International Journal of English

and Literature (IJEL)

ISSN(P): 2249-6912; ISSN(E): 2249-8028
Vol. 6, Issue 3, Jun 2016, 15-20
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd

QUEST FOR IDENTITY AND DILEMMA OF WOMEN IN NAYANTARA

SAHGALS STORM IN CHANDIGARH AND ANITA NAIRS LADIES COUPE
ARCHANA SINGH
Assistant Professor, Amity School of Liberal Arts, Amity University, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
ABSTRACT
Indian women novelists in English and in other vernaculars try their best to deal with, apart from many other
things, the pathetic plight of forsaken women who are fated to suffer from birth to death. Many Indian Novelists have
showcased this serious issue to help the society to become a developed one in respect of women. The society should not be
biased in assigning roles to women. This paper is focussed on the study of two novels : Storm in Chandigarh by
Nayantara Sahgal and Ladies Coupe by Anita Nair. With a good literary career Sahagal and Nairoccupy a noteworthy
place in Indian English literature. They give their opinion through their character without any fear. One thing common
in both of them is they talk about the society and its dichotomy towards women.
KEYWORDS: Storm in Chandigarh, Ladies Coupe, Society, Dichotomy

INTRODUCTION
Indian women novelists in English and in other vernaculars try their best to deal with, apart from many
other things, the pathetic plight of forsaken women who are fated to suffer from birth to death. Novelists like
Kamala Markandaya, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Anita Desai have focused upon the various injustices inflicted upon a

Original Article

Received: Apr 05, 2016; Accepted: May 09, 2016; Published: May 11, 2016; Paper Id.: IJELJUN20163

woman by the patriarchal society. As a Novelist, Kamla Markandaya is intensely aware of the impact of
socio-economic forces on contemporary woman. In her novel Nectar in a Sieve Rukmani, the protagonist, is
presented as a Woman of Sorrow barely managing to survive in a south Indian village. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala in
her novel The Nature of Passion has projected the general attitude of Indians towards women, their education and
their struggle for emancipation. Her novel Get Ready for Battle presents the bitter survival of Sarla Devi, a middle
aged woman fretting under her oppressive, materialistic husband Gulzarilal who is counting on nothing but his
wealth and her obedience. Anita Desai in her novels unravels the tortuous life and the changing aspects of nature
of her women, their strained unharmonious relations with men and their slow advance from vision of aloneness
which is a psychological state of mind to that of alienation. Her heroines are caught in an ambiguous situation
between two cultures and are pre-occupied with existential concerns. Shashi Deshpandes novels are concerned
with a womans quest for self, an exploration into the female psyche and an understanding of the mysteries of life
and the protagonists place in it. Nayantara Sahgal and Anita Nairwith a good literary career occupy a noteworthy
place in Indian English literature. They give their opinion through their character without any fear. One thing
common in both of them is they talk about the society and its dichotomy towards women.
What blights a womans conjugal bliss, in the first place, is the dismal severity of the moral code of a
taboo-ridden society. The woman, being branded as a sinner, is condemned to live a life of alienation, symbolic of

