforts in Indian writing in English which gained attention

and recognition as a distinct entity of its own. In 1780, India's first English language

weekly newspaper, Bengal Gazette, was published by James Augustus Hicky. In the year

1817, the great social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Hindu College, which

later became the popular Presidency College, the premier educational institution of

Bengal. He voiced out for women to vote and widow remarriage by abolishing sati.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee is an Indian novelist, poet, journalist, and his maiden

work Rajmohan’s Wife in the year1864 in English has an acclaimed appreciation. The basic

theme of this novel is love and romance, and his portrayal of strong women vibrates

among the readers. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay observes:

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The ideal of the traditional, oppressed woman persisted in a culture

permeated by religious images of virtuous goddesses devoted to their

husbands. The Hindu goddesses, Sita and Savitri continued to Mahajan 31

being the powerful cultural ideals for women. In mythical terms, the

dominant feminine prototype is the chaste, patient, self-denying wife,

Sita, supported by other figures such as Savitri, Draupadi, and Gandhari.

(Chattopadhyay 3)

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Durgeshnandini written in Bengali was translated into

English in the year 1890 and eventually other novels were all published between 1866

and 1886. Later on, similar works are followed by Raj Laxmi Devi’s The Hindu Wife in

1876, Bianca by Toru Dutt’s in 1878 Roshinara by Kali Krishna Lahiri’s in 1881 Bijoy

Chand by H. Dutt’s in 1888, and Sarata and Hingana by KetrapalChakravarti’s in 1895.

Their novels are interesting and reclaim as antiquarian or history for us today.

Personalities like Sri Aurobindo, Radha Krishnan, Rabindranath Tagore, Toru

Dutt, Sarojini Naidu, creative writers and patents use Indian English as their medium.

They are very valuable, and even American critics and commentators have been greatly

inspired and impressed by their creative works. The emergence of these respected and

renowned writers is the most striking appearance in the field of Indian English fiction.

The perseverance of these novelists laid the foundation of Indian Anglican novels. Like

novels, even poetry occupies an important position in Indian English novels. It has

created a great impact on the thought process of readers. Similar to the translation of

great Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the works of Kalidasa,

a great playwright and dramatist were translated into English.

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During the early 1900’s Rabindranath Tagore, the most popular writer, through

his work created a landmark in the world literary scene. He excelled in all forms of art,

transporting through his novels, songs, poems, essays, and especially in his impressive

painting. It is commendable to note that he was the first Indian, rather than a European, to

be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his contributions to innovative forms of

prose and verse in Bengali, which he later translated into English. In 1912, Tagore was

inspired by the success to reach the pinnacle in the field of literature, when his work

Gitanjali was acclaimed as the best novel of his style. Tagore's work has influenced and

enthralled many other writers also. Tagore after one or two of his writings was under the

shadow of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Tagore achieved his first success through his work

Choker Bali in 1902, which Krishna Kriplani now translates into English as Binodhini.

In comparison to the novels of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Tagore’s Binodhini is

a story of a young widow, has a subtler psychological approach and the theme is more

convincing. Only three of Tagore's books have been translated and published in full-length in

English. The three novels which were published in 1905, Naukhadubi and 1910 Gora,

were both retitled and named Wreck, and his third work Ghare Bhaire was renamed as

The Home and the World in 1916. Gora was arguably Tagore's most ambitious work of

fiction, written at the peak of his talents to convey a picture of the individual's position in

a resurgent India.

Sri Aurobindo is another distinguished person in Indo-Anglian literature. Although

Tagore, without doubt, occupies an analogous standing in trendy Bengali literature, in

terms of writing, Aurobindo was as good as George Moore, Laurence Binyon, or W.B Yeats.

Few works of Aurobindo that have already found a place in the general and philosophical
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literature, are The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, The Secret of

the Veda, The Ideal of Human Unity, The Human Cycle, The Future Poetry, The Foundation

of Indian Culture, Renaissance in India and Heraclitus. Savitri is an epic poem, is among

the finest works of Sri Aurobindo, could be surpassed only by the evocation of Symbol of

Dawn. It is considered to be the most powerful work of art in the world, which can extend

human thoughts to the absolute.

Like Tagore and Aurobindo, Sarojini Naidu is not only a poet but also, one of the

most talented women of Indian Mothers, who marked her place in Indian writing. As an

English poet, Sarojini Naidu, attracted the attention of the public and patriotism surpassed

the poet. The Golden Threshold in 1905’s is her first collection of poems. The Bird of Time

in 1912, the second collection depicts the songs of life and death. The third and final

collection is The Broken Wing in 1917, the memorial verses addressed to her father, The Gate

of Delight and If You were Dead and all her writings are considered as notable works.

Novel writing is predominantly a literary genre of European countries. It is

considered as a fictitious prose, narrative, or a tale of considerable length within which

characters are associated with an action within the reality of the past or present. It portrays a

plot of a more or less complex society and has a unique style of art, capturing and expressing

human life in imaginative prose. In India, novels began in Bengal to flourish against the

widespread negatives of society, political upheavals, agony, affliction, and struggle for

Independence. Century after century major problems like child marriage, widow

rehabilitation, and caste system have taken their role in the suppression of people. Likewise,

Indian Writers with the aid of the English language and literature have made the most

significant contribution towards Indian writing in English, especially writing Novels.

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Novels contain powerful expressions of feelings and ideas. It could be imaginary

ideas related to events that happen in reality. For example, romance and unrest in society

which is based on human experience and a reflection of society is depicted through the

characters. It exhibits actions and expressions connected with social acts and reforms and

is concerned with human experiences which involve a group of people or society. It contains

political turbulence, thirst for freedom, torment, affliction, male domination, child

marriage, dogmas related to widows, and the differences due to caste and creed. After the

1800’s plenty of Indian novelists emerged and their writings were in their mother tongue.

Later they attempted to switch over to Indian English.

Many new authors and novelists emerged using English as a language to furnish

their works. Writers like Mulk Raj Anand, R.K Narayan and Raja Rao are considered the

three pillars of Indian writing in English. These writers established the foot face for the

genuine Indo Anglican novels in Indian writing in English. Raja Rao became an outstanding

person in Indian literature, when his book, KanthaPura was released in 1932 Similarly,

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s work titled Raj Mohan’s Wife was published and it is the

first Indo English novel that acclaimed honours. The literary works of a few titled ‘trio’

focused on male as the main character. They included female characters with a low profile

and less power because women had limited potential to work. It exposes that the female

characters were suppressed by some of the writers like George Eliot, Jane Austen, and

Virginia Woolf.

During the nineteenth century the focus on women became very effective and

sketched out a new opening. The issue of an individual’s challenge in society is written in

a particular style that was concerned about the struggle faced by women in society.
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Like child marriage, dowry, a marriage of widows the suppressed women, and lack of

education are written by most of the writers. Among the Indo- Anglian novelists like

Mulk Raj Anand and R.K. Narayan, who was modest in their writings, has proven

something like endurance and strict consistency.

Mulk Raj Anand centres around the social truth of smothered individuals of India.

