1. INTRODUCTION:

Contemporary Indian English literature focuses on important female-related issues, such as women's understanding of their identities, relationships with their husbands, their aspirations and aims. They had developed their own perspectives on the revival of women, her needs, wants, and problems. Indian English literature has carved out a substantial and unique space for itself in the literary world.

The great numbers of subjects that Indian authors write on are related to Indian culture, faith, nationality, social attitudes, and so forth. Female writers have largely improved the academic status of Indian English novels. Feminist ideas, concepts, and perspectives on women's issues began to have an impact on Indian authors. The difficulties and challenges faced by women in society were the focus of various publications by women writers. Several well-known Indian writers, including Sarojini Naidu, Kamala Das, Anita Nair, Sudha Murthy, and Shoba De, have expressed their opposition to the prevalent social concerns, inequity, and harassment of women in ancient societies. Such scholars look at feminine sensitivities to help identify a woman's individuality in a conventional world. In comparison to earlier women, modern women are represented as being more assertive, liberated, and expressive in their utterances.

2. DISCUSSION:

In the English language, Indian authors have produced some of the most significant works in novel form. The scope, variety, and sophistication of Indian literature have all considerably increased. Indian authors who wrote in English have produced one of the most significant novels in history. The breadth, variety, and maturity of the Indian novel have all greatly increased. Through all the authors of the twentieth century, she continued to address a variety of subjects, such as social, racial, political, industrial, physiological, and female subjects. Each facet of a male's life is presently under the financial state's influence. Compared to women in the past, the house is the focal point of honor, commitment, struggle, and cooperation with relatives. Home used to be a place of happiness, dedication, and bonding with families, but today it's a place where people have to satisfy ridiculous needs through others, which leads to misunderstandings, suppression, hopelessness, and aggressiveness in their relationships. The patriarchal subjugation of women is a recurring issue in all of their works, taking into account their unique financial circumstances. The idealistic lady's transformation into an assertive, narcissistic woman who is discovering and embracing her own individuality is the focus of the writers' concern.

Sudha Murthy is one of the more successful and creative female writers of the contemporary age. Her articles present a realistic picture of the difficulties that ordinary, middle-class Indian women face in a patriarchal society, including political, social, medical, and other issues. In her works, she has captured the inner thoughts of women, their goals, concerns, aspirations, and disappointments, as well as their place in the legal system. Victimization, the detrimental effects of marriage on women, the effects of superstition, and the effects of globalization on family ties were the major subjects of her writings. The well-known novel Mahasweta explores domestic abuse and women's roles in families, notably in her in-laws'. She cleverly focuses on the genuine issues that women confront in their communities and in their family relationships, as well as how they deal with such issues. This research examines the position of the learned woman in marital life as well as how she submits to her spouse, mother-in-law, and stepmother in the book Mahasweta. The main character of the book, Anupama, suffers greatly at the hands of a controlling aristocracy and hides her feelings. Through the protagonist, the terrible experience of a learned woman is depicted and experience domestic abuse.

Marital abuse is perpetrated on the women. One of these educated women Anupama is essentially a scholar of Sanskrit. Who suffer domestic abuse, is essentially a scholar of Sanskrit. in addition to her leukoderma suffers from a sequence of humiliations, betrayals, and isolation. The abuse that the unfortunate girl Anupama endured at home is the main topic of this essay. She finds herself and her bravery thanks to a middle-class woman, whose abrupt leukodermal illness destroys their physical look and attractiveness and tests their moral fortitude. She is knowledgeable about the novels published in Sanskrit by the eminent author Bana Bhatta. During her undergraduate years, she performed in, directed, and translated plays written in Sanskrit. In order to sell tickets to the play called Mahasweta, which she hosts and performs in, she seeks to meet Dr. Desai. Dr. Anand, a friend of Dr. Desai, is introduced to the woman. Anupama and Anand are drawn to one another. Dr. Desai gets Dr. Anand to purchase tickets. He attends the performance and is astounded by Anupama's playing, voice, and sincerity. She performs the part of Mahasweta, the play's protagonist. Anand chooses to wed Anupama and talks to Dr. Desai's brother-in-law Shrinath about it. Anand's plan would not work because of the socio-economic and positional differences among the two households, according to Shrinath, who disagreed with Anand. Anand is from a prosperous family. His late father was a well-known and prosperous builder. Radhakka, his mother, is a highly protective and authoritarian woman. Only because Anupama was an honest and gifted actor agreed to wed her. He is well-off and accomplished in both his academic and professional endeavors. Anupama is the economically disadvantaged daughter of a schoolteacher. She only finishes her education with the aid of grants. After her mother passed away, Anupama was raised by her grandma. Her father married Sabakka, a second wife who has consistently treated her with contempt. Nanda and Vasudha, her stepsisters, mistreated her. She really felt that being married to Anand would relieve all of her pain. She is unaware that Anand has prioritised her physical appearance. She is oblivious to the fact that Anand values her outside beauty more than her own self-worth. Sudha Murthy depicts an arrestee torturing herself in order to maintain her dignity in order to draw the reader's attention to the pain of a person suffering from the aesthetic condition leukoderma. The only mention of Dr. Anand in the book is in relation to a young guy who falls head over heels for a poor girl and marries her based only on outward appearance.

