Take Home Assignment: Book Review

NAME – Anonza Priyadarshini

SEM. – IV B

Roll No.557

A Space Of Her Own : Personal Narratives Of Twelve Women

Editors of the Book : Leela Gulat And Jasodhara Bagchi

Name of the Publisher: Tejeshwar Singh for Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd..
Place of Publication : New Delhi
Year of Publication : 2005

Over the past decades, the concept of gender equality has been increasingly debated, that how
women can be empowered, how they can be introduced to their rights that they are deprived
of. It has been seen from the past that women who have emerged as an inspiration for the others,
have gained this position in society on their own efforts by breaking all the barriers that had
constrained them into the virtual chain and made their life mere existence.

Reflecting on the emotional and social demarcation between the male and female in the society,
in the A Space of Her Own, each of the author narrates how she fought to establish her own
identity and to nurture herself to take decisions and to create a sphere of autonomy.

The narratives are basically from different arena, it includes the sociologist Zarina Bhatty who
has been born and brought up in Muslim Family, educationalist Mary Roy, Nabanita Dev Sen,
a much known writer, sushil Narulla, etc. The very essence of this book is that it upholds the
life in the pages of the book.

The stories that have been narrated by the authors are of their grandmothers, mothers or we can
say foremothers who have influenced their life. It focuses on relationships between women of
different generations in India. The authors have taken inspiration from their previous
generation to establish their own identity and the base of their existence. Dev Sen in her
narrative says about her mother who was a poet and also broke the tradition by remarrying as
she was widowed at the age of 13. She was very practical, emotional and intellectual. When
her second marriage was broken, her mother scolded her but she stands for herself. She
proceeds to find something new into herself. It has inspired a lot the author.
For instance, Zarina Bhatty's aunt was called Vakilan i.e female advocate because of her
argumentative nature. When she was forced for the widow marriage she protested and later led
an independent life. Similarily, Vina Mazumdar, a pioneer of women's studies in India, traces
a daughter-in-law of the family who publicly challenged sati, even as she climbed the funeral
pyre, claiming that while the act might bring her individual salvation, it would dishonor the
entire family.

Sushil Narulla's mother emerged during Partition from wifely seclusion to become the family
negotiator with police and bureaucracy in refugee camps. Feminist scholar Jasodhara Bagchi's
mother threw open her house to Muslim strangers from East Pakistan when the Pakistani army
invaded in 1971. Families tend to pass such stories from one generation to other generation,
providing alternative models for girl children.

Theatre person Vijaya Mehta describes how writing plays and enacting diverse women's roles
helped her better understand her own mother and grandmothers. She argues that while women
today have more choices, "the strength, wisdom and endurance with which my mother and
grandmothers coped with life make them perhaps stronger than us modern women. They were
governed by their social norms and ethical codes of conduct as we are by ours. They found an
identity, distinct and centered, something that we also strive for."

This book throws the light on the discrimination and violence against the women and struggles
to overcome the impact of such negativity. They have been harassed in one and various ways.
The one of the author Mary Roy has herself survived as a single mother after being brutally
tortured by her husband. She gives the idea of impressive single and independent life.

THEME

The main theme of this book is Feminism. Feminism refers to any ideology that seeks total
equality in rights for women and people who self-identify as women, usually through
improving the status of females. Feminism is rooted in ending men's historical power
over women. Here there is slight difference as there is comparison between the women of
different generation. This book focuses on the power of women to transform their own life to
become an independent sole.

CONCLUSION
There are several books have been written about the position of women in Indian Patriarchal
society. But this collection of 12 stories is rather different as it narrates the relation between
the women of different relations. As it has been in the relevance with the three generation it
gives the idea about the position of women in India in approx. last 100 years. So this book can
be great for acknowledging their role in the Country.

It is stories such as these, the editors argue, which when repeated over generations will inspire
women to live with dignity and to create and defend lives for themselves, their families, and
the women who follow them. Powerful and moving, these narratives will interest students and
scholars in the fields of women’s studies and cultural studies, while being widely welcomed
by feminists, activists and anyone interested in the status of women in India.