Englishes Today I September 2016 I Volume II, Issue III ISSN : 2395 4809

ENGLISHES TODAY I September 2016 I Vol. II, Issue III I ISSN : 2395 4809

Githa Hariharan’s The Art of Dying: Stories and Himanshi Shelat’s Frozen Whites in Dralk Alley and Other Stories: A Comparative Study

Nikita Gadani

Assistant professor in Communication Skills General Department Aditya Silver Oak Institute of Engineering Ahmedabad, Gujarat, INDIA.

Abstract

Short Story writing has been amongst the earliest forms of literature. It has evolved from oral traditions of story telling, and is one of the oldest modes of recitation. Story is a sequence of events and incidents, or certain situations, either retold exactly as it happened or is knitted around an imaginative plot structure, ploy or a fictitious narrative. Hannah Arendt says that story telling is specific to human life. It is always full of events which ultimately can be told as a story. She related it to ‗life bios‘ from ‗Zeo‘ similar to Aristotle‘s notion that story is kind of an action (praxis). (qtd. in Kearney 2002 3-4). It focuses on a single aspect and can also simultaneously deal with several concepts altogether.

This paper will focus on comparative study of two female short story writers, as comparative study of literature deals with the cultural expressions across the linguistic, cultural and national boundaries and concern with the relation between literature broadly defined and other spheres of human activity. These writers focus on the women‘s issues and try to locate their legitimate place in the society. Though they belong to the different regions and cultures, but the condition of the women all over the world is the same.

Keywords : comparative literature, Short story, comparative study, Indian Female writers. Githa Hariharan’s “The Art of Dying and Other Stories, Himansi Shelat’s “The Frozen Whites in Dark Alley

Englishes Today I September 2016 I Volume II, Issue III ISSN : 2395 4809

Introduction

Short story writing has been amongst the earliest form of literature, which has evolved oral tradition of story-telling. A short story is a piece of fiction, which can be read in a single sitting. Short story is usually concerned with a single effect conveyed in only one or a few episodes and scenes. It is generally tends to be shorter and less complex than novel and novellas, the focus shifts from long plots to shorter plots, from long life spans to single incidents. The number of characters in a short story is lesser than that in the novel. The emphasis in a short story is on a particular theme, incident or an important concern (Matthews 1994,73). It focuses on a single aspect that distinguishes it from the novel. Brander Matthews says:

…a short story deals with single character, a single event, single emotions or the series of emotions called forth by a single situation”. (qtd. in Pratt 1994, 101)

Despite its relatively limited scope, though, a short story is often judged by its ability to provide a ‘complete’ or satisfying treatment of its characters and subject. Story telling has been an integral part of Indian culture. The collection of folktales, mythological legends, recitation of episodes from epics, which forms an important cultural practice, and other traditional forms such a kathasagaritsagar, Gaundya’s Brihatkatha, and the Buddhist’s Jataka tales.

During the 20th century, the Indian short story has gone through various changes in form, style and subject matter. In the pre-independence era, the growth of literary periodicals and journals has played a vital role in the progress of short story. Periodicals like Premchand‘s Hans in Hindi, Lakshminath Bezboroa‘s Bahi in Assames, Mukura and Sahakara in Oriya, M.G.Ranganekar‘s Satyakatha and Yasvant in Marathi and Kadamvari Samgraha in Kannada (Ramakrishnan 2005, xv), published a number of region-specific stories. The growth of the story is related to the movements of independence before partition in 1947 (Ramakrishnan 2005, xv). During the freedom struggle Gandhiji and other leaders such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Baba Rao Ambedkar, delivered speeches in a metaphoric and symbolic language which helped the masses to understand the literariness of language. A reflection of these speeches had an influencing impact on short story writing. These stories reflected the reality through it and captured the social, political, cast systeam and cultural collisions apparent in the society during those years. As B.R.Ambedkar says:

Caste cannot be abolished by inter-caste dinners or stray instances of inter caste marriages. Caste is a state of mind. It is a disease of mind. The teachings of the Hindu religion are the root cause of this disease. We practice casteism and we observe untouchability because we are enjoined to do so by the Hindu religion. A bitter thing cannot be made sweet. The taste of anything can be changed. But poison cannot be changed into nectar (Thus Spoke of Ambedkar).

