India may be a patriarchal country that has always subjugated its women, but it is a nexus of powerful female voices. Here is a list of the best books that assert female identity and agency, without misrepresenting any gender. These are best 10 Indian feminist books you need to read right away.
10 Indian Feminist Books You Need to Read Right Away:
The Quilt and Other Stories by Ismat Chughtai
Chughtai’s Stories created an uproar in the conservative Indian society because of unorthodox themes of homosexuality and female sexuality. The titular story in this collection, for instance tells the story of an abandoned wife who seeks pleasure in the arms of her ugly but skillful masseuse.
Sunlight on a Broken Column by Attia Hussain
This feminist narrative unfolds in a Muslim household, where our protagonist Laila is raised by her orthodox aunt. As the Indian struggle for independence wears on, so does her own struggle for independence and her fight against traditionalism. And the biggest manifestation of this struggle is falling in love with someone her family doesn’t approve of.
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
This retelling of the Indian epic Mahabharata uses a powerful female voice to recount age old events that have always been portrayed in the light of patriarchy. Choosing the voice of Draupadi, hailed as the destroyer of her family and country, she recounts her story, full of joys, sorrows, triumphs, failures, loves, losses.
Breast Stories by Mahasweta Devi
These are powerful, impactful, no-nonsense stories revolving around the female body. ‘Draupadi’ follows a tribal woman, Dopdi who is captured by the special forces. They assault her and rape her. But much like Draupadi of the Mahabharata, she will not be shamed so easily. Without any God to protect her, she will dignify herself.
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
Rukmini, the protagonist of this bold and beautiful novel, is a child bride at the age of twelve. But as she matures into a woman, she never moulds into a demure, despondent wife. Instead, she asserts her identity as well as her desires, helping her family navigate through economic, political and social struggles.
That Long Silence by Shashi Deshpande
In this story of the unravelling of a marriage, Jaya realizes after seventeen years that she has no individual identity. She doesn’t respect her husband accused of malpractice and feels claustrophobic in their cramped Mumbai home. Realizing she stifled her dream to become an author for her husband, she leaves the marriage and works on her dream.
Gently Falls the Bakula by Sudha Murty
This exploration of marriage, love and selfhood centres on Shrimati and Shrikant, neighbours in Hubli. Shrikant begins to climb the corporate ladder,. Shrimati, on the other hand, sacrifices her ambition to become a housewife, a mere shadow of Shrikant’s. A conversation with a professor, however, forces her to introspect and change.
Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore
Tagore’s classic portrays as its central character an unorthodox widow who sets out to get illicitly what society wont give her licitly. Widowed at a tender age, she never experiences marital bliss. So when she realizes the man she was originally going to marry has taken a wife, she sets out to destroy their marriage and claim the man for herself.
Nirmala by Munshi Premchand
This novel by one of India’s greatest novelists who believed in ‘the socially purposeful novel’ tackles two of India’s greatest social evils – dowry and child marriage. When the titular protagonist’s father dies, her mother marries her off to a wealthy man due to her inability to pay a large dowry. What follows is the story of patriarchy but also female agency.
The Glassblower’s Breath by Sunetra Gupta
In this intensely non-conformist book, Gupta’s narrator recounts a whole day reminiscing about the men she has fantasized about. But this book is about more than just female sexuality, it also approaches themes of gender roles and stereotypes with assertiveness. With long, wounded sentences and a stream of consciousness style, her book stands out.
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