Mulk Raj Anand’s first work, The Untouchable (1935), which was centred around a

character of a toilet cleaner, his crisscross with a high caste status individual, where the

author brings in Gandhiji who preached dignity of labour. Among all his novels,

Untouchable is the most compact and most satisfying creative work. Coolie (1936) is the

most expansive in space and can evoke changeable actions and the diversity of character.

While Two Leaves and a Bud (1937) is an implicit accusation of society, the most effective

depiction in the novel. His other works, The Village (1939), Across The Backwaters in

the year 1940, and The Sword and The Sickle also were reformatory.

R.K. Narayan one of the most eminent writers from south India published his first

novel, Swami and Friends (1935), with a fictitious village in the south called Malgudi.

Bachelor of Arts (1937), Dark Room (1938), The English Teacher (1945), The Sambath

(1948), The Financial Expert (1952), addressed as one of the utmost authentic works.

Waiting for the Mahatma (1955) are the few works that proclaimed his talent in writing.

It is worth mentioning that with Mulk Raj Anand and R.K. Narayan, Raja Rao

formed an extraordinary triad with them, related to them in time and sometimes themes,

but he had his own artistic or prose styles as a novelist. Travels of Dean Mohamet, Mohamet’s

Travel was the first book penned by an Indian in English which was released 1794 in

England. The book has clear explanations and recollections of his service with the
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British army. Additionally, he describes many important cities and military campaigns

during his tenure. He had established a bridge between the cultural link of India and

England similar to Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Raj Rao wrote four novels and some short stories The novels brought him the credits

are Kanthapura (1938), The Serpent and The Rope (1960), The Cat and Shakespeare

1965) and Comrade Kirillov (1976), and The Cow of the Barricades-short stories (1947).

Among his work, the novel Kanthapura made him a renowned person in Indian literature

and the theme is related to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology. William Walsh admires in his

book R.K.Narayan: A Critical Appreciation “If Anand is the novelist as the reformer,

Raja Rao as Metaphysical poet, Narayan is simply the novelist as a novelist” (Walsh 6).

Khushwant Singh, yet another Indian eminent writer was a lawyer and a member

of the parliament who won a lot of recognition. Train to Pakistan (1956) is one of the

most famous works and a most well-known novel which is archaically authentic, that

brings back to our memory the work The Partition of India (1947). The other noteworthy

book of Khushwant Singh is I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale (1959). This novel is set in

Punjab during the Quit India Movement. Khushwant Singh in this novel talks about an

ordinary family, where the son is a rebel against Britishers but the father is trying to be a

loyal servant during the crucial time when India was against the Britishers. Besides these

he has written very impressive novels like Delhi: A Novel (1990), The Company of Women

(1999), and many others too have been written by him.

The introduction to Indo- English fiction with the theme and technique is a unique

method adopted by Indian writing in English. Its progress in the development of the English

language is sufficiently Anglicized to use the English language to express themselves and
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thus it led to the opening of an educational institution. Indian English novels were valued

and impressed even by American critics as well as by commentators. The rise of these

eminent writers was the foremost, exceptional and remarkable event in the realm of

Indian English Fiction. The attempts of these great eminent writers built the foundation

for the genuine Indo-Anglian novel. Fiction which takes place as a part of literature

exhibits its place in Indian English Literature as well. It is believed that the roots of

Indian Novels in English saw their shoot in the nineteenth century. However, as time

passed, the Indian novel in English has become totally Indian in terms of topics, methods,

and human aspects. In this regard, Meenakshi Mukherjee as well explained the aspects in

her book Realism and Reality and she has expressed:

The novel in India can be seen as the product of configuration, in

philosophical, aesthetic, economic, and political forces in the larger life of

the country. Despite the obvious regional variation, a basic pattern seems

to emerge from shared factors like the puranic heritage, hierarchy, social

structure, colonial education, the disjunction of agrarian life, and many

others that affect the form of the novel as well as its content. (Mukherjee 8)

Nancy Chodorow is an American sociologist, a humanistic psychoanalytic feminist

who has written the power of feeling in human beings through her psychoanalysis in her

Gender and Culture (1999), Femininities, Masculinities, Sexualities, Freud and Beyond,

The University Press of Kentucky (1994) and Psychoanalytic Theory (1989). Nancy

Chodorow has highlighted the gender difference in the rearing and training of children.

It is clearly understood she is a social psychologist all her novels are mainly connected

with psychoanalytic themes. She explains there is a difference between the level of
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freedom and independence given to the male child. Through her novels, one can learn

that there is vast discrimination among the genders and treatment suiting to the

environment. She explains the humiliation, the pressure, and the marital tension which

the women faced due to male domination and demands. This in turn led to poor sex

indulgence on the part of the woman, where she did not get satisfaction. The only

struggle she faced was poor health due to multiple births. The above are the vital points

Nancy Chodorow explained in her novels. She depicts women as victimized and the

males are set free. The women eventfully keep their urges and desires under wrap and

dedicate their life to the family and children. This reveals that Nancy Chodorow, being a

social psychologist herself, expresses in her novel about the psychological impact on

women because of male domination.

The book, The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, a French writer, deals with

social issues in detail and faced by women in social psychological aspects. He realized that

from time immemorial women’s dilemmatic position remained the same and did not see any

changes. Though women have the right to be free and independent as men. They experience

the force and compulsion to adopt the patriarchal condition. Simone De Beauvoir adds that

gender contrast positions the men in the society to be more dominant. This is the cause

for men to be authoritative not only in the family but at workplaces where women work.

So, gender exhibits and allows the men to think they are the superior gender and women

are inferior and a weaker sect. Roles of women standardized by society, force them to show

more fondness and devotion towards the family irrespective of their desires. A Woman

becomes a malleable wife to her husband and a committed mother to her children and a

devoted person to the elders of the family. In this context, Simone De Beauvoir quotes that
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A girl will learn, not the women, yet that men who oversee the world and

their mental self-view are constructed accordingly, he is educated he

should acknowledge a role that is represented as subordinate and limited.

(Beauvoir 43)

The mental conflict between old beliefs, notions and modern new visions of better

life creates a negative impact on women. Modern perspectives include morals, manners,

habits, and social norms, and this induces the visionaries to have positive thoughts. When

India was liberated from the clutches of the British in 1947, the colonial domain protested

against gender discrimination and their set rules and gave strong support.

Notably, English novels occupied a very important place in India with a multitude

of writers emerging with their exceptional and thought-provoking ideas. It was during the

’80s that a flood of novelists emerged with great fame and laurels. Their awards and

recognition were honoured in India as well as other countries which include immigrants.

One among the novelists who were welcomed and who reached the pinnacle, worth

mentioning, is Salman Rushdie who also has been privileged. Some of his excellent

worth mentioning are ‘Midnight’s Children and ‘The Satiric Verses in 1998. And it is

noteworthy to know some of his novels were nonfictional. He has written around thirteen

impressive novels, and some of the novels have a taste of historical and philosophical

issues which included unreal and imaginative characters. His artistic and literary style is

commendable so to say they took a loud place in the south Asian literary arena.

