LITERARY SPHERE

Mulk Raj Anand’s short story Two Lady Rams | Summary | Analysis | Themes  Mulk Raj Anand’s short story "Two Lady Rams" is a humorous yet poignant exploration of polygamy and the status of women in colonial India. The story is part of the collection Man Whose Name Did Not Appear in the Census and Other Stories. It centers on Lalla Jhinda Ram, a contractor who receives a knighthood from the government for his services. This honor, however, becomes the catalyst for a domestic conflict involving his two wives, Sukhi and Sakuntala. Jhinda Ram, proud of his new title, anticipates attending the award ceremony. The invitation, however, specifies that only one "Lady Ram" can accompany him. This restriction sets off a rivalry between Sukhi, his first wife, and Sakuntala, his second. Initially, Ram decides to take Sakuntala, the younger and presumably more appealing wife, to the ceremony. His servants, loyal and perhaps gossipy, inform Sukhi of this decision, ig...

𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙩𝙖 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞'𝙨 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙂𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧  Mahasweta Devi, a prolific writer, may not have explicitly embraced the feminist label for her works, but her writings often spotlight female protagonists, notably overshadowing their male counterparts. In her collection "Breast Stories," translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in 2002, the narratives revolve around women, delving into the struggles faced by the doubly burdened inhabitants of the country. One of the trilogy's stories, "Breast-Giver," serves as a critical examination of Indian womanhood, challenging the passive acceptance of patriarchal notions of motherhood as depicted in legends and epics. The story revolves around Jashoda, a woman living with her husband Kangalicharan and their three children. Kangalicharan works at a sweet shop, but their lives take a turn when he loses his feet in a Studebaker accident involving the Haldar family. Despite the Halda...