The short story also highlighted the cultural plurality of the society which has been depicted through varied themes. In this connection, Sisir Kumar Das suggests that,

The thematic range of Indian short story today is as extensive and varied as the geographical and social diversities of the country…It is in some sense most complete world (1995,276).

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In the pre-Independence era, a need for social reform in society was also felt. Due to the lack of education and lack of awareness, short story became an instrumental tool for educating the masses, while the post –Independence era is remarkable for unexpected changes in short story writing. Before independence, success of the story depended on a structural form, with a well beginning, middle and end. While after independence, focus shifted from the form and plot to the inner and psychological state of a character. It explored the complexity of human life. Contribution of woman writing in English or other languages in the contemporary era, is of great importance. Issues related to woman in a patriarchal society were of major concern to women writers. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, prominent English writer who published four collections of the short stories, like Birds and Like Fishes (1963), An Experience of India (1966), A Strong Climate (1968). How I Become Holy Mother’ (1976) raised the issues related to the system of joint families and the complexity of personal relationships. Sujata Bala Subhramaniyam wrote The House in the Hills and other stories (1973) which captured life of people under the landlords. Kamla Das‘s A Doll For a Child Prostitute (1977) is based on the theme of sex. While contribution of Shashi Despande The Legacy (1978) can not be negated. (Naik 1999, 251-254)

A remarkable contribution by women is seen not only in English, but also, in other regional languages. Amazingly, the stories from different cultures and diverse regions address similar issues, proclaiming that the experience of woman across the nation is the same. The patriarchal order functions in the same fashion in different regions.

The contribution of women in Telugu is also remarkable. Illindala Saraswati Devi, (1918), was one of the best woman writers amongst her contemporaries in Telugu literature. K.Saraswathi Amma, (1919-1975) wrote in Malayalam, was born in Kunnappuzha, village near Trivandrum, in an upper class family. Her stories are mostly about the husband-wife relationship. Her collection of the short stories includes, Ponnumkudam (Pot of Gold) 1945, Strijanman (Born as Woman) 1946, Kizhjivanakkari (The Subjugated Woman) 1949, Kalamanduram (Temple of Art) 1949, Penbuddi(Woman‘s Wit) 1951, Kantta Madil (Thick Walls) 1953. (Tharu, Latika 1995, 164-65).

Madhavikutty, another major writer, wrote under the name of Kamala Das (1934), became one of the most important literary figures of India. Her collection of the short story includes, Mathilukal (Walls) 1955, Pathu Kathakal (Secret Stories)1958, Narichirukal Parakkumpol (When Little best Fly) 1960 and during sixties she published several collection of the short stories like, Ente Snehitha Aruna (My Friend Aruna) 1963, Pakshiyude Manam (A Bird‘s Honor) 1964, Thanuppu (Cold) 1967. Shantsa Shelke (1921), Gauri Despande (1942) and Chhaya Datar (1944) were major contributors amongst Marathi writers. (Tharu and Latika, 1995 170-71)

Amongst the Gujarati writers Dhiruben Patel (1926) wrote Adhuro Kol(The Incomplete Promise)1955 (Tharu, Latika 1995, 225). Kundanika Kapadiya,(1927) wrote Vadhu ne Vadhu Sundar (Increasingly Beautiful)1967, Prem na Ansun (Tears of Love)1978, and in 1984 won Gujarat State Sahitya Akademy Award for Sat Pagla Akashma (Seven Paces in the Sky) ( Tharu, Latika 254-55). Varsha Adalja‘s (1940), ‘E’ (He) was published in 1979. (Tharu and Latika 1995, 465-66)

Introduction to the Authors:

Githa Hariharan

Githa Hariharan was born in 1954 in Coimbatore, India. She grew up in Bombay and Manali. She

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was educated in these two cities and United State. Her first novel Thousand Faces of Night (1992) won commonwealth writer‘s prize in 1993. Her other novel includes The Ghost of Vasu Master (1994), When Dream Travel (1999), In Times of Seigh (2003) and Fugitive History (2009). Her short stories include The Art of Dying: Stories (1993) and The Winning Team (2004). She has also edited a volume of stories in English from four major south Indian languages A Southern Harvest (1993) and co edited a collection of short stories for children Sorry Best Friend (1997).

