An internationally acclaimed Indian woman novelist, Manju Kapur, the Common Wealth Prize winner is also called the Jane Austen of India. Born on 6th August 1948 in Amritsar, she has lived through the turbulent times in India. She was graduated from the Miranda House University College for Women. Then she took her MA at Dalhousie University in Halifax in Nova Scotia and an M.Phil from Delhi University. She then returned to her alma mater Miranda House as a teacher and retired from there. As her father worked in the cultural attaché in the Indian Embassy in America and Canada, she spent her childhood there. She is married to Gun Nidhi Dalmia, and has three children. She lives in Delhi.
She is one of the famous post independence feminist writers who fought for the rights of women through her novels. She has written five full length novels. Difficult Daughters (1998), A Married Woman (2002), Home (2006), The Immigrant (2009) and Custody (2011) are her widely acclaimed novels. All her novels deal with the problems faced by Indian woman in her life and how she deals with these problems. Her debut novel Difficult Daughters won the Commonwealth Prize for First Novels (Eurasia Section) and became a best seller in India. Home was shortlisted for Hutch Crossword Book award.
Many customs like Purdah system, child marriage, Sati, ban on remarriage etc prevailed in India and all these customs marginalized women. The feminists united to eradicate these social evils from our society. Preserving the culture of India, Manju Kapur wanted her characters to be strong enough to gain their genuine rights which society once denied. She is a post colonial feminist writer who raised her voice against the traditional patriarchal culture. She is the one who introduced the concept of 'New Woman' in Indian novels. Till then, the Indian feminist writers dealt with the pathetic condition Indian women suffered in this male dominated society. Manju Kapur wanted her protagonists to move a step forward from these woman stereotypes. She wanted a woman who questions the rules regulated by patriarchy and who breaks all the shackles which limits her from gaining an identity of her own. Though she craves for gender equality in all aspects, she never wants her characters, especially her women characters to move away from the culture of their mother country. There is an underlying moral in all her novels. She never wants her feminism to go beyond the limits of Indian culture.
In Vedic religion, women were given the status of goddesses and it is believed that from their Shakthi emanated the male strength. The Vedas emphasized that women enjoyed a reasonably high position during the Vedic period. Two great epics of Hinduism, namely, Ramayana and Mahabharatha portray women in a good light. In Indian culture, the word which denotes strength and power is feminine, that is, Shakthi, and all male power is derived from this feminine. Then why she degrades herself by being a puppet in the hands of other men or engaging herself in activities beyond our culture.
Kapur wants a new woman who should also be a role model for all others. A new woman which suits India. By being strong, she should never move away from her character. Cherishing the beauty and purity of her character, she should be strong enough to face the problems in her life. She should be chaste, never be spoilt. By seeking pleasure in extra marital relationships, women are proving themselves weak as well as worthless. A strong woman should have the ability to stand alone. Through her novels, she portrays women from different generations and their character to state her view.