The Development of Indian English writing took many years until women novelists

brought a new dimension to Indian literature. Indian English literature later showed

varieties in writing patterns by the women writers who wrote short stories and novels in
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the English language. These writers who were also chained by traditional norms reflected

their own lives in their novels and considered these writings as their weapon to free

themselves and also enlightened other women to come out of the patriarchal boundaries.

English language writing and translation paved the way for many women writers to

extend their domain in the neighbouring states and other countries which were welcomed.

Women who came up to resist the social constraints refuse to hang up in narrowing their

lives to the dowry system and do not accept staying at home just do household works and

taking care of family. The plight of the Indian women is aptly captured by Kamla Bhasian

in the below-mentioned excerpts from her poem, it expresses

A girl is the young plant that gets neither light nor water. She is the

flower that would have blossomed but cannot. Half fed and half-heartedly

educated She gets only half wage for her labor. The country got its

freedom but she continues to be bonded. (Ramachandran 1)

The existing disparities in the demographic, economic, and social indicators

between males and females are a testimony to the consequences of gender inequality

faced by the Indian women of the region. Being influenced by western feminist writers,

the post-independence Indian women writers have engaged themselves in devising a

verbal strategy for rejecting male cold literary conventions which are historically

accepted as standards.

Jane Austen and George Eliot, the Brontes and Mrs. Gaskell, Dorothy Richardson

and Virginia Woolf had their style in their writing. Likewise, women writers from India

made their prominent place in Indian Fiction in English. The never-ending successful

attempts especially by women writers conquered the world of literacy. Subsequently,

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Indian English writers set the wheels in motion. Noted novelists began to put down their

experiences and views of Indian society which included socio-political, economic, and

cultural landscape, and set a high platform for themselves in the world of literary writing.

To add on to the host of impressive writers, Kamala Markandaya, Ruth Prawer

Jhabvala, Nayantara Sahgal They have impressively expressed their emotions in their

novels, which talk about the turbulence between races and nations, regarding religion,

family, culture, and tradition. These effective writers are on the same line bringing forth

gender issues and the truth of the encounters women face in their married life. The issues

faced between the spouses and the roughness of their married life have been very clearly

and beautifully depicted. These writers have given a vivid description of both men and

women in a juxtaposed world which portrays the role of modern society. They preserve

the generation gap in a rough life with a soothing current, also portraying this modern

complex society. All the above prominent writers excelled despite their difference through

their views, imagination, and creativity. They are reflected by the different characters

which they have impersonated.

Kamala Markandaya, one of the most prominent Indian novelists, has written

Nectar in a Sieve in 1954, Some Inner Fury in 1956, A Silence of Desire in 1960,

Possession in 1963, A Handful of Rice in 1966, The Coffer Dams in 1969 which has

turned her fiction into a formula.

Over a decade and a half, Mrs. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has released her novels

like, To Whom She Will in 1955, The Nature of Passion in 1956, Esmond in India in1958,

The Householder in 1960, Get ready for Battle in 1962, and A Backward place 1965.
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Her works are mostly about family, marriage, and society, but she also goes into great

detail regarding the traditional rituals of marriages. To Whom She Will is a basic narrative

work with no inter-racial interactions.

The most enjoyable work is The Nature of Passion. In her next piece, Esmond in

India Similarly, elements of humour, irony, and satire merge to create a fabric of fiction

that attracts the reader's mind at once. All her works have extensive descriptions of arranged

marriages and marital problems, being a very practical woman, she is idealizing reality.

Although Kamala Markandaya and Mrs. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala are the top two female

novelists, they each have an impressive library of novels but there are other novelists as well,

each with their unique talents and their special range of interests, and even their style.

Nayantara Sahgal can be considered as a link between the early creative writers of

Indian English and the recent modern writers of Indian English, whose creations have

begun to attract the attention of writers of literature using Indian languages. As a novelist,

the achievement of Nayantara Sahgal is quite impressive. Nayantara Sahgal has made

nine excellent novels that impressed people in the literature world. They are, Lesser Breeds

published in the year 2003, Mistaken Identity in 1988, Plans for Departure in 1985, Rich

Like Us in 1986, A Situation in New Delhi in 1977, Storm in Chandigarh, and Times of

the morning both published in the year 1956. Her uniqueness in writing is, she insists on

the freedom of women, she feels that women should not shirk their responsibilities.

Nayantara gives an outlet for her inner conflicts and struggles through her imagination

and her creative work. Due to this in her novels, there is a strong distinctive stress on the

roles of women and her rights and freedom pinpoints on male dominance.
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Anita Desai, who receive the Sahitya Academy award in 1978 for her work Fire

on the Mountain, also the recipient of the British guardian prize for her novel The Village

by Sea is one among the eminent novelists. She is a prolific writer, who wrote before

independence the main approach in the aspect of women in the psyche. It is noteworthy

to say she received another British guardian prize for the novel The Village by the Sea.

Her other successful works which gain recognition are the novels Clear Light of the Day

1980. Custody written in 1984 was made into a film, which received recognition and

award in the year 1993. The Fasting Feasting in 1999 deals with the Indo-American

connection and its culture. The Zigzag way explains the tale of the American academic,

who went to Mexico in search of Cornish ancestry. Through her novels, she has vividly

explained the tensions faced by the members of a middle-class family. Besides, she has

also penned very impressive novellike Cry the peacock in 1963, Voices in the City in

1965, and Bye -Bye blackbird.

The social psychology of women is dealt with many of the novels which have

been taken as the common platform focuses on issues namely discrimination of women

and mental torture, women underwent due to tradition and restriction of the society. This

is one of the reasons these Indian writers received the name in fame in the motherland

and from other countries also. Their writings were welcomed and appreciated all over the

world especially for their depiction of women such as depression, persecution, and

despair mainly due to male domination. Creative writing in English by Indians has a

significant contribution to world literature. This remarks an era of drastic change in

Indian English Literature.

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The main intention behind the writings was to create awareness among the people

that women are equal to men and they have a right to freedom and also to bring about a

drastic change in their lives. This also gives them the strength to liberate themselves from

the clutches of tradition, society, and their norms which is the major cause for women's

despair and pain and the torture they undergo. We note the works of Indian writers like

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Bharati Mukherjee, Shobhaa De, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anita Desai

are few novelists who had similar thoughts which evoked them to write about women’s

rights, their liberation and induced the women to realize male domination and the

sufferings of women in the social-psychological aspect.

The Social Psychological concepts are also focused on and pictured by the

novelist Shoba de, who is one of the top writers, and who achieve her visions through her

excellent writings and her books are acclaimed as top sellers. Her eighteen books have

received great appreciation, created records, and her books are translated into many

Indian and International languages. Her maiden venture was Socialite Evenings in 1989.

