Copyright © 2020 PhdAssistance. All rights reserved 1

Representation of Feminism in the Novels of Nayantara Sahgal

Dr. Nancy Agens, Head,Technical Operations, Phdassistance

info@phdassistance.com

I. INTRODUCTION

In the world, women have been suffered for a long time since the human specie evolved from monkeys, and some people are constantly raised the voice against the suppression of women. In India, Nayantara Sahgal, an English Writing, is one of them who wrote many novels that depict the social condition of women in India andadvocates how to demolish theenslavement of women.

II. FAMILY AND BACKGROUND OF NAYANTARA SAHGAL

Nayantara Sahgal was born on 10th May 1927 in Allahabad, India to orthodox Hindu family. Her mother Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was first Ambassador to UN, and her uncle was Jawaharlal Nehru, and her cousin was Indira Gandhi. Even though she born in orthodox Hindu family, she raised the voice against oppression of women in Indian society.

III. REPRESENTATION OF FEMINISM IN HER NOVELS

Nayantara Sahgal has written eight novels, two collections of memories, and some non-fictional works. She is one of the few authors who has written about feminism in her novels. She has written about female child murder, female child marriage, andpurdha (disengagement). NayantaraSahgal, in her novels, depicts the actualstatus of women in Indian, and she stressed that women should raise to break

forefathers. In her novels, shethe barriers that were set by our

hasportrayed women as a strong personality. She created “Rose” and “Smitri”, the

female characters which had the strongwill power and ability to liveindependently without male companion. Amanjeet (2018) said Sahal has dived deep into the female mind, that is why she could depict female mind clearly. Sahgal, in her novels, stresses the equality of men andwomen, and she opposed the customs that worship husband as God. Prasanth and Ambika (2018) said: “Nayantara wants to bring out the rule that man women (sic) relationship with perfect equality.”

IV. CONCLUSION

Nayantara Sahgal is one of the few writers who work for women empowerment. Even though she born in orthodox Hindu family; she fights for women equality. She dedicates her life to women empowerment, because of his works she won Sinclair Fiction Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Awards, but one thing she forgets that without demolishing all religions, women empowerment cannot be possible. Most

the world treat women as citizens and properties to

religions in second-class male.

REFERENCES

1Amanjeet, K., (2018). “Feminist perspective and approach in the novel of Nayantara Sahgal: a review”. Journal of Advances and Scholarly Reviews in the allied edition. 15(6): doi: 10.29070/JASRAE2Prasanth, K. and Ambika, G., (2018). “Portrayal of feminism in Nayantara Sahgal's the day in the shadow.” Research Journal of English Language and Literature:http://www.rjelal.com