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Archana Singh

her social ostracism, and the irony is that there is no ultimate moral law to decide what is moral or what is not, and all
depends on how the two respond and accommodate to this moral frailty. Marriage turns into a trap, an instrument of
oppression and torment for women for want of love, involvement, communication and respect to each others individuality.
It is the expression of male pride which treats a woman as commodity to be owned or disowned, at will and thus crushes
the otherness by treating her as a sex object. The woman can bear with the show of the brute power and physical violence
but life becomes a tale of sorrow and painful indignities, distress and shame when she is emotionally wounded through
male arrogance.
Sahgal and Nair have tried to show the bitter truth that women have to fight for their identity, position and peace.
They have also shown their miserable and pathetic experience in this world. On the other hand,they also tried to open the
eyes of the sufferers in the novels, as well as in real life that there are ways to swim out if a woman is bold, courageous and
has a power of decision making. In Storm in Chandigarh, Saroj in her school days had an affair with a boy which she
revealed to her husband in innocence, expecting that Inder, her husband would condone it the way she had condoned his
moral lapses. Inder himself had an affair with his childrens school teacher-Mara but Inders chauvinistic inflexibility
could not compromise with Sarojs pre-marital affair. Inder withdrew himself from Saroj and left her to wrestle with the
agony of isolation and emotional starvation. Saroj was drawn to Vishal, a senior bureaucrat to overcome the pangs of
isolation but Inder forbade her to meet Vishal which further intensified her agony. In the last Saroj left Inder and broke the
shackles of marriage
Sahgal traces the genesis of the problem in mans chauvinistic pride of superiority and his refusal to acknowledge
the separate identity of woman as an equal partner in marriage. The novels present thoughtful study of womans
predicament in this man-made world as all her efforts finally alienate and isolate her from the family and society at large.
Her tale of miseries is endless. The novelist suggests that marriage is a sacred bond the piety of which depends upon
mutual trust, mutual understanding and mutual respect to the individuality and identity of each partner. The questions are
many which the novelist seems to raise- why a woman is dislodged from her natural place of shelter? What are the forces
responsible for creating such a plight: the man or the codified patriarchal structure whose values are badly questionable?
The novel Storm in Chandigarh clearly establishes the view point of the novelist that the instinct of over possessiveness
and authoritarianism in men remain the sole responsible factor to destroy marital peace and harmony and subject a woman
to be confined to the invisible and unnoticed world of tears and miseries, drudgery and boredom.This sense of
possessiveness and dictatorial attitude is natural for a man in the patriarchal system, according to Kate Millett. The father
nearly has ownership over the wife or wives and children including the powers of physical abuse and often and even
those of murder and sale. Classically as head of the family, the father is both begetter and owner in a system in
which kinship is property
The spouses in this novel live together under the same roof but they are separated by a gulf of loneliness, and
emptiness. Sahgal believes that physical togetherness may not always lead to mental and spiritual oneness. Her characters
have an empty shell marriage. Saroj and Inder are like two separate islands floating in the same sea but never getting close.
Saroj laments. Its not being alone, I mind.I enjoy that, its the lonliness. I am alone even when Inder is here.
(Storm in Chandigarh 25). Inder feels sharing a bed is more than enough. Saroj wants to share all her experiences with
him. She is particularly excited about child birth. Inder wants only one relation with her that based on physical act:
Sex with her came easily and satisfactorily to him. It was an act with a beginning and an end, a need never put into