This novel talks about the Elite group of India and she highlighted how this group was

the cause of the decay of the culture, morality, and ethnic values. She puts down her

conviction, that people in the society have traded their values in exchange for

materialistic gain, and in turn led to face criticism for her bold expressions. Nevertheless,

the commercial aspect was very successful. Her second work Starry Nights were inspired

she got from two famous Bollywood couples. In her next novel named The Truth of

Marriage surveys the depth of the institution of marriage especially among the people of

the city, who are exposure to modernism. Some of her famous works are Second

Thought, Sultry Days, Speed post, and Uncertain Liaisons.

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Bharati Mukherjee who belongs to the array of writers in Indian English was born

in India but lived abroad for more than two decades. She was very much an Indian

though she settled abroad for many years and the connections with India were not

severed. She has written many fiction and also non-fiction books. Her narrations contain

a range of discerned women’s emotions entangled in society. Her novels are impregnated

details of the positive outcome of a woman after they were exposed to her writings.

Bharathi Mukherjee probes into the depth of psychology of women. She gathered

characters, who belong to the different parts of the world with divergent religions and

cultural concentration. She says the main suffering women undergo is due to cultural

identity. The Social Psychological traits are existing more in her novels, which is through

her female characters. We realize, most of her characters are compliant, who are not

vehement in their behavior when they have to fight for their rights. Her concentration is

more on the present scenario rather than the past.

Before the advent of these writers’ women had set responsibilities in their house

and marked for them like daily chores and taking care of family and husband. Their role

did not give any colour and excitement and almost like subordinates or slaves. They had

no say in any family matters and they missed all the excitement they were supposed to

have. They realized that they were vegetating and their lives were insipid. Later when

they were educated and rich in awareness, built up the courage to break up all barriers

and had gained the guts to speak up to pamper their inner emotions, stepped into the

outside world for exposure and fight for their rights, and also the pursuit of their

identities. The entire credit goes to these writers and the novelists who kindled them
 20

through their writings, to move forward for the betterment of their lives. Indian writing in

English aims at standardizing their writing for the betterment of people’s lifestyles.

This also incorporates members from the Indian Diaspora, for example, V.S.

Naipaul, Kiran Desai, Agha Shahid Ali, Vikram Seth, Gita Mehta, Amitav Ghosh, who

also explored and realized the Indian society and their impact more on the lives of

women. Their works had strong notes on psychological and sociological aspects, which

affected the women characters depicted in their novels. It is interesting to note there is a

historical connection between two societies, Indian and English in their writings. One of

the reasons for such novels to be appreciated is because they strongly voiced the norms of

the patriarchal society.

The writings of these contemporary writers have created very impressive

awareness not only for them but the society, giving a prime place for feminism and the

rights of women and their equality to men. It is exciting to know these great novelists

have been a brain behind and have inspired many new upcoming writers in Indian

English, who are also recognized for their excellent works. The contributions of women

writers cannot be ignored because their works are embedded with women’s life. Some of

the mentionable writers are Rema Mehta who wrote Inside and Havel and Gita Hariharan

whose work Thousand Faces of Nights, have awakened the mind of readers regarding

Indian issues on tradition and society, which are very much against women’s freedom

and rights .and this helps them to reach the topmost place.

It is never complete when there is a talk about women, their rights, without

mentioning two very prominent writers whose writings have a lot of similarities in their

approach. Women used to get a very low standard of education, the main reason being
 21

their low status in society. Shashi Deshpande and Manju Kapur are the two prominent

contemporary women writers in India writing in English, who have created ripples in the

society of male domination by taking women's lives seriously in their novels. These two

women delve inside the consciousness of the women characters to present their plight,

fears, dilemmas, contradictions, and ambitions.

This study mainly concentrates on how women relate and react to external

pressure due to society. The psychological aspect relates to the nature of humans and

whereas sociological aspects relate to the nature of society, therefore social psychology

analyses and deals with the relationship of man and society. It also deals with the

individual with social situations. A significant number of facts were taken out from these

novels of these writers, where they have given a vivid explanation of how social

psychology intrudes in social life and which has particularly affected women. These

works create awareness among the people especially the women to educate themselves

for awareness to have a fulfilling life.

Social psychology, through the literary work, educates about interpersonal

relations, the role of individuals in groups, how to deal with society to help themselves, to

lead their own life. Social psychologists help to understand human behaviour and how to

deal with mental states and social situations. The ignition of social situations helps to

change the distressed life of people, especially women to establish their status. In every

novel of these writers, the behaviour can be absorbed along with their emotional state.

Social psychology concentrates on behaviours, emotions, and thoughts which cannot be

seen directly. The stimulus is given by the social situation and the behaviour of an

individual who is affected by the situation. These novelists are like social psychologists
 22

and through their writings focus on the understanding of the behaviour. The factors which

affect the emotional aspect of a woman. Through their writings they suggest the path to

come out of the emotional distress so that they can lead a life of their choice. It is almost

like a scientific study that the writers have reflected in their characters.

Shashi Deshpande, a great writer, thinker, and novelist of India, was appreciated

by Westerners and proclaimed that she was of a high standard. Her works are centred

around the lives of women and she focuses mainly on the interest of Indian readers. It is

remarkable to know that besides writing, she is a dramatist and actor who lived the roles

created by her. The most commendable work includes a translation of her Sanskrit plays

into English. The personal life experiences in the family and her kids were the great

inspiration for her writings. Shashi Deshpande’s first short story was The Legacy, where

she enjoys the encouragement that she receives from her father. The lattice of her work is

woven from the threads of Indian women’s lives, their day-to-day struggle and coping

with family expectations under the traditional and cultural bondage. Her excellent work

includes nine perceptive essays.

Shashi Deshpande, an eminent novelist of Indian English literature, is the daughter

of a Sanskrit scholar and she had a great passion for Sanskrit. Shashi Deshpande has emerged

as a writer, possessing deep insight into the female psyche. She was born on 19th August,

1938 in Dharwad, Karnataka state in India. Shashi Deshpande, is also one of the most

popular short story writers in India. She has written four books for children. She reflects a

realistic picture of the contemporary middle-class woman in her writings. Her novels are

set in big towns like Mumbai and Bangalore. Shashi Deshpande, a renowned name in

fiction writing in Indian English Literature is also a recipient of the Sahithya Akademi
 23

award, a highly honoured award. It is significant that she has also received the Padma

Shree Award. Shashi Deshpande studied economics and law and further studied

journalism which made her a journalist for the magazine On Looker.

Though Shashi Deshpande has won many awards, the most prominent and

distinguished among them is the Sahitya Academy award for her work That Long Silence

in which she has dealt with the role of women in different relationships. In this work,

women take different roles and they experience depression, emotional stress, conflicts,

and dilemmas.

The contributions of Shashi Deshpande to the world of Literature is enormous.

Children’s books like A Summer Adventure (1978), The Hidden Treasure (1980),

The Only Witness (1980), and The Narayanpur Incidents (1982) are written by her.

