Nayantara Sahgal's Novels Address the Problem of Domestic Violence Against Indian Women

Abstract

One of the main problems in India, and the globe at large, is patriarchal society's treatment of its female members. Violence against women is a pervasive problem in male-dominated societies throughout history and into the current day. That which is violent is an act of strength used against weakness. Because men are physically superior to women, they often take advantage of their position of dominance by abusing their victims physically or verbally, and by treating them as objects rather than human beings. Nearly all female authors have taken notice, seeing a pressing need to speak out against domestic abuse, which may have devastating psychological and physiological effects on women. In her writing, Nayantara Sahgal is among the many Indian women who have consistently addressed the issue of mental violence against women. This article is an effort to examine Sahgal's fiction, in which she gives a powerful voice to Indian women who have been oppressed by males in our culture. Nayantara's emphasis is on the more deadly and long-lasting consequences of mental abuse, as opposed to Kamala Markandaya's concentration on physical violence against Indian women. Sahgal's subject matter is narrow (she doesn't write about regular ladies) and her writing is inconsistent. She is revered as a defender of India's upper-class women, and in her works, she explores the difficulties women face at home and in the wider world by focusing on the emotional and psychological toll it has on them.