Himanshi Shelat

Himanshi Shelat was born in Surat in 1947. She is well-known amongst her contemporaries. She brings out the issues related to new generation and also gives a voice to women emotions. Her major works include short stories, Classical novels and publications like Andhari Galima Safed Tapkan (1991) and she won Sahitya Akademy Award for it. Antaral (1987), Ae Loko (1997), Panchvayka (2002), Sanjano Samay (2002), Khandniyama Mathu (2004), and classic novel Platform No 4 (1998) and her publications are ‘Swami and Sai’ (Letters of Swami Anand and Makrand Dave 1993), ‘Pratirupi’ (Shree Makrand Dave na kavyanuvado 1995), ‘Antrachabi’ is based on the life of Zaverchand Meghani this work has been co edited with Vinod Meghani in 1998.

Githa Hatiharan’s Art of Dying: Stories

Githa Hariharan's short story collections, The Art of Dying: Stories is remarkable for its uniqueness about the modern themes and their treatment. Her literary style of writing includes several modes of narration, knitting the outward features of the physical existence to the inner thoughts of mind. In her stories, she challenges the old standards of writings by women and about women, both. She experiments with several techniques, where it is not necessary that the narrator is a woman alone, but in several stories, by her, the narrator is a male. She focuses on subject matter, theme and issues that are assertive to give rise to matters of social relevance.

Theme of life and Death

“The Art of Dying” as the title suggests, is a story about death and dying. The story traces a number of incidents related to death. The story introduces death as a part of life itself and the narrator’s continuous thinking over death raises the question whether death is larger than life.

Krishna Daiya in her essay “Thematic Concern in Post-Independence Women Short Story Writers” comments about Hariharan’s stories that:

…Death is not shown merely as an event but as a shadow looming larger over life…Death is portrayed as a phenomenon, sometimes dreaded and welcomed, but inevitable…

Death is understood not only as a full stop to life, but also as an act requiring strength and understanding (190).

The story begins with the description of death as an art. The word ‘art’ signifies technique, craftsmanship or a skill. In the story, the focus is on the technique of death, a process of dying. The narrator of the story traces the journey of her old and ailing mother towards her death. The metaphor of time as a machine depicts that they are leading an involuntary life, in which the determinant factor of their life, is time. They are trying to match their pace with time. The mother also compares her body to a machine. In her youth, she remembers that her body was full of

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excitement. At present, it has become like a machine that needs to be: “oiled and exercised at right time” (“The Art of Dying” 63). The major difference in her body, then and now, is of a buffer: “I had a buffer between me, that living, demanding things, and death” (“The Art of Dying” 63). Her memories of the past only bring loneliness and aloofness to her life.

Similarly, death is another major theme in “The Remains of the Feast”. The story is about an old woman, a great grandmother, who towards the end of her life gives up all rules to be followed by the Brahmin widows though she had followed them throughout her life.

Widowhood

“Revati”, another story, that is about a child widow, who suffered throughout her life. The story highlights the plight of Revati who passes her entire life in loneliness. She is considered to be a burden on society. She is considered to be an unnecessary interference in the respective families. People around Revati made fun of her and intolerant of her behavior. The narrator too avoided her. Bagul S.A. in her article “Gender Issues and Marginality: A Study of Githa Hariharan’s Short Story “Revati” explains that

…female identity becomes highly problematic, being positioned within a rigid familial system results in a crisis and even more so when this position is threatened or lost (2011, 1).

After her husband’s death, she spent her life in isolation, and even her presence in the family was not considered because she was widow. Though she was independent through out her life but her loneliness converted into her greed for food.

Loneliness

In the same sense, the loneliness of a widow in “Revati” is contrasted with that of a widower, in another story, “The Reprieve”. The protagonist of the story Nagaraj Rao and his wife Mangala, spent good years togather. But with the passage of time, his wife Mangala, became a victim of cancer and died. Her death changed the life of Nagraj Rao. The story is unique for its narrative technique. Since the story is narrated in third person, the perspective is more objective than subjective. Memory is used as a specific device. The use of the mnemonic techniques with temporality, knits the structure tightly to the plot. The story revolves around the conflicts arousing due to the shifts from rural to urban area. It is now that he begins to relive his relationship in the past with his wife. In the small flat of Bombay, he often hears whispers of his son and daughter-in- law at night after the lights are switched off. He also does so because in some way this fulfills his own emptiness. These are small talks related to routine affairs, quite similar to those, that he had shared, in his youth, with his wife.

