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“FEMALE PROTAGONISTS IN THE NOVELS OF ANITA NAIR: A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE” A THESIS SUBMITTED TO BHARATI VIDYAPEETH DEEMED UNIVERSITY, PUNE FOR AWARD OF DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH UNDER THE FACULTY OF ARTS, SOCIAL SCIENCES AND COMMERCE SUBMITTED BY MS. POONAM DNYANDEO PATIL M. A., B.Ed. UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF DR. V.A. RANKHAMBE M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. RESEARCH CENTRE DEPATMENT OF ENGLISH BHARATI VIDYAPEETH DEEMED UNIVERSITY YASHWANTRAO MOHITE COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, PUNE 411 038 AUGUST, 2017 I DECLARATION BY THE CANDIDATE I hereby declare that the thesis entitled “Female Protagonists in the Novels of Anita Nair: A Feminist Perspective” submitted by me to the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English under the faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, is original piece of work carried out by me under the supervision of Dr. V. A. Rankhambe. I further declare that it has not been submitted to this or any other university or Institute for the award of any Degree or Diploma. I also confirm that all the material which I have borrowed from other sources and incorporated in this thesis is duly acknowledged. If any material is not duly acknowledged and found incorporated in this thesis, it is entirely my responsibility. I am fully aware of the implications of any such act which might have been committed by me inadvertently. Place: Pune Date: / 08 /2017 Ms. Poonam Dnyandeo Patil (Research Student) II CERTIFICATE OF THE GUIDE This is to certify that the work incorporated in the thesis entitled “Female Protagonists in the Novels of Anita Nair: A Feminist Perspective” submitted by Ms. Poonam Dnyandeo Patil for the degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ in the subject of English under the faculty of ‘Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce’ has been carried out in the Department of English, Bharati Vidyapeeth D e e m e d University, Yashwantrao Mohite College of Arts, Science and Commerce Pune, from the period September, 2013 to August, 2017 under my direct supervision/guidance. Place: Pune Dr. V. A. Rankhambe Dept. of English Date: / 08 / 2017 Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune III CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the work incorporated in the thesis entitled “Female Protagonists in the Novels of Anita Nair: A Feminist Perspective” for the degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy’ in English under the faculty of ‘Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce’ has been carried out by Ms. Poonam Dnyandeo Patil in the Department of English, at Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Yashwantrao Mohite Collegeof Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune during the period from September, 2013 to August, 2017 under the guidance of Dr. V. A. Rankhambe. Place: Pune (Prin. Dr. K. D. Jadhav) Date: / 08 /2017 IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Much of the work in preparing this thesis was possible because of the inspiration, help and courtesy shown to me by many well-wishers, scholars and institutions. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the debt I owe to them. I would like to record my sense of gratitude to Honourable D r . Patangrao Kadam, Chancellor, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune; Dr. Shivajirao Kadam, Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Vishwajeet Kadam, Secretary, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune; Dr. M.M. Salunkhe, Vice- Chancellor. I am also indebted to Principal Dr. K. D. Jadhav, Principal, Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune for allowing me to use the resources and necessary infrastructure of the college to accomplish my research work. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. P. M. Bulakh, Director, BCUD and Dr. S. I. Kumbhar, the former Dean and Dr. V.V. Kulkarni, the D e a n , Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune. I am grateful to Dr. Ashok Thorat, Director, Institute of Advanced Studies in English (IASE), Pune, for his valuable suggestions throughout my research work. I am grateful to Dr. R. S. Zirange; Head, Department of English, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune. He guided me with his knowledge, experience and vigilant opinions throughout my research work. This dissertation was undertaken and completed under the supervision of Dr. V. A. Rankhambe. His patient guidance and critical insights, was a great source of encouragement at every stage of the work. His perceptive comments, prudent observations and painstaking efforts to improve the quality of my work, in spite of his busy schedule, have been V of immense help in my work. This formal acknowledgement is an inadequate expression of my gratitude to him. I am ever indebted to him. I will always be grateful to