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The female body is always equated with reproduction. Traditional cultures have looked upon it as an entity in the biological process. The urge to rise out of this stereotype is what these writers have brought to the fore in this collection. In some stories, a ray of progress is visible; in others the idea stagnates at its very inception. Touch plays a vital role in the way a woman understands her body. Sindhubala by Mahasweta Devi portrays just this. Abandoned by her husband and with a face that does not conform to the much sought-after good looks, the protagonist is forced into a hypocritical situation and transformed into a ‘semi-god,’ the touch of whose feet was purposed to do wonders. A pretence she was aware of and had to deal with daily; one that was ultimately revealed. Double standards of the society’s treatment of man and woman are portrayed in Yashodhara Misra’s A Matter of Choice. Not wanting to settle in the traditional norm of marriage, Manisha enters into a sexual relationship just for the pleasure of it. She soon realises that her position is viewed as the adulterous one, whereas her partner emerges unblemished. Fire by Sri Lankan writer Kathleen Jayawardene shows how society expects a woman to be beautiful and unblemished. With the fashion cult burgeoning, the craze to live above the expected beauty lines is the characteristic of women of all ages and cultures. The fire in Dhammika forces her to try to look picture perfect; a cover for the pain and hunger raging inside her.
Once Again by Ambai deals with how society dominates everything one does. Crossing those lines spells a host of problems. The young boy and girl in this story are gagged by what they want to do and what they are allowed. Although the experience is stifling, they tread each line carefully in the hope of new beginnings. Abyss by Asha Kardaley explores the feelings of a woman, who feeling misfit in her own body, undergoes a sex-change operation. She later realises that the grass is not even partially green on the other side. The story also stresses on the fact that no matter how advanced society gets, it takes time to tune in to new changes. Similarly, the same-sex love in The Sandal Trees by Kamala Das insinuates that social notions and ideas put a halt on the desires of a person that sidesteps the accepted. In this story, a marriage is on the brink of break- up by the strong love between two women, who finally succumb to the knots tied by society. Sexual exploitation and violence against women are described in Amrita Pritam’s Dim Light. The protagonist is constantly seeking attention, is uncontrollable and always seeks to be at the helm of her relationships. What underlies all these outward signs is the issue the writer is focusing on. The dim light is a subtle, yet successful cover of a young woman trying to unwind memories of sexual assault from her past. Ismat Chughtai’s The Flower Vase is a powerful probe into the issue of artificial insemination. It shows the uncertainty of the husband who feels he is being unsettled and deprived and the confused state of mind of the childless protagonist. The writer clearly shows how advances in science have made the female body an entity of experimentation. In Bhuwan Dhungana’s story, the bell is used as a metaphor to make a young girl understand her body and the biological process. From childhood to puberty, the woman identifies the female body with a bell; from its physical attributes to its symbolism. The bell shows a woman’s movement from one stage of her life into another. The urge to rise in life leaving the usual behind is what Kunzang Choden describes in The Photographs. The West is seen as a measuring standard. When a young Bhutanese boy, by sheer determination and grit, rises in life, it is a proud moment for his mother who doesn’t hesitate to proudly display the photographs he sends of his newly found status. The importance of material possessions and the desire to climb the rungs of success is brought out very well by the writer. Achilles’ Heel by Pakistani writer Zaheda Hina tells how an outgoing and extrovert woman in an elite society is taken by storm when she finds that she is unable to do anything for her daughter who is caught in another society that is conservative. In this story, relationships are fragile and the gap between the protagonist and her husband widens further due to the woman’s ideas and thinking. The fish in the aquarium stands for a woman who is free, yet captive. Bangladeshi writer Selina Hossain’s protagonist in Double War defies the stereotyped image of a girl. She breaks all restrictions and goes to fight in the ongoing war for her country. The war front is portrayed as a man’s world. Nurjaan’s entry into this ‘forbidden-for-women’ zone causes her to be exploited physically, emotionally and mentally. The story brings out the immense potential in a woman. When relationships begin to crumble, every person tries to find alternatives to it. Manjula Padmanabhan’s Unfaithful Servants explains this using science fiction as a powerful tool. Real persons are substituted with ‘Holos’ or phantom-ghosts, as they are called. Emotions, desires and intimacy are fast fading in today’s busy world, with humans creating substitutes of revenge and anger. The mind is a very powerful tool in all these stories. Feelings spell freedom of the mind for a woman. This is one area where the woman has complete control of; no one can dictate terms here. Whether those emotions are given a chance to be explored is what has been explored in these stories. This anthology attempts to inspire women from all cultures; highlighting the fact that issues facing women are the same everywhere.
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THE
anthology is an attempt to understand how women from diverse cultures,
languages and varying thought processes portray their bodies and lives
through fiction. The writers are from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They portray one thing in common – an urge
to liberate themselves from the norms they are yoked to.