Another story “The Will”, the protagonist widow wife gains strength from her husband's letter, that is addressed to her as a will. Though, the title signifies that the matter is about the division of property, the story is about the treasure of good faith and guidance that Raghu leaves behind as a will for his wife Sushila. The story emphasis on control exercised by the father on members of the family. Murphy explains the role of father in families as

…The father retained un-limited power over his spouse and children-especially through his control of money, which was the real substance of family existence. These practical realities reinforced a domestic submission to is will (1995, 13).

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Similarly, Raghu had controlled the entire family through his control of money that gets distributed amongst his children after his death. He had divided amongst his childrens but nothing for his wife except a letter in which he had written his feelings for her. She kept thus letter as a means of survival but at the end of the story, she lost the letter, and two lines by her grand children made her understood that life is not only stuck to the letter.

Child Labour and Poverty

“Gajar Halwa” is about how poverty leads a teenage girl to work as a maid at Delhi. The story is written from the perspective of a small girl. It is about the exploitation of the poor by the rich.

Power, Sexuality and Religion

Another story “Field Trip”, is a story about child, who comes to spend his vacation in the village of his maternal uncle who has good reputation in the village. Krishna, the child spends his days playing with the village boys. The story is a subtle representation of a crude experience for a timid child who is growing up from a child to a boy. Completely inexperienced in the ways of the village life, and often a thing of ridicule amongst the majority of the village boys, the child has a learning experience about the crude realities of life, a life outside house and in the fields. The story also opens up issues of how the powerful landlords take advantage of the need of the peasants and poor people, who remain dependent on the mercies of the rich. while another story from the same collection “Love Poem” is also about sexual harrasment of a village girl by a college professor in a city college.

Through above, we can observe that Hariharan’s unique style of writing differentiates her amongst her contemporaries. She tried to change the scenario of short story writing by using different techniques. She tries to capture almost all the aspect of the society and tries to give a voice to the needy. Naik and Narayan observe about the Indian Novel that

…novels are quite effective in revealing the true state of Indian society when it comes to treatment of woman. (2001, 92).

And like her novel, she also tries to maintain this in her short story writing. Most of the stories are concerned to women. Most of the protagonists in her stories are women or girls who become victim of social rigid norms like in, “The Art of Dying” “The Remains of the Feast”, “Gajar Halwa”, “Love Poem”, “Revati”. But unlike to give voice to the woman identity she also tries to capture the feelings of male and in her stories like “The Reprieve”, and “Field Trip” the protagonist of the stories is male.

In Hariharans works, we can also find professionalism merges with personal themes. Like in “The Art of Dying”, the narrator of the story is a counselor, and through her profession she learns the ways of life and death. In “The Remains of the Feast” the narrator of the story is studying medicine who understands that body is not merely a bunch of bones but a desiring subject. Due to this, she tries to fulfill the prohibited desire of her grand mother. While in “Revati”, Revati is a retired school teacher and child widow.

Another noticeable aspect of Hariharan‘s work is that death plays a vital role in her stories. Most of the protagonist in her stories are experiencing death or the stories concerning widows also raises several questions. Though Revati was a widow but she was independent. At the end when she retired from her work, and visited her family, no one treated her as a family member. The only

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companion in her life is a weak-minded fellow. While in “The Will”, the protagonist of the story is a widow and after the death of her husband, she lives according to what her husband wrote in letter, but when she lost the letter, she realized that it was not the only source to live life. A few lines of the poem, recited by her grand child, arise feelings in her to live life again.

Another major theme of poverty and economical domination is visible in “Gajar Halwa”. It reflects a real picture of the society. It is more about struggle of life and about survival. Thus Hariharan‘s diversity of themes accounts for her concern for society that gets depicted in her stories with utmost truth, reality and simplicity.