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.4049

Index Copernicus Value(ICV) : 6.1

Quest for Identity and Dilemma of Women in nayantara

Sahgals Storm in Chandigarh and Anita Nairs Ladies Coupe

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words neatly enacted and dispensed with in darkness. (Storm in Chandigarh 59) . Saroj is persecuted and abandoned
as a sinner whereas the fact is that she is a victim of the stubborn moral outlook of her husband, Inder, who himself is a
replica of a typically male-chauvinist, unfaithful husband.
Sarojs predicament is no better than that of the butterfly, caught into the dictatorial confines of Inders maleness.
Inder forbids Saroj to meet Vishal which further intensifies her agony in that she is cut off from the communication of the
world outside her own imprisoned self. What else can she think of except rousing into rebellion againt male
authoritarianism to assert her individuality and show that she as a human being has equal rights to live? The revolt is not
the act of defiance, it is a metaphysical rebellion against the very conditions of living, in her own house, in sheer
desperation and frustration. She feels encouraged by Vishal to accept the facts of life and somehow to live by. But now an
awakening with regard to the truth of human relations dawns on her. She has begun to correctly understand the
implications of freedom which can not be fully achieved so long as she continues to cling to the meaningless doctrines of
the patriarchal structure. A radical departure from conformity and traditional outlook of morality will alone put a stop to
the demoniacal oppressive measures of the forces which blight a womans destiny. She leaves for Delhi to find shelter in
Gauris home with a sense of pain expecting to keep the mounting sense of calamity at bay though people like her, in the
words of the novelist, did not leave their home. She is a straightforward and conscientious woman and what a predicament
that in her own home, she feels a misfit, an outsider! The most frightening aspect of this marital dissonance is that a
woman is forcibly dislodged from her natural place of shelter. What are forces responsible for creating such a plight-the
man or the codified patriarchal structure whose values are badly questionable? She tried to create an atmosphere of gaiety,
nearness and marital rejoicings through laughter and patches of understanding expecting that things would change but it
failed to restore harmony because there were great heartbreaking gaps through which the cold came in and the
emptiness yawned. (Sahgal, Storm in Chandigarh 243) The deserted streets of the city suggest the onward struggle and
void in a world hardened by a tinge of male chauvinism wherein a lonely woman has to fight a grim battle to keep her
identity protected from the terror of the night.
Nayantara has shown through Saroj-Inder episode how the instinct of over possessiveness and authoritarianism in
man can serve the sole factor to destroy marital harmony, understanding and love. Anita Nair, too projects her women
characters as docile who believe in wresting with their own problems rather than dominate their male counterparts. Anita
showcases dilemma of women and the different tactics adopted by them in Ladies Coupeto overcome their sorrow and to
create their own identity in a male congested society.
The protagonists Akhila and five women co-passengers not only undergo lifesadversitiessubmissively but in the
process also emerge stronger, providing sustenance andequilibrium to the entire community. Akhilais a 45 year old
`spinster daughter, sister aunt and the only provider of her family. After her fathers death, she became the head of her
familys household. Being the eldest among all her siblings, She forfeited her lifes dreams for the sake of her sister and
two brothers. So this then is Akhila. Forty five years old. Sans rose - coloured spectacles.Sans husband, children, home
and family. Dreaming of escape and space. Hungry for life and experience(Ladies Coupe 02). She becomes a woman
who has always been the backbone of impossible demanding family until the day she gets herself a one way ticket to
Kanyakumari in search of her true identity and to find the answer of a question-Can a woman stay single and be happy at
the same time ?

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Archana Singh

This is the beginning of a journey of self discovery and life altering changes.In the Ladies Coupe she meets five
women each of whom has a story to tell.The stories are all an attempt to answer Akhilas question : Can a woman stay
single and be happy at the same time ? She releases her to them just as they do to her. They reveal their dark secrets . Anita
Nair and Nayantara Sahgal picked the women from day to day life who struggle in a male dominated society. In Ladies
Coupe Anita Nair has portrayed six stereotypical women who lost their identities and innoncence in our society (where
deities are worshipped; wives and daughters are ill treated).
Margaret,one of the co-passengers, was married to Ebenezer Paulra. Ebenezer loves her but was not ready to
accept her individuality. In every sphere of life she was forced to mould herself according to Ebenezer. She was forced to
do B.Ed though she was interested in doing PhD. She was asked to abort her child to retain the girlish charm in her. This
incident jolted Margaret.When Margaret understands that she is isolated, she finds consolation through eating a lot of food.
She puts on weight. Ebeneze, on the other hand, who is aware of his health and fitness, makes her feel guilty about her
weight gain. She leads a routine life until the day James, the golden fish, floats dead. The moment proves to be a turning
point in her life. She does not want her life to float like dead fish. She identifies herself with the golden fish. In the words
of Anita Nair,
Among the five elements that constitute life, I classify myself as water. Water that moistens. Water that heals.
Water that forgets. Water that accepts. Water that flows tirelessly. Water that also destroys. For the power to
dissolve and destroy is as much a part of being water as wetness. (Ladies Coupe 96).
Margaretemerges as a complex blend of the silent women and rebellious woman. She seeks freedom in an
unusual way. She feeds her husband with irresistible delicacies,she feeds him, until he is fat thereby reducing him to a
caricature of his former self.She, once controlled by him, now holds him completely in her hands. She very cleverly
changed the attitude of her husband .
The brutal face of male is delineated through the story of Marikolundhu. She admits that she was raped. Though
no faultof hers she was blamed and traumatized for making herself available. She is from a poor family background. Her
mother works in Chettiars family as a cook and because of this Marikolundhu is devoid of education and looks after the
house when her mother goes for work. When her mother becomes ill she takes the place of her mother and starts taking
care of Sujata Akkas ( daughter-in-law of Chettiar) child, but she hates her own child, Mutthu, because he was born as a
result of her seduction and rape by Murugasen and she wanted to abort him.
There also her miseries are not over. Marikoulunthu, deprived from the society, and Sujata Akka, deprived from
her husband, find mutual happiness in their nearness. Later Sujatas husband also usesMarikolunthu to fulfill his sexual
desires. When Sujata Akka comes to know this, insteadof punishing her husband, she pushes Marikolunthu out of her
household. She gets theresponsibility of her own child, Mutthu, after her mothers death. Out of anguish she mortages
Mutthu at one of Murugesans looms for Rs.5000/-. The anger she has on Murugesan, the societywhich saves him from
punishment, her inability and the hatred of her son, everything comes to an end only at the death of Murugasen.The turning
point in her life comes when she sees the dead body of Murugesan burning at the pyre and she sees Muthu tends to the
pyre. She is shocked at the realization that she has reduced her son to a very lower state for no fault of his. All the hatred
she has on him goes with the flames. She feels love for her child.