The novels of Shashi Deshpande, are The Dark Holds No Terrors (1980), If I Die Today

(1982), Come up and Be Today (1983) Roots and Shadows (1983), That Long Silence

(1989), The Binding Vine (1993) A Matter of Time (1996), Small Remedies (2000),

Moving On (2004), In the Country of Deceit (2008) and Shadow Play (2013). And her short

stories like Legacy and Other Stories (1978), It was The Nightingale (1986), The Miracle

(1986), It was Dark (1986), The Intrusion and The Other Stories (1993), and The Stone

Women (2000) are appreciated by all readers from the globe.

The English language which she adopts is normally used by an average, middle-

class, convent-educated individual. She writes on the life of middle-class people and their

language. Compared to the British standards the language may not be up to theirs. Deshpande’s
 24

writing is spontaneous and her language is a mixture of Indian and British English and

this is noted by Vanamela Vishwanath who quotes that Deshpande’s writing is not

Indian, Deshpande says:

No, I don’t believe in making it Indian. But all this is basically because

I’m isolated- I’m not part of any movement and conscious of readers to

impress. To get wider recognition here and abroad, you have to be in the

university and places like that with the right contact. I’m an ordinary

woman who writes while sitting at home. None of these things are within

my reach. This has, I believe, done me good; it has given me great freedom.

I’m happy with this anonymity. Once you get publicity-conscious, your

writing becomes affected. I’m truly happy with this freedom. (Vanamela 11)

A unique trait of Shashi Deshpande is her bold nature to voice her opinion to the

world. The themes in her works That Long Silence and The Dark Holds No Terrors are

centred on middle-class women. Her novels exhibit a world of social difference and the

inner world of Indian women, who search for their inner self concerning the outside

world. Her writings inspired all the women because of the connections and collaboration

with society, especially women. Each time she decides to write a novel, the theme is

entwined with what she discovers and all the time a sense of confrontation induces her to

write especially about women and she is powerfully induced to shape the image of women.

She stresses on deprivation of love of women, companionship and understanding. In one

of her novels If I Die today, a tinge of fiction is present and the story reflects on the life

of a young girl named Mriga. Though her father adores her, he blames her that she is not
 25

a son, all because he is in the clutches of the culture and society and does not have the

courage to bring up a daughter and give her support and love. Women throughout their

life, lived for the welfare of the family, sons, brothers, and husband.

Sex-related rituals were irksome and it is stressful for the women and who wish to

come out of the restricted circle of the tradition. They feel distasteful and discrimination

is not at all acceptable. Families practice discrimination between the male and the female.

The male members have independence to live according to their mind’s will and show

domination even in the sex life. Shashi Deshpande always used a heroine as the narrator

of a story. She portrays in-depth the hassle of being born as a girl in India. The issues that

women face are not only in India but it is global and mostly within their families. Her novels

take the credit for exposing a closed and dark world and the response of the readers is

extraordinary. Her focus was on the needs of women and their emotions. The underlying

reason for this being the society's norms and restrictions where the women remained

voiceless. According to the author, despite a girl being educated, she always has to adjust

and adapt to the style of the family, after marriage. Besides she had to endure all the

emotional trauma and sufferings, always in a dilemma how to tolerate, adjust and adapt to

the treacherous atmosphere in her law’s and it is unfortunate to learn that she has no

choice but to surrender. The main purpose of Shashi Deshpande’s novel is to bring about

a drastic change in the position of women so that they can have a purposeful, happy, and

blissful life.

In her novel Roots and Shadows, she portrays the character Indu, who belongs to

the second generation and has the chance to educate herself and lead an independent life.

She wipes off all the conventional types of roles and leads a modified life.
 26

Despite suppressions from her family members, the main cause being her elderly uncle

and other elderly people, she broke the barrier to reach the life that she aspired to lead.

After her marriage with Jayant, she at the start, was very happy in a fantasy world,

imagining her marriage life to be blissful and felt that she will get a sense of completeness.

Eventually she realized that her feelings were not true and slowly her life changed for the

worse when her husband showed rigidness in his views and fell into the clutches of her

dominating husband and unfortunately her physical and emotional desires were curbed.

Her dreams were shattered in her marital life. She took a great effort to keep her family

and husband comfortable and happy, not realizing that the effort was futile. She felt the

ugly distance between her and her husband.

Similarly, Deshpande’s The Dark Holds No Terrors deals with the character

Sarita, who after a devastating married life decided to leave her husband and stay with

her parents. The major portion of this novel is the recollection of Sarita who becomes a

doctor but could not reach out to her husband - a man who ignored all relationships with

her except for his sexual gratification. This led her to a world of loneliness and underwent

emotional stress. The decision to leave her husband was not successful because of her

two children. The major portion of this novel is about Sarita’s life with her parents and

later with her husband. The novel swings around her hatred, frustration, love, and toleration.

Sarita, the character in this novel, has faced further humiliation when she is blamed to

have been responsible for her brother’s death, who was drowned by an accident. All these

obstacles and problems made her feel abhorrence towards her own family. In search of

love, she turned her love towards Manohar in pursuit of attention and love. In this case, it

is a shock when she understands that the character was much in contrast to what she
 27

expected and to her surprise. With no choice, she is forced to go back to her parent’s

house, for she had no choice. Unfortunately, the consequence led to the unhappy lives of

her children. This reveals that even if women are educated and not strong enough to

pursue their ideas, they will be treated like a caged bird and her wings will be severed.

The next novel That Long Silence is also a masterpiece of Shashi Deshpande and

discusses the anguish of females and how they are subjected to the rough framework of

the society. This story is about Jaya, an educated journalist, married to a traditional man

Mohan. Mohan had a vision of women as being similar to mythological characters, docile

and submissive. Though she was an educated woman and a writer, in the eyes of her

husband, she was only a subordinate and similar to the distressed bird who had lost its

wings. She tries to fulfill her responsibilities without refraining from them, at the same

time being a successful writer. She feels withered as she neither gets any encouragement

from her husband, nor an ideal wife or a successful woman in her career. However, she

never refrains from taking efforts to liberate herself. The mere effort of pleasing her

husband and consequently desertion by the husband, unnerves Jaya, for she could not cast

off the role of a traditional Indian woman.

Shashi Deshpande, Through Jaya’s character in That Long silence, expresses the

confused state of the contemporary educated Indian woman who is not firm, and who can

neither reconcile herself in a loveless marriage nor cast off her husband from her life, it is

because as she still considers him like “a sheltering tree” (Deshpande, TLS 32) and feels

that she cannot afford to have a life without her husband. This shows how a husband’s

will and social conformity, become almost obligatory for a woman. Jaya also strives to be

the best housewife. This deep-seated thirst within steers her in search of happiness and
 28

the satisfaction makes her succumb to her family and husband’s wishes. This does not

stop her from searching for a person who will give her the love and affection she desires

and in turn gets her attracted to her neighbour, Kamath. Even Though Kamath offered her

love and supported her pursuits, she never desired to cut off the strings with her husband

and family. This shows that the Indian woman, especially in yesteryears, could not

drastically take steps to sever their connections with the husband's family. Her inner self

all the time yearns for happiness. In a nutshell, Shashi Deshpande brings out in her works

on how the Indian woman has fallen prey to traditions, though her desires are otherwise.