Himanshi Shelat’s Frozen Whites in a Dark Alley and Other Stories

Himanshi Shelat, a prominent woman writer in Gujarati Literature, who gave a new direction to short story writing in Gujarati. She has contributed immensely to short story, novel and essay writing. Himanshi Shelat is one of the few Gujarati women writers who gave expression to the women‘s experiences, their feelings, need and struggle in a male-dominated patriarchal society. Along with this, there is a concern for the deprived and the underprivileged classes in the stories. Isolation, loneliness and alienation are major themes of her stories. Her protagonists often feel like strangers even while amongst the crowd. Himanshi Shelat's short stories, “Andhari Glima Safed Tapkan” (Frozen Whites in a Dark Alley, 1992) translated by Vinod Meghani. The stories highlight the reality of human life, the condition and the status of widows, of unmarried girls and their feelings.

Darkness in the Life of Woman

The story, “Frozen Whites in Dark Alley”, begins with a search of the protagonist for Bhagirathi Kalyaan Dhaam, an organization where widows spent their life, meditating and abstaining from the worldly pleasures. The women were in white saree sitting in the congregation appeared as ‘white clouds’. When they moved to get up, they appeared like the clouds rising from the floor into the air. The white color signifies several things. In this context, the white depicts a colorless life. The life of women around Kalyaan Dhaam is also colourless.

The story depicts the emptiness in the life of the widows. The conversation of the women is accompanied with intervals of silence that resumes in gaps. This depicts their inability to find expression for their suffering. Convinced, that spirituality will heal the wounds of natural loss of their husband, these women spend their life in austerity by abandoning worldly pleasures.

Feeling of Emptiness

Another story “At Ten-Thirty” is about the life of a divorced woman, when the thoughts about past re-enter her mind. These thoughts are related to her married life. The title “At Ten-

Thirty” creates curiosity about what happened at ten-thirty, in the mind of reader, that keeps the interest of the reader intact till the end of the story. It is at ten-thirty that the protagonist used to go for work with her husband on scooter. Every morning at ten-thirty she remembers leaving home for work with him. (210-11 N.G) The story is about her attempts to settle down into a new order of life by forgetting the past but there are certain unforgettable experiences that have created a void in her life. People are sympathetic towards her as if something unnatural has happened to her. For them, the idea of a woman living alone was quite unnatural.

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Sisterhood and Separation

Another story the “Golden Fruit” is also about separation of two sisters as one sister plans to get married leaving the other one all alone. It conveys a sense of loss like “At Ten-Thirty”. It is about the relationship of two unmarried sisters, who live together. But suddenly one day, Vatsala, one of them, met with an accident, and was saved by a middle aged man Chandravadan. They fell in love with each other and decided to get married. The story is about the feelings of the other sister, Sumitra who could not bare with the thought of separating from her sister. First, a sense of loss enters her mind, and then, she also feel jealous that why couldn’t this happen to her, instead of her sister. She feels that if at that time, she had met with an accident then all the golden fruits would have been in her hands. “Golden Fruit”, is metaphoric symbol of lucrative, materialistic attraction and temptation in life through marriage.

Insecurity in Married Relationships

The conflict in relationships is one of the major concerns. In contrast to the above story, “A Woman in Love”, is about insecurity in the relationship of husband and wife. The story is a satire on male psychology and woman's duality. Though satisfied with the basic needs of life, Taru lived a life of luxury. Her husband remained busy in his work. For him, money was essential and basis of a comfortable life. Though their relationship seemed to be cordial, he feels insecure about his wife when his friend Chirantan visits them. Chirantan is a happy go lucky person. He does not have any job, but still remains a happy man, and enjoys life. He does not give much importance to material things. Due to his avaibality, Taru gets attracted towards him and ultimately falls in love with him, but at the same time also hide her feelings from her husband.