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.4049

Index Copernicus Value(ICV) : 6.1

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Sahgals Storm in Chandigarh and Anita Nairs Ladies Coupe

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She decides to look after him and makes up her mind to call him back to her. Her resolve to bring up her child
enables her to begin a new chapter. Finally Marikolanthu, a voiceless victim, forced motherhood and lesbianism, finds
peace only after accepting her responsibility of the child, whom she has negated and neglected. Marikolanthus constant
search for meanings and values of life ends here.
Prabha Deviis a typical example of a woman who loses her individuality and asense of self awareness several
years down the marriage line. She gets married at the age of 18. She is happy with her married life until she realizes her
tameness. She feels some string of revolt when she finds her husband controlling everybody even their grown up son. It is
one day, while watching the swimming pool that she decides to again be her ownself. As she slides into the swimming
pool, the water touches her body and she gets afeeling of liberation. For too long she had denied herself the pleasure of
being herself.Nair bring out the urge present in every woman to experience liberty and freedom.Janaki the oldest of the copassengers in the ladies coupe. Forty years of her marriage has been happily passed like other many marriages. There are
many shadowy corners she does not examine, and maybe, just as well. "Friendly love," understanding and loyalty is what
she has as her reward.

CONCLUSIONS
Sheela's story contains the unforgettable portrait of the grandmother who confronts and hates the obscenities of
death and age. Her granddaughter conspires with her to keep her looking beautiful even in death. But the most horrifying
story is that of Marikolanthu, raped, cast out, abandoned, beyond hope.Through these fictious stories of six women Anita
nair concentrates upon the concept of self within a large society.There is a continuouslonging in her women to build up
their patchy life and to express their positive attiude towards life. In some cases like Margaret, abnormal behaviour is
reflected but this is her own choice to show the revenge and get her identitiy. Nair has highlighted Akhila as typical Indian
woman and the ladies coupe as a stage where every one can open up their heart to ease by listening and sharing
experiences and get strength and courage to lead a life. Nayantara Sahgal and Anita Nair have very clearly showcased that
a woman has to fight for her identity in our society whether it is rich women like Saroj and Maya from Storm in
Chandigarh or poor women like Marikolunthu, Akhila of Ladies Coupe they have to break the shackle of their
submissiveness and fight for their true identity. Theyrepresent the image of new women who, after light reluctance, revolt
against the socio-moral taboos knowing that their action would be rather hard to condone for the narrow parochial outlook
of man.
REFERENCES
1.

Dhawan,R.K. Indian Women Novelists New Delhi Prestige, 1991.

2.

Millet, Kate. Sexual Policies (1969; London: Ruport, 1971) 68.

3.

Nayantara, Sahgal.Storm in Chandigarh. Delhi: Hind Pocket Books, 1970.

4.

Nair, Anita. Ladies Coupe, New Delhi, Penguin Group,2001.

5.

http://www.thehindu.com/2001/06/17/stories/1317017k.htm ( Accessed on 29March 2016)

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