Another novel of Shashi Deshpande A Matter of Time exhibits complete drastic

change, which has not happened. The uneducated women are shut from the outside world

with no life of their own whereas an educated woman only can think and ponder. This

shows that their sufferings are the same. The author says that unless society itself wakes

up, realizes, and changes their rigid condition or the women take up drastic steps boldly.

This could be a never-ending issue, perhaps there are chances of the severances reducing.

The idea of marriage is, in the early days, only to see the girls grow, be safe and secure

within the four walls of their in-laws, breed kids, relish the protection and security,

neglecting the dreams and desires of women.

It is a relief that the attitude of people has changed for the better and this is reflected

in the attitude of women who reject arranged marriages. Many women feel that understanding,

compassion, and love are the vital needs of everyone and if this does not exist then the

marriage leads to destruction and women are always willing to give support to their
 29

husband in times of difficulty, though their confidence to pursue their interests has

increased. If this change doesn’t happen the author feels that women indulge in an

extramarital connection.

In the novel The Binding Vine, Urmi, the protagonist and a lecturer hailing from

the middle-class is a stronger woman and asserts her independence in her life. She was

married according to her wish, and is financially independent which does not support her.

Urmi’s husband is typically Indian in all aspects and does not give heed to her request

and his concentration is only on physical pleasures. This attitude of her husband gave

Urmi a lot of psychological problems and she was disappointed with him. In addition,

Urmi is undergoing a lot of grief and pain by losing her young daughter Anu. Urmi went

through numerous emotional problems and became further confused with the association

of Kalpana and her relationship with her mother and also her childhood friend Vanna.

The association of these three people stirs the emotion of unrest and makes her very

uncomfortable. She also realized from the lives of these three women that the invariable

wrench of divergence women has to contest, between the self and what others see them

as. The expectations to conform to the socially constructed images are terrifying and

impossible to complete. Shashi Deshpande depicts all the women characters revealing

that women are silent sufferers in the male-dominated society and forced to take up the

role though they are not interested.

A strong women character is depicted in the novel Small Remedies. Shashi

Deshpande focuses on three bold and courageous characters, who fight against the

traditional bonding and choose a path to get their own identity. The main characters of

this novel are Madhu, Savitribai, and Leela. They use their intelligence and self-confidence
 30

to make up their way without compromising to any kind of situation, keeping their

self-esteem, and also find a way to tackle all their problems. Shashi Deshpande divulges

the brave woman, through the character of Madhu, whose life is filled with disgrace,

dissatisfactions, and difficulties but exhibits an act of exceptional courage and self-

confidence in leading the life. Similarly, Savitribai and Leela are the other two strong

characters trying to achieve their freedom. Breaking up the bondage of Indian women is

not practical where their role is always being a mythological characteristic image. These

modern women are the epitomes of courage, who persevere to achieve their freedom but

break the bondages of the society. Indian women find it impossible and impractical

because they are compared to mythological characters who take great effort to assert their

individuality.

Shashi Deshpande wants to be an eye-opener to the women's society through her

novels and change the society’s attitude towards women’s betterment and happiness.

Women smile through their pains, tears, and her sacrifices towards everyone in the family

and society, is something commendable. In the name of tolerance and acceptance she

goes on a journey of the rough path and it is a blessing to have so many writers and

novelists who smoothen the path of women to continue their endeavours.

Manju Kapur is a proficient Indian writer and novelist. Manju Kapur was born in

Amritsar, Punjab on January 1st, 1948, did her master's in the year 1972 at Dalhousie

University, Halifax, Canada. Manju Kapur completed her M.Phil., from the Delhi

University. Her first work was refused by publishers several times and it took eight years

for her to finish the first book, Difficult Daughters which turned out to be a bestseller in

India. Manju Kapur has a peculiar way of writing as she first draws her ideas and feelings
 31

before converting them into art. She feels that when depicting the relationship between a

man and a woman, the viewpoint of a women’s right is inescapable. Manju Kapur is

married to Gun Nidhi Dalmia and lives in Delhi. She has three children and three

grandchildren. It is commendable that the recent TV show Pranayam is based on her

novel Custody. She teaches English literature at Miranda College, Delhi University.

In every novel, Manju Kapur sees the image of women moving from a conservative

society to a modern society. Her novels like Difficult Daughters (1998), A Married

Woman (2003), Home (2006), The Immigrant (2008), and Custody (2011) Shaping the

World: Women Writers on themselves (2014) have been appreciated by the readers and

also has received many awards and her recent writing, Brothers (2016) Hence her novels,

which were mentioned earlier, were given a reputed commonwealth award. Her first

novel Difficult Daughters, won the Commonwealth Prize and was a bestseller in India.

Her second novel, A Married Woman was upgraded for the Hutch Crossword Prize Fiction,

while her third novel, Home, was also nominated for the Hutch Crossword Prize Fiction.

Her most recent novel, The Immigrant, has been short-listed for the DSC Prize for South

Asian Literature in 2011.

Manju Kapur's themes focus on fighting for the rights of women for their fulfilling

life and all her novels won several awards and prizes. Manju Kapur’s works depict the

isolated feelings of women and the turmoil a woman undergoes because of the dependency

of their dominating spouse. Society as such has created a strong image and an

unchangeable custom that forces women to concentrate and be devoted to elders, as well

as doing household chores and rearing children, giving in for the sexual pleasure of men,
 32

sacrificing her desires and needs. Manju Kapur’s depiction of reality was a rebel and

protest against gender discrimination, protest against socio-cultural life patterns, which

was a painful obstacle for the progress of women.

Most of the writers, especially Manju Kapur and Shashi Deshpande, have expressed

their concern about women after India has become a developing country. But men and

women are still traditional in their lifestyle, retaining their individuality through their

modern views.

Manju Kapur’s first novel Difficult Daughters is about the tale of a young

woman, Virmati, a protagonist of the novel, living in Amritsar, who was brought up in a

strict and sombre household. Kasturi, her mother was also bound to the traditional values,

sacrificed her whole life for her family, and suffered physically because of her continuous

pregnancies. Kasturi’s daughter was Virmati and her granddaughter is Ida. This is not a

fictional family, but the story was a true incident about a middle-class home portraying

the joint family system.

Virmati is attracted to an English professor who promises to help her in education.

She passionately falls in love with the professor thinking he will be a great support to her

endeavours but unfortunately, he uses her situation and makes love with her because he

never felt that his legal wife would ever be a soul mate.

Kasturi, becomes a mother of seven children, and loses her health and shares her

responsibilities with her elder daughter Virmati. Even in this crucial situation, Virmati

got her degree and simultaneously fell in love with an English professor. Her mother was

very much against it but her passion for Harish is so much and married him against her

parents’ wishes. But she was shocked to know that he was already married and she could
 33

get only second-hand treatment from her husband. Virmati had to bear the brunt alone.

Her daughter Ida, who is depicted as a modern woman, was very strong unlike her

mother, she breaks out of her stereotypic role and comes out of her married life.