Another story “The Curtain” is also about similar insecurity. In contrast to the “A Woman in Love”, the husband's insecurity in the former story has been replaced by the wife's insecurity in the later. In “The Curtain” Sohan, Darshana's husband has a loving relationship with her, but the twist takes place after the arrival of her sister, Chaula in their house for the preparation of exams. Though they have good marital relationship but she always feel insecure. Every morning she followed the practice of drawing the curtain from the window to let in the sunlight. She opened the curtains slowly and waited for the new rays of sunshine to enter her room as if she welcomed a new life and a new day every morning. The story ends, with Darshna, standing at the window to look outside. But her vision is totally different. In the beginning, she stood at the window, to welcome new morning and new day of her life. But towards the end, she wanted to escape from the present situation and in real sense, waited for new ray of hope to come to her life.

Unemployment

On one hand the professional life is knitted together with personal concerns in life, on other hand the story “Relativity” is about the problems of unemployment and how young boys from middle class families surrender to the financial compulsions. The protagonist is a young boy, who had to leave his studies and work as a salesman for a soap company. He was not happy with his work, and felt that he missed all his school friends and gossip and all that, but at the end of the story he realized importance of his work and took it in positive way.

Himanshi Shelat focuses on concerns that surrounded women, revolving around issues of marriage, relationships and disintegrated family units. In this context, it would be appropriate to quote Priyamvada Gopal who has commented in context of Indian novel that also stands true for Indian short stories.

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…Women‘s domestic fiction, as it begun to emerge in several Indian languages, also bears imprints of autobiographical mode, emphasizing personal relations, love, sexuality, family tensions, and the drama of everyday life (2009, 140).

This is also applicable to the Indian short story writing. Her skillfulness lies in the fact that she delineates the emotional as well the physical conflicts by knitting them together.

One of the most important aspects in the work of Himanshi Shelat is that her use of metaphoric language functions as a satire on the society and helps to deliver the exact idea of the situation. In most of her works, the metaphoric language is very effective. Even though her writing are not much psilosoplhical, the metaphoric language assist in the successfully in portraying the psychological state of mind of the character.

Through this, she comes very close to the social problems that control the system of society such as unemployment. Himanshi Shelat‘s stories are truthful account of her society. The dissatisfaction, the dilemma, the conflicts in relationships and the insecurity of the social and the economic problems experienced by her characters depicts the reality of the world she lives in.

Comparative study:

Being women, both the writers add a new perspective to the writings in Indian Literature as they deal with the issues and concerns of their characters with utmost closeness due to their first hand experience with the society they are a part of. Major similarity in both the writers is that they are very less pompous and more real, when they depict the crude realities about their society. The major difference, in the two writers, is that Hariharan is concerned with psychological and philosophical concerns of life, where as Shelat depicts the external and physical problems rather than depicting the psychological impact on the mind of the character.

Theme of Transition from Rural to Sub-urban and Urban Cities

Githa Hariharan’s experience of several cities has been depicted in the plurality of a more diverse society of India in her stories than that has been done by Himanshi Shelat. Shelat‘s stories are mostly situated in smaller towns, than major cosmopolitan cities. In Hariharan‘s work, the difference between the rural and the urban societies is visible. The conflict, the dilemma and the sense of nostalgia results in feelings of isolation and emptiness is an outcome of this phase of transition. For example in “Gajar Halwa” the protagonist distinctly comes from Salem, a small village, to Delhi, the capital of India, for better prospects for her future. In another story, “Love Poem”, a village girl escapes sexual advances by a more urbanized college professor. This theme is more elaborately expanded in “Field Trip”, where clear cut distinction has been made in the childhood of village and city children. Though, this cosmopolitan change promises better opportunities but at the same time, it is contrasted to the problems of the survival for the people of economically lower classes in the villages. The stories bring out how the transition from the rural to urban cities is affecting the lifestyle of the villagers. The problems, challenges and struggle of people during such phases of change are accompanied by a nostalgic sense for past.

In Himanshi Shelat‘s stories, the location of the stories is mostly in cities or big towns than in entirely rural or cosmopolitan cities. The stories depict the shifting values that pose new confusion for the people through the changing notions that is often depicted through the dilemma of her characters. The stories are mostly about the working class and the professional environment is used

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as a setting or a background in the stories, that depict the day to day struggle and problems of people in the cities. The professional life depicted in the stories contradicts the general notion of economic independence and happiness. Rather the stories are an example of a gruesome reality that highlights the problems of working class women and their status in society. Their independence is not acceptable to patriarchy; therefore the economical independence brings with it several challenges that deviate from conventional standards of more comfortable standards of living when women were often domesticated to take care of men around them. For example, in “Golden Fruits” both the sisters are working in a bank. In “At Ten-Thirty”, the unnamed protagonist is a working woman. The office environment gets transposed by domestic peoblems. The major difference is that in Hariharan‘s stories the characters are mostly city-bread, more independent both emotionally and professionally, though a strange sense of emptiness and nostalgia accompanies them as a result of the transition from rural to urban. In Shelat‘s stories the characters are in a quest to locate their identity, who are still in a phase of transition.

