departmental bulletin paper

Departmental Bulletin Paper

Text

外国語教育のフロンティア. 2026, 9, p. 31-37

Hindi

Text

2026-03-31

論文

In this article, I have sought to explore Krishna Sobti’s literary courage and thematic innovation through her two seminal novels—Mitro Marjani and Ai Ladki. These works, though distinct in tone and structure, are united by Sobti’s unwavering commitment to centringthe female voice in spaces where it has long been marginalized: sexuality, family, memory, and death. Mitro Marjani is a bold, defiant narrative that introduces us to Mitro—a woman who refuses to be silenced by the moral codes of a patriarchal society. She speaks openly of her sexual desires, not as a provocation, but as a declaration of her humanity. In crafting Mitro, Sobti does not merely challenge societal taboos; she reclaims the legitimacy of female pleasure as a natural, unashamed part of existence. Mitro’s voice is raw, witty, and unfiltered—she is not a victim, but a provocateur who exposes the hypocrisies of domestic life. Through her, Sobti critiques the rigid structures of family, not to dismantle them entirely, but to demand a more honest and equitable foundation. In contrast, Ai Ladki is a quieter, more introspective work—yet no less radical. Here, Sobti turns her gaze inward, weaving a tender dialogue between a daughter and her dying mother. The novel is steeped in memory, loss, and the emotional labour of caregiving. But beneath its lyrical surface lies a powerful meditation on womanhood across generations. The mother, once vibrant and commanding, now lies bedridden, while the daughter navigates the intimate terrain of love, resentment, and reconciliation. Sobti’s language in Ai Ladki is poetic, elliptical, and deeply personal. It is a novel that does not shout—it whispers, and in those whispers, it reveals the emotional architecture of female experience. Together, these two novels form a compelling dialectic. Mitro Marjani is the voice of resistance; Ai Ladki is the voice of remembrance. One confronts the world head-on, the other reflects upon it with aching tenderness. Yet both are united by Sobti’s literary ethos: to write women not as symbols or stereotypes, but as full, complex beings—desiring, grieving, questioning, and enduring. In writing this article, my aim has been to highlight how Krishna Sobti’s work transcends mere representation. She does not write about women—she writes as women, from within their lived realities. Whether through Mitro’s irreverent defiance or the daughter’s quiet devotion in Ai Ladki, Sobti insists that the female voice belongs at the centre of literature, not its margins.

10.18910/104362

104362

The Conflict Between Woman and Family in Mitro Marjani and Ai Ladki

Singh, Ved Prakash

大阪大学大学院人文学研究科

Hindi

2026-03-31

外国語教育のフロンティア

9

31

37

https://hdl.handle.net/11094/104362

10.18910/104362

https://doi.org/10.18910/104362