The Uprooted Vine: Snehalata ba Palita, 1892

The Uprooted Vine is the translation of Swarnakumari Debi’s Bengali social novel Snehalata ba Palita (1892), which was brought out serially in Bharati between 1889 and 1891. In this novel, the author takes up the cause of the victims of the Hindu patriarchal system and the joint family who were deprived of their rights, exploited as domestic drudges, and marginalized to the extent of being denied shelter and maintenance. The protagonist, Snehalata, an orphan and child widow, is driven to suicide by the callous behaviour of her own and her husband’s family. Her husband’s widowed aunt is turned out of the joint family to prevent her from claiming a share of the family property. Her sister-in-law dies prematurely, a victim of harassment and neglect. These women are united by a strong bond of sympathy as fellow sufferers under patriarchal oppression and represent feminine solidarity against familial tyranny. On the other hand, Swarnakumari Debi also uncovers the complicity of women in upholding patriarchy and exploiting it to oppress weaker individuals. She treats with gentle irony the conflict between the generations, between traditional attitudes and personal aspirations, and between colonial powers and the spirit of nationalism among the educated youth. She provides an intimate glimpse of life within the home where women engage themselves in domestic activities, rituals, pastimes, and power struggles to maintain their hold in the family. The novel presents an authentic picture of middle-class life in nineteenth-century Bengal and makes a strong plea for women’s education and empowerment. It will appeal to general readers of fiction and to all those in the fields of Indian literature, women’s writing, Indian social history, and gender studies.