A mind of her own
Nausheen Rahman is lured to a book for children
CHITRA Banerjee Divakaruni, the author of novels like Sister of My Heart, Vine of Desire and The Mistress of Spices, has bestowed a literary gift to children in the form of the book, Victory Song. Victory Song is set in Bengal in the pre-partition days when zealous freedom fighters, the Swadeshis, were carrying on their crusade against the British colonialists. The story revolves around Neela, a twelve-year-old girl, who sets out on a dangerous mission. Neela's father's not returning home even three weeks after his departure for Calcutta to take part in a protest march makes Neela very anxious and she goes to look for him. Never having been to Calcutta, she embarks on this journey disguised as a "wandering minstrel." Her adventures will keep readers glued to the pages and eager to read on. The story is told in such a simple and appealing way that young readers can sail across it while savouring every page. Children can get to know historical facts through a tale of valour, patriotism, friendship and family ties. The very young, very spirited heroine loves being outdoors, and has a mind of her own: "But why can't a girl choose her own husband?" she thought. "What's wrong with that?" Neela is very good in her studies and tries to be obedient to her parents (but often gets into trouble). She rebels against the discrimination against women and is appalled by the injustice of the dowry system. Even at that tender age, she realizes that prejudices exist: "It's unfair that the girl's parents should have to pay so much. After all, aren't Usha's in-laws gaining a new and valuable member, someone to help them at home, for free, for the rest of her life?" She questions, "Why does a bride have to go to her husband's home after getting married? Why does she have to make all the changes?" Neela appreciates the fact that "prospective in-laws" look for girls who can "sew, embroider, make mango pickles and sweet rasogollas" but wants to know, "Aren't other things important too?" She is dutiful, but resents always being told what to do: "Why does great-aunt feel that she has the right to tell me what to do just because she's older? It's not fair!" She believes that her mother's supporting her great-aunt is "The Conspiracy of the Adults". Young girls will feel that the writer understands their emotions perfectly. It is this same child who goes out on a quest that involves a lot of courage, intelligence and responsibility, a quest on which the book's plot is based. As the story proceeds, we see how she matures. She becomes aware of the conflicts between Indians and their British "masters", and the significance of the demand for freedom. An experience she has with a white man (who is very rude) and his driver, make her very angry: "How dare he speak to me like that! This isn't even his country!" Neela also gets very annoyed when she happens to hear a lady's comment (about her): "But it's hard to imagine her sitting quietly like her sister even at her own wedding! Whoever gets her as a daughter-in-law will have trouble controlling her!" She wonders, "Why does everyone feel that they have to control girls even after they're married? Why are women expected to sit quietly and silently, embroidering and making pickles, while men get to make all the important decisions and go to all the exciting places? Why can't a girl be a freedom fighter?" The male characters are portrayed masterfully. Hari Charan is Neela's indulgent father (who is firm when needed) and to whom the leader of the Swadeshis says, "You're a good man, Hari Charan. You should join us. The motherland needs men like you." Samar is a young, brave and fervent freedom fighter who would be an inspiration to all young boys. A baoul who teaches Neela singing believes that because he has "his staff in his hand and faith in his heart, he'll be fine". In the Author's Note, Divakaruni says that she had read Bengali novels by Sarat Chandra, Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra to "get a sense of Neela's daily life what people wore and ate and how they thought". These writers had all written about the lives of girls and women, and how they were not given much education, but made to stay home and look after the family. The writer adds, "Some of the impatience I felt reading these descriptions found its way into Neela's character. I chose the name "Neela" because in Bengali, it means "blue", a colour that symbolizes infinite possibilities both for Neela herself and for India".
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