In Search of a Feminist Writer

The year 1998 proved remarkable in the history of Indian Writing in English for it witnessed the publication of Difficult Daughters, the debut novel by Manju Kapur which also bagged the prestigious commonwealth prize for the year. This was the beginning of the career of a blooming writer who has written five full length novels to this date and established herself outside India. Her books are translated in many languages and are popular all over the world. Today she has become a major voice of middle-class urban women in India. According to Sunita Sinha, “Manju Kapur displays a mature understanding of the female psyche. Striking a balance between a neutral coexistence and unfettered freedom and space on the other, Kapur’s eloquent narration of women’s issues is nevertheless, both Indian and universal.” Kapur through her novels explores the difficulties of reconciling the devotion to the family expected of middle-class Indian women with their aspirations and desire for a life outside. The conflict between conventional and modern is pervasive in her entire fictional world. All her protagonists are considered as ‘second sex’ and also are marginalized in the joint families of which they are part and parcel. In their battle for individual identity versus familial prestige her women cross the limits and even defy the family. Kapur’s women characters dare and defy the family and ultimately the society. This situation becomes the theme of her first novel Difficult Daughters (1998) as Virmati defies the family and steps out of the house. The demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya and its aftermath are among the worst experiences of any common person in India. Kapur’s A Married Woman (2002) is set against the background of this national holocaust. There were many people around Kapur who had shifted from Lahore to either Amritsar or Delhi after the partition. These people find their presence in her Home (2006) as after his cloth shop was burnt down during the riots of the partition, the head of the Banwarilal family Lala Banwarilal had immigrated from Anarkali in Lahore first to Amritsar and later settled in Delhi. Soon after her education Kapur joined her alma mater Miranda House as lecturer in English. By the time she had lost her father and was perhaps living with her mother. Nina, the protagonist in The Immigrant (2008) is also a lecturer at Miranda House who is single and living with her widowed mother. Her Custody (2011) raises the burning issues related to marriage, divorce, ensuing delay in litigation resulting into helplessness and apathy, possession of children, etc against the backdrop of globalization. The concerns expressed by Kapur with regards the delay in seeking divorce as per the Hindu Marriage Act show her earnestness as a writer. It is observed that Virmati is a victim of ineffectual will power. She struggles a lot to get out of the rut of domesticity but fails to land anywhere. Virmati doesn’t know what she wants from life; she moves forward irrespective of being right or wrong. She displays courage only for shattering the shackles only to be shackled again. It is observed that in A Married Woman Astha’s narrative emerges as a negotiation of desires between her home and her activities outside the home. Astha tries to juggle being a good wife, mother, daughter and daughter-in-law at home. She also tries to reshape her own identity through her growing social awareness and involvement in the public arena. Throughout her life she struggles against set patriarchal values for her identity. Lastly there remains longing for togetherness and respect. It is observed that in Home Kapur presents the domestic difficulties faced by Indian women in shaping their independent identity through the portrayal of Nisha. It is concluded that urban middle-class women are still bound by the patriarchal values predominant in the society and women cannot escape from it. Nina’s marriage is the central theme of The Immigrant. Nina is a woman with a sense of her own self entirely separate from other people, autonomous and independent. Her first lover takes away her virginity along with her hopes, her second lover becomes her husband, and her third lover makes her international. Some of the focal issues in the novel are: marriage; widowhood; alienation; immigration; sexual dysfunction; barrenness; family as a social institution; social values; frustration; and women’s oppression. Thus, it is concluded that Nina loses her economic independence because of the prevailing patriarchal ideas of womanhood especially as she quits off her job for the fatal NRI marriage. In Canada she has to stake her marriage to gain her economic independence. Kapur’s Custody explores domestic issues like marriage and motherhood. Kapur’s novels are remarkable for their presentation of family. The protagonists in the novels of Kapur are torn between their sense of responsibility for the family and individual desire for independent identity. The same is also evident in this novel. Shagun is torn between her love for children and desire to be free. She wants to marry Ashok but she cannot do away with her children. She has to fight for the custody of her children. Her life becomes miserable. Ishita suffers of barrenness and is obsessed with the idea of motherhood. She marries Raman so that she can be the mother of his children. But she turns into a mere devoted caretaker. Ultimately she ends up with misery. It is observed that Kapur presents her female world by focusing on the social dichotomy. Due to the deep rooted tradition and patriarchy the struggle of her protagonists becomes more complex. Their lives are torn between the suitable choices: tradition versus modernity, woman versus woman, education versus marriage, and career versus motherhood. In brief, Kapur writes of the process of growing up as a girl in the Indian society. Hence, it is concluded that the novels of Kapur describe the lives of educated middle-class urban women in India. She fully explores the pivotal issues related to women like – education, marriage, motherhood, identity crisis, economic freedom, self-reliance and ultimately women’s independence. This journey from birth to a free woman through education and successful career is not an easy going process, at least in India. In such journeys Kapur’s protagonists defy traditional values both at home and outside the home. As a result all of them unfortunately end up with a deep sense of isolation and none of them is able to live the dream life of peace and prosperity. In brief, Kapur examines the difficulties of women through her novels.