A Married Woman (2003) is the story of Astha, a young woman who grew up in a

typical middle-class house in Delhi. Astha succumbs to her parents who traditionally seek

a husband for her. Within the limits of marriage, she discovers a hidden thirst for sex

because of love and passion for her husband. She leads a seemingly happy life, finds a

foothold in the teaching profession, and has two children. But somehow behind all of this

is a life full of oppression and fear, in the context of the communal unrest in India with

the Hindu-Muslim conflict over the Holy land in Ayodhya.

Manju Kapur develops unrest within Astha's life. Her marriage becomes questionable

after she involves herself in the outer world of rebellions and protests. She meets the grieving

widow of a Muslim protester, whom she had admired and who died in the violence in

Ayodhya. There follows a torrid affair between Astha and Pipeelika Khan: two women

crossing social boundaries to find solace and understanding in each other’s arms, so to

say they become lesbians. Manju Kapur writes about sexual encounters without any literary

inhibitions. Her descriptions are unnerving and passionate at the same time. The novel

ends on a note of inconclusive compromise as the two women find their ways, knowing

they cannot have a future together. In depicting the inner subtlety of a woman's mind,

Kapur displays a mature understanding of the female psyche. When analysed the fact which

is seen about the reflection of the character of life, the whole matter is full of social-

psychological aspects. The impact that is created specially on the women is very strong

due to the influence of the society which leads to the psychological impact on the people.
 34

The novel Home (2006) explains the anthropology of this woman's personality on

the edge of an unsuccessful and unhappy marriage. It is also indulging in the contentious

issue of the homosexual urge and relationship whether it is agreeable or not. The novel

Home is the reflection of the character Nisha Banwari dal’s family. Nisha bravely comes

out of the unpleasant situation and decides to focus on her profession as a businesswoman.

This novel revolves around the family of Banwari Lal, a Sari Seller of Karol Bagh in

Delhi, and a migrant from Pakistan. Nisha lives in a very huge joint family with uncles

and their families. However, his principles are challenged by none other than his elder

son, Yashpal who falls in love with Sona and marries her after raging an emotional

blackmail of his family. As luck would have it, Sona could not bear a child for ten long

years and became an easy target for the usual bantering by the women of the family.

The second blow to Banwari Lal’s joint family comes from the disastrous marriage

and suspicious death of his daughter Sunita, who leaves behind a son, Vicky. Banwari

Lal brings Vicky into his household despite opposition from the other family members

and due to the underlying bias, Vicky becomes the black sheep of the family who is

resented by everyone partly for his misfortune and partly for his bad behavior towards

Nisha – the loving daughter of Yashpal and Sona, who is born after ten years of rigorous

prayers of her mother and is the apple of everyone’s eyes in Banwari household. With

time, the usual rift is noticed between the brothers, and owing to modernization, the

‘Home’ is fragmented to self-contained flats.

The story progresses at a fast pace and soon becomes entangled with the

grandchildren of the house, of whom, the author further explains that Nisha is the main

protagonist. She has described the tumultuous growing-up years of Nisha in a heart-rending
 35

manner. Nisha is abused by her cousin Vicky and though the family overlooks this

incident to protect the family honour. When she grows up, she goes to college and gets

romantically involved with a boy, like many other women in many of the novels, she sees

failure in her life. Nisha is left heartbroken and adds to her agony. She is affected by a

disease that spoils all her beauty. The external beauty is bargained with the internal

strength and confidence of Nisha and she becomes an independent businesswoman.

She manages and faces ups and downs with great courage and confidence.

Further, when one reads the masterpiece of Manju Kapur, The Immigrant (2008),

which chronicles the lives of two NRIs (non-resident Indians), Nina and Ananda a

dentist, and their newly-married life in the 1970s in Canada. Nina, a 30-year-old teacher

from Delhi, realizes that Ananda is her last shot at marriage and children. Nina halter had

a disappointment in store, she is being a passionate woman who is miff to discover her

husband’s sexual disfunction that requires the spritzing effects of a dental anaesthetic

spray. Kapur captures Nina's exposure to 1970s feminism and Ananda's growing interest

in sexual healing. Matters come to a head with the news of Nina's mother's death - an

event that prompts her daughter to realize that even immigrants are allowed to head for

new lands. The Immigrant (2008) has been long-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian

Literature.

The fifth novel of Manju Kapur Custody exposes the shocking destructions of the

mind caused by divorce among the members of the family, to be precise the husband and

wife of a family and her children and in-laws. The story opens with the story of Shagun

and Raman. Raman tried his best to give her a good life. They were blessed with two

loving children. Though their life was smooth and fine, it took the rough waters, because
 36

Shagun falls in love with Ashok. Shagun has an unassailable social standing and is

caught in a legal battle for their children. Their journey had an unexpected consequence.

The love becomes very strong and she has difficulty in being a wife and mother and ends

up in a divorce which was very traumatic for the children and the children became the

victim. The main cause for this trauma is Shagun’s husband engrossed himself in business

and did not spend time with the family and overlooked his wife, Shagun's emotional

needs. Among broken hearts, children become the victim and sufferers. The second half

of the novel deals with the psychological and mental trauma the family faces. As Shagun

begins a passionate affair with Ashok, she finds herself struggling to define her roles as

wife, mother, and lover. When she asks for a divorce from Raman, he becomes angry and

self-pity as his perfect life unravels around him. Similarly, Ishita, a young divorcee, who

could not bear children, strives to find satisfaction in independence and social work. After

her divorce with her husband, she is drawn to the divorced Raman and the temptation of

familial fulfillment occurs, which has so far evaded her.

Kapur’s writing predominantly focuses on the failure of marriage, concentrating

on how women feel lonely even after their marriage. She was deeply concerned with the

emotional and psychology of women especially in their married life. According to Manju

Kapur marriage is the lifelong commitment between the husband and wife with happiness,

care, and understanding each other, in every aspect of life like household, holding a

prominent place, rearing of kids, and even their sex life. She was deeply concerned with

the emotions and psychology of women especially in their married life. Kapur also

expresses that men always fulfil their needs and desires, but the voices of women do not

reach even the minds of the husband. Kapur is compared to Jane Austen, a renowned
 37

writer, whose novels pave a new path for the women who crave recognition and a

position equal to men in the family and the society. Kapur, a booster of women’s rights,

took a lead in supporting burning issues like lesbianism, divorce, disloyalties and many

more. Kapur through her novel indicates that social psychology has the potential to

enlighten life and make a visible change in one's thinking and acting. As some of the

eminent social psychologists express, she also suggests how to transform close fists into

open arms. The concept of social thinking and social influence has consequences for

human health and wellbeing.

As a critic, Ashok Kumar remarks that the female protagonist of Kapur's novels

are a breakthrough for the kids of urbanization and western influence. Ashok Kumar also

expresses that Indian women writers focus on the inner concealed life and the delicate

interpersonal relationships and it is a welcome change to relate to the expression of

cultural displacement. Manju Kapur and modern writers have brought about a notable

change and breakthrough of traditional boundaries. There is a taste of historical events in

the work of Kapur’s Difficult Daughters, a captivating story in which she depicts women

being emotionally tortured by the force and rigidity of society and her urge to break it

through her writings.