Singlehood:

Singlehood is largely depicted through the people who chose to remain unmarried or are widows and widowers. For example in Hariharan‘s story, “Revati”, Revati is a child widow, who spends her entire life all alone. Himanshi Shelat‘s story, “At Ten-Thirty” is about feelings of a divorced woman. Also in “Frozen Whites in a Dark Alley” widow spend their life as widows in Bhagirathi Kalyaan Dhaam all alone spending their days in meditation and rituals. No doubt the stories depict family units as a strong social unit but there is a lack of children and mostly all couples are either childless or the protagonists are widows and spinsters. For example in Hariharan‘s “Revati” the protagonist is childless and her repressed sexual desire finally gets converted into a state of madness. Her yearning for a child is evident when she touches the bride‘s sari and compares it to the softness of a child‘s skin. In Himanshi Shelat‘s stories too, there isn‘t a single figure of child. The stories deal with the emptiness in the life of adults and childless women.

Portrayal of Women Characters

In Hariharan’s stories a world of woman around woman, is created, where men are often absent or missing or sometimes even ignored. Nevertheless to say, that they are always present in absentia. In her stories, the protagonist is mostly a woman, who has suffered due to patriarchal dominance. Amazingly, all women in her stories are married and family has been represented as a very strong unit in society. Her emphasis is on rejecting the notion of dependency of women on men around them. Consequently, the absence of men or the broken family units creates a sense of emptiness too. For example in “Revati”, Revati spends her time after retirement around her family members, but she is always despised as her presence in the family is not acceptable. In “The Art of Dying” the protagonist is nearing death in her old age and is nurtured by her daughter. All the men around them remain absent in her life. Her son and her husband, the two males in the family have died. The narrator‘s (who is the protagonist‘s daughter) husband has not been mentioned in the story at all. Similarly,“The Remains of the Feast” revolves around the great grand-daughter and the great grand- mother. In this story too, the only male character is a minor character.

In Himanshi Shelat’s stories, the protagonists are mostly women. They are independent as far as their profession is concerned, but they seem to be more emotionally dependent on the male and other family members, than those of Hariharan‘s women characters. Though in Shelat‘s stories women are economically and professionally settled, she depicts the other side of the working

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middle class women. Almost all her characters are in a state of dilemma, between the emotional duties and practical choices in life. For example in “Golden Fruit”, Sumitra is caught between her duties for her sister who chooses to marry, leaving her sister behind on her own. She wishes that her sister returns back to her. The emotional dependence is a recurrent theme in Shelat’s stories. In “The Curtain”, the protagonist is emotionally dependant on her husband. The conflict in the story arises as she gets more insecure about the relationship with her husband on the pretext of growing intimacy between her sister and her husband. This also points out to the shallowness of the marital relationships.

In Hariharan‘s stories women are more complacent than Shelat‘s stories. The major difference is in the fact that Shelat‘s women lack fulfillment or a sense of completion through emotional dependence on men. Though most of the protagonists are economically independent but somehow they fail to attain a sense of fulfillment in the absence of men in their life. While in some other cases though some women are living alone, they seem to be more accepting than challenging, as they comply by the social norms and are perturbed by how society would react to their behavior in specific cases. For example in Shelat‘s “Golden Fruits”, Vatsala is married at the age of forty-five, and her decision to marry is not easily accepted by others, not even by her own sister. Similarly, in “At Ten-Thirty” the unnamed protagonist is struggling to establish her identity after her divorce. The story is about how a single woman is received in society and how she becomes a victim of the nuisance of society.

