Proceedings of National Seminar on Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature , Jan. 27-28, 2012, Nanded4) Thio, Alex (1997). Sociology. NewYork : Longman. P445) Nehru, Pandit. (1946). The Discovery ofIndia. Calcutta : Signet Press. P.61-626) Desai Anita (1971). Bye Bye Blackbird.New Delhi : Orient Longman. (2001,5 thed.) (All page references in this paperare from this edition).Bibliography:1) B. R. Agrawal, M.P.Sinha (2003) MajorTrends in the Post Independence. IndianEnglish Fiction Atlantic Publishers andDistributors, New Delhi.2) Ashok Chaskar, (2010).<strong>Multiculturalism</strong> in Indian Fiction inEnglish. Atlantic Publishers andDistributers.3) Mithilesh K. Pandey (1999). RecentIndian Literature in English. AtlanticPublicans and Distributors, New Delhi.485 PLTL-2012: ISBN 978-81-920120-0-1
Proceedings of National Seminar on Postmodern Literary Theory and Literature , Jan. 27-28, 2012, NandedCultural Identity of Hindu Woman in Postcolonial Indian Novel WithSpecial Reference to Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters-Mrs.Asha G. Dhumal,Lokmanya Mahavidyalaya, Sonkhed,Tq. Loha Dist. NandedAbstract: <strong>Multiculturalism</strong> is a body of thought in political philosophy about the proper way to respond to cultural andreligious diversity. Mere toleration of group differences is said to fall short of treating members of minority groups as equalcitizens; recognition and positive accommodation of group differences are required through “group-differentiated rights,” aterm coined by Will Kymlicka (1995). Some group-differentiated rights are held by individual members of minority groups,as in the case of individuals who are granted exemptions from generally applicable laws in virtue of their religious beliefs orindividuals who seek language accommodations in schools or in voting. Other group-differentiated rights are held by thegroup qua group rather by its members severally; such rights are properly called group rights, as in the case of indigenousgroups and minority nations, who claim the right of self-determination. In the latter respect, multiculturalism is closely alliedwith nationalism.While multiculturalism has been used as an umbrella term to characterize the moral and political claims ofa wide range of disadvantaged groups, including African Americans, women, gays and lesbians, and the disabled, mosttheorists of multiculturalism tend to focus their arguments on immigrants who are ethnic and religious minorities (e.g.Latinos in the U.S., Muslims in Western Europe), minority nations (e.g. Catalans, Basque, Welsh, Québécois), andindigenous peoples (e.g. Native peoples in North America, Maori in New Zealand).It is believed that Indian women in generalhave no identity of their own. They belong totheir father before they are married and to theirhusband after they are married and in the oldage they have to depend on their sons.However, urban and metropolis educatedIndian women, immigrants and expatriates areclaiming their rights within their family andbeyond it. They are attempting to establish anew identity with their changing gender roles.For example, in a conservative family, ahusband used to represent in public affairs.Now most of elite young women represent andmanage the public and political affairs. Theseidentities of women are separate from theirhusband. Further, the working womenparticularly are to compromise and adjustthemselves as wife, mother, as an employeeperforming their household traditionalresponsibilities.Manju Kapur belongs to the group ofpostcolonial writers concerned with thewomen’s condition in male-dominated society.In the nineties, one notices a luxuriant growthof Indian English fiction. Arundhati Roy,Vikram Chandra and Vikram Seth havecreated waves in the English speaking worldby writing novels in Indian English idiom.These novelists have given a new dimension toIndian English novel. Manju Kapur, a Delhibased, Miranda House teacher of English, hassuccessfully presented the problem of Indianwomen in a joint family in male dominatedsociety. Her debut novel Difficult Daughterswon the commonwealth writers’ Best FirstBook Prize in 1999.Manju Kapur’s novel DifficultDaughters is a feminist literary work.A feminist writer primarily respondsto the way woman is presented inliterature. As B.K. Das puts it, “it hastwo basic premises : one, ‘women’presented in literature by male writersand the other of female writers fromtheir point of view.( Das:98)As a postcolonial feminist writer, sheintuitively perceives Virmati’s positions in themale dominated society and deals with herproblems with insight and authenticity. Thenovel seems to be Kapur’s tribute to hercountry’s celebration of fifty years ofindependence in which she makes her Virmati,a cult figure to fight against taboos, social andjoint family restrictions and the man-maderules in the traditional society.The novel reminds us some of thesituations during the Indian war ofIndependence when the socio-politicalcondition of the country was ravaged by thecommunal fire and ensuing partition. In thiskind of social surrounding, Kapur presents theproblems of an upper-middle class urban AryaSamaj Punjabi family in Amritsar in purelyimaginative reconstructions. The novelhighlights the issues like the awakening of thecountry for freedom, women education andfeminine freedom. The women characters inthe novel are divided into three generationswith their own values, mindsets andrelationships. The novel presents larger issuesof patriarchy, which denies women voice andfreedom set around the time of partition. Thenovelist expresses the condition of woman inthe society-particularly her lack of freedom topursue her studies, choose a career, and aboveall to choose her mate in life. She has nofreedom to marry a man of her choice.Basically, she has presented the women of the1940s, when women had no voice to asserttheir rights. But unlike the other. Virmati, the486 PLTL-2012: ISBN 978-81-920120-0-1
Change language