Manju Kapur, in a nutshell, expresses, even in the present era, that marriage is a

term that goes to the thought of elders, right from the time a girl child is born into the

family. Women, according to Kapur, are born to sacrifice for their families, society, and

children. Her novels are a medium of self-expression and freedom of thought. Manju

Kapur reveals that the lower education that women receive is their connection to their

lower status. Education facilitates the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals,
 38

beliefs, habits and awareness. The combined effort of Manju Kapur and Shashi

Deshpande induces the ideas of changing the mind-set of women in society. Manju Kapur

and Shashi Deshpande have formulated their novels in agreement with the changing

world view. Their writings deal with many issues of society and culture, tradition and

modernity, family and religion. They set rules which affect the people especially women

and their mental frame, turbulence, and many more agonies, to be precise during the 1960s.

Sociological criticism focuses on the relationship between literature and society,

the social function of literature. Literature is always produced in a social context. Writers

may affirm or criticize the values of the society in which they live, but they write for an

audience and that audience is society. The selected novels focus on female protagonists

struggling to break the shackles of patriarchy and are in quest of identity against the

dogmas of social and cultural critical thinking. A major preoccupation in recent Indian

women's writings has been portrayals of inner life and subtle interpersonal relationships.

Where women are subjected to the patriarchal order to exist. This study researches and

focuses on social-psychological aspects in the works of two Indian women novelists

Shashi Deshpande and Manju Kapur.

Social psychology has two aspects: firstly, the role of society and culture in

influencing the development of personality of the individual, social motives and role-

playing. The second aspect concerns with the attitudes and preferences as they exist and

how it is modified or changed. Sociologists are keener to know the nature of the relationship

between the two eventually. Thus, one has to understand and realize that all writers, have

women as their characters, proving that they are strong feminists and throughout they

have supported women's rights. It also depicts how to reform for the benefit of women
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who undergo suppression due to cultural tradition and beliefs. In all their novels there is a

similar trend and expressions. This study focuses on the social-psychological aspect of

women and their marital life. These novels enlighten the similarities in expressions by

Manju Kapur and Shashi Deshpande.

Social psychology helps people to solve problems of prime importance. It is also

the study of attitudes and individual persons. Psychology is the systematic study of

observable behaviour and its relationship to unseen mental processes that go inside an

individual. The external events in the environment and society talk about human

behaviour, cultural patterns, social norms, and values. The process of learning about the

norms and values of society is socialization.

The purpose of this proposed research is to analyze and assess the primary texts,

utilizing social psychology aspects in different concerns like social thinking, social

Influence, and social relations. It includes the viewpoints and ideology as addressed by

Indian women authors. As the subject is interpretive, it claims a variety of research

approaches and procedures that would be used to assess the worth of chosen Indian

books. The thesis deals with “Social Psychology : The comparative study of Marital

Perception in the Select Novels of Shashi Deshpande and Manju Kapur”.

● to bring out the importance and interconnections, between society, women, and

culture contained in Indian novels

● to evaluate the depression of women, their inner psyche, and the severe causes of

their behaviour, in the select novels

● to study the oppression and exploitation of the marital life of women in both the

writer’s novels
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● to trace out the deep insight of women and their conflicts due to gender

differentiation

● to compare and present the changes in images of women from Tradition world to

Modernity in a different perspective

● to finally identify and solutions to overcome the issues or to explore the different

phenomenon

● to find out the women characters, represented in the novels who are psychologically

affected due to social norms

● to enumerate all the possible avenues to bring about a change for a happy and

satisfied life.

● Relation between the works of each writer and their concerns of women in their

marital life

● Illustration of women in various generations in their novels

This thesis, also focuses on enduring survival and gender discrimination. It deals with the

two strong parallel existence of tradition and modernity, the oppression and subordination

of women in family and society, especially in their married life. The lack of relationship

and communication affects marital satisfaction. To accept the self-respect of women and

to overcome it, equal emotional rights should be given to women. The intersection between

Indian traditional system and modernity is seen in the work of the writers.

This thesis brings the comparative study of Shashi Deshpande and Manju Kapur,

based on their themes with the social-psychological approach as the framework of analysis.

The research attempts to revive the scope of success in marital life mainly by their attitude.
 41

It tries to bring out the social and psychological causes and the need for social changes

and psychological fulfilment, that could create a great difference in the future of man

woman relationship in their marital life. Manju Kapur and Shashi Deshpande’s women

characters can face the problems by gaining some sense of importance by wielding

power, within their lives. Women rebel, accepting the universal and eternal laws that

govern their lives. Indian women could not question their loss for a long time. Instead of

blaming the destruction they calmly accept it. Marriage and family are the main

structures in society. The concept of marriage cannot be defined in one way, but for

understanding, it is defined as the bond between matured males and females. It is also

legal bondage, and a traditional contract between two individuals belonging to the

opposite sex for physical satisfaction. This leads to the evolution of the nuclear family.

The thesis is divided into five chapters, Chapter I – Introduction: Overview of

Indian Literature which traces the origin and development of Indian literature, and

analysis the cultural background and its values. It also gives the comprehension view of

Shashi Deshpande and Manju Kapur, their short Biography, and characters. Scope and

focus on the gist of their novels.

Chapter II entitled, Social influences: The War of Generations, it gives the

detailed description of a comparative study of Shashi Deshpande’s two novels Roots and

Shadows and A Matter of Time with Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters, where it focuses

on three generations of women, how the social influences shape behavior. It briefly

enumerates the various circumstances in

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which the characters in the novels portray the mother-daughter relationship, Juxtaposition

of tradition and modern scenario of female characters in their marital life, and helps to

understand the struggles of women and how they overcome their traumas

Chapter III entitled, Social Thinking: Agony and Acceptance focus on a

comparative study of both novels Home and Dark Holds No Terrors. It dealt with the

way people construct their social reality, where attitudes shape their behaviour. It attempts

to bring out the inner psyche of the women characters after their marriage and how they

are trying to tackle their problem. It also gives a detailed description of the novels and

various forms through realization and acceptance. A search of interest, togetherness, and

respect in both the novels is portrayed.

Chapter IV entitled, Social Relations: Reorganising the Relations by marital

Incompatibility in both the novels A Married Woman and That Long Silence attempts to

bring out feelings and actions towards people are sometimes negative and sometimes

positive. It deals with the indispensable space and to consider their inner desires that men

should provide for women through their failure in marital life. It also discusses the intrinsic

relationship between husband and wife, and the tough situation they face to remain silent

suffering forever.

Chapter V - Summation: Female Resilience recapitulates the findings of the

earlier chapters and traces the comparative studies of all the four-chapters, and identifies

the similarities and differences as well as the contrast between the levels of survival,

walking out for an independent life and the strength back to life. the reason for the

failure of the marriage life of women and the confidence, determination and courage

women possess to stand tall at all odds in life.