Mr. Kalamkar Sir and Prof. Dr. P.A. Attar Head, Dept. of English, Shivaji University, Kolhapur for his guidance, inspiration and proper support. I am grateful to Dr. H.B. Patil, Dr. J. P. Kamble, Dr. A.S.Sugate and Mr. M. P. Yadav for their help, support and encouragement. The words are inadequate to express my heartfelt feelings of gratitude to my husband Mr. Nandkumar Shelake, for his continued and unfailing support. I greatly value his contribution and deeply appreciate his belief in me. I appreciate my sons for abiding by me in my busy schedule and the patience they showed for me. Words would never be enough to say how grateful I am to both of you Harsh and Shiv! I consider myself lucky to have such a lovely and caring family. I will be always grateful to my In-laws and parents for their constant motivation and appreciation to complete the work in right time. I am also thankful to the colleagues in the Department of English; Mr. Meharaj Shaikh, Dr. Vinod Mane as well as the c o l l a g e staff, for their help as and when required. And finally I would like to thanks those directly or indirectly helped and supported me during my research work. While preparing this thesis, many known and unknown well-wishers, relatives and friends have directly or indirectly contributed their share in this work. If by some mischance, I have failed to acknowledge where I should have done so, I hope those concerned will accept my sincere apologies. Place: Pune Ms. Poonam Dnyandeo Patil Date: / 08 /2017 (Research Scholar) VI Anita Nair, Born: 26 January 1966 VII Abstract of the Ph.D. Thesis Female protagonists in the Novels of Anita Nair: A Feminist Perspective A. Fiction of Anita Nair: In this thesis I am presenting critical study of the female protagonists in the fiction of Anita Nair from the feminist point of view. Anita Nair is one of the post-modern women writers of the Indian English Fiction. She has written novels, short stories, poems, essays, stories for children, plays travelogues, and has edited works since 1997. She is best known for her novels The Better Man and Ladies Coupe. Anita Nair was born at Mundakottakurissi, near Shoranur in Kerala. This is the locale she has used as a background for The Better Man and other works. Her novels have been translated into 21 languages. She studied in Chennai before moving back to Kerala, where she graduated in English Literature. She worked as a Creative Director of an advertising agency in Bangalore. It was here that she wrote her first book, a collection of short stories titled as Satyr of the Subway. It was appreciated and she got a fellowship from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. In 2002, she published a collection of poems under the title Malabar Mind, and the second collection was Where the Rain is Born published in 2003, which were writings about Kerala edited by her. Her second novel Ladies coupe, published in 2001, became a great success and it is widely read even now. Her Good Night and God Bless is a collection of essays, which are about her happy experiences, recommendation for good books to read, etc. Her first novel The Better Man presents a male protagonist, but there are episodes dealing with female characters like Anjana, Meenakshi, Valsala, who contribute to Mukundan’s turning into a better man. Her novel Mistress (2005) is mainly about Radha, and her uncle Koman who is the Kathakali artist. But in the first part of the novel we come across the teenage Arab girl, Saadiya, her emotional love affair and the tragic end in her suicide. Koman is Saadiya and Sethu’s son. Rest of the novel is about VIII Radha’s life of love and marriage, her marriage of convenience with Shyam, her love affair with Chris, and her reconciliation with Shyam. In her Ladies Coupe there are stories of women, the fellow travelers, who narrate their stories to Akhila, the protagonist, contributing to her education. Akhila is the middle-aged spinster, who has spent her life so far caring for her family. She rebels against her sponging sister and brother and seeks freedom, emboldened by the stories of other women. In Lessons in Forgetting there is the story of Meera, the abandoned wife of two children. She finds a job with Prof. J.A. Krishnamurthy, (JAK for short), and there appears to be a fresh beginning for Meera. There are, however, episode of Kala and Karpagam, the women who chart their own way of life. Anita Nair’s, Cut Like Wound (2012) is a psychological thriller, a crime story, presenting Gowda, a middle-aged investigating officer, amid his own domestic problems and non-cooperation of his colleagues in the department. Her next novel, Idris, is a novel of adventure and romance. B. Aims and Objectives: This thesis has tried to present study of the female characters in the fiction of Anita Nair has portrayed the life of women, on the background of Indian social and family life, in which her female characters undergo a variety of experiences, often painful, under the patriarchal oppression in the family.

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