Sexuality

In Githa Hariharan's stories the theme of sexuality has been treated subtlety, but with great sensitivity. Whereas, in Himanshi Shelat‘s stories, sexuality works in hidden disclosures. Nevertheless, the theme of sexual repression is witnessed in works of both the writers. Though, the treatment varies in the fact that in Hariharan's works, repressed sexuality is depicted through physical and insatiable greed. In Shelat‘s works it is represented through a sublime process, an escape through spirituality or through a more hospitable social behaviour depicted through generosity and courtesy that people extend towards others. In Hariharan‘s “The Remains of the Feast” the old widow, who desisted from any kind of sexual engagement, throughout her life, is obsessed with food towards the end of her life. She eats everything that was prohibited to a Brahminical widow. Similarly, in “Revati” the child widow has been depicted as a greedy woman, who would not care about anybody and would eat greedily at any social or family gathering. Her greed is a consequence of the unfulfilled repressed desire in her life that finds an expression in an activity of eating greedily. In “Love Poem” Prof. Sharma‘s advances towards the village girl and the biographical details about his two wives depicts the sexual dissatisfaction amongst men.

Though Hariharan is more expressive about sexuality in her works, Shelat refers to this theme not as boldly as Hariharan does, but with an undertone. Repressed sexuality is converted into a process of sublimation, where Parvati and Sulakshana, the widows devote their entire life in spirituality. In “Frozen Whites in a Dark Alley” the hollowness of the heart and the emptiness of life is contrasted through shades of darkness and of light, through black and white respectively. In “A Woman in Love” and “The Curtain” the courtesy extended by Tarulata towards her husband‘s friend and to her husband by Darshana respectively is also an act of pleasing men. It is a depiction of desire for the other. The major difference in the writing of both the writers is that Hariharan is more out spoken and bold when it comes to depiction of sexuality than Shelat.

Englishes Today I September 2016 I Volume II, Issue III ISSN : 2395 4809

The contribution of Githa Hariharan and Himanshi Shelat to short story writing by Women in Indian is remarkable. With their contribution a new form of writing has evolved that brings the reader very close to the social and cultural aspects of the Indian way of life. Along with their revolutionary themes they depict the problems of society that gives vent to the emotions of people in general. The most remarkable aspect of both of them is that, they don't restrict to single style of writing or emphasise on one aspect but write about various issues that concern society. Their works, in a way, will also pave way for the new generations as they deal with contemporary problems. Though they may not be apparently vocal and loud giving rise to revolutionary movements but in no sense do they restrain from depicting the frailties of their own society, which in itself is revolutionary.

References

Bagul, S.A. (2011) Gender Issues and Marginality: A Study of Githa Hariharan‘s Short Story ‘Revati’.Ssmrae. n.d. Web. 2 June 2011.

Daiya, Krishna. (2006). Thematic Concern in Post-Independence Women Short Story Writers‖.

Das, Sisir Kumar. (1995). A History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956. New Delhi, Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

Gopal, Priyamvada. (2009) The Indian English Novel: Nation, History and Narration. New York, Oxford UP.

Hariharan, Githa. (1993). The Art of Dying: Stories. New Delhi, Delhi: Penguin Books. Print

Shelat, Himanshi. (2007) Andhari Galima Safed Tapkan. Trans. Vinod Meghani. Frozen Whites in a Dark Alley. New Delhi, Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

Matthews, B. (1994). The Philosophy of the Short-Story.‖ The New Short Story Theories. Ed. Charles E. May. Ohio: Ohio UP.

Naik, M.K. (1999) A History of Indian English Literature. New Delhi, Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.

Pratt, M.L. (1994). The Short Story: The Long and Short of It.‖ The New Short Story Theories. Ed. Charles E. May. Ohio: Ohio UP.

Ramakrishnan, E.V. (2005). Ed. Indian Short Stories 1900-2000. New Delhi, Delhi: Sahitya Akademi,

Tharu, S. and Latika, K. (1995) Ed. Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. To The Present: The 20th Century. Vol. II. New Delhi: Oxford UP.

Critical Essays on Indian Writing in English. Ed. J. K. Dodiya. 1st ed. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons Google Book Search. Web. 12 Jan 2012 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_story http://www.britannica.com/art/short-story

Englishes Today I September 2016 I Volume II, Issue III ISSN : 2395 4809