This book demonstrates how a woman can remain strong even when her spouse is not on her side by displaying secret bravery. The research shows the brutality, dehumanisation, and exploitation experienced by the female characters in the novels and aims to interpret them from a feminist angle. The interaction between men and women, as well as societal additionally, it has been discovered that the major themes of all works, including Mahasweta, are the alienation of men and women and greater recognition in contemporary civilization. The primary female characters' thirst for socioeconomic status, wealth, and status has proven to be exceedingly costly. The female characters are aware that happiness isn't possible through the acquisition of materialistic wealth and fake values. They also put forth a lot of effort to get over the obstacles created by a predominantly male culture so they may live meaningful lives.

She only prioritizes her wedding over her job, and after being married, Anupama's mother-in-law demonstrated a harsh, commanding, and typically Indian conventional attitude. And later, when the white patch known as vitiligo appears, Anupama's optimistic outlook on life is destroyed. She turns into a symbol of social shame, abandoned by her callous in-laws and indifferent husband. Her trips to the dermatologist, her suffering, her crying, and her inability to express her feelings led her to abruptly realize that she had reached the top of the hill. She entertained the notion of jumping from the cliff to her death, but an unknown force stopped her.

Anupama, unlike the other traditional Indian ladies, refuses to give up to their family standing. The first indication of a post modern lady is when she refuses her family's pleas to her mother-in-law and immediately leaves the house without turning around. Anu doesn't in this case

Instead of trying to escape the domination that has been forced on her by societal humiliation and prejudices, she does not try to repress her ego. Anupama prioritised maintaining her honor above keeping her unhappy life together.

Anupama went to her room, collected the few things that belonged to her, picked up one of Anand’s photographs and returned where Shamanna waited for her. She took his hand in hers, and silently clutching her bag, walked out of the house. She knew in her heart that this was the last time she would be seeing the house or its people…but she did not look back even once. (59)

Anupama frequently faces accusations from her stepmother Sabakka at her father's home since her step sisters aren't getting marriage offers because of Anupama's skin condition, leukoderma. Anupama lacks the stamina to handle such hurtful comments. Anand also chooses not to respond to Anupama's mails despite being aware of her situation. She understands that Anand and her maternal side are not there to help her. She considers taking her own life as a result of her step-ongoing mother's allegations and her skin disease.Sabakka mistreated Anupama, yet she had no personal animosity toward her. Anu continues to financially support her stepmother even after Shammana's passing and also arranges the marriages of her stepsisters.

Anand's ongoing efforts to bring Anupama back home, however, are ineffective. She obviously decides. She doesn't have a connection with him. She also rejects being held prisoner in the name of matrimony and having children. Even Dr. Vasanth's suggestion is rejected. She declines the offer, claiming she no longer wants to be involved with the family and its prejudice.

How can you possibly expect a burnt seed to grow into a tree? Husband, children, affection, love… they are all irrelevant to me now. It is too late for us. I am no longer the naïve Anupama whose world revolved around you. I know what my goals are and where I am heading, and I don’t need anyone’s help to reach my destination. (148)

As she abstains from the institution of marriage, Anupama shows the development of a new woman within her. She makes it very plain to the readers that a woman can live on her own without a man's help. The author here illustrates how women may overcome a wide range of challenges and lead fulfilling lives with the aid of knowledge and self-assurance. Anupama proves to be a bold new age lady in the end because to her bravery and tenacity.

Anupama, the female lead in Sudha Murty's novel, embodies the modern woman. In addition to dispelling stigma and discrimination, she also created her own identity. In addition to teaching and being an expert in Sanskrit, and plays, her unflagging fortitude in the face of treachery and disappointment gives her a personality. Her pursuit of self has shaped her into a post modern woman both personal and career.

3. CONCLUSION:

Sudha Murthy eloquently demonstrated how modern women have come to understand that they are independent and not helpless. A woman can now earn a living and is no longer restricted to domestic duties. The personalities of modern marriage are reflected in the characters Anand and Anupama in the novel Mahashwetha. Sudha Murty paints a realistic portrait of the socioeconomic and psychological issues that married Indian women face through Mahashwetha's struggle.

She does a fantastic job of expressing the interpersonal violence that married women who have conditions like leukoderma suffer. According to this, Anupama's psychological activities aid in her personal growth and help her establish her independence. Anupama, the main character, embodies both the mindset of a girl with leukoderma and the societal problems associated with married women. This research will deepen understanding of powerful and active feminism entitlements, which include women with the ability to change oppressive norms, address the sources of injustice, and seek the full range of human rights.

4. REFERENCES:

1. https://www.iosrjournals.org

2. https://www.elkasiapacificjournals.com

3. Jackson, Elizabeth. Feminism and Contemporary Indian Women’s Writing, Palgrave Macmillan.2010.

4. Kiran S.D, Sasi. "Pain leading to Composedness in Sudha Murthy's Mahasweta"Muse India 65

5. Murty, Sudha. Mahashweta. New Delhi. Penguin Books (India) Ltd. 2007.

6. Prema, Ms S. "Dissemination of Social Awareness In Sudha Murty’s Mahashweta: An Inexorable Oppression Of Anupama." Studies In Indian Place Names 40.41 (2020): 221-225

7. Vishnu, Kshirsagar Rajkumar. "A critical study of sudha murtys selected novels and shortstories." (2019).

Received on 22.12.2022 Modified on 03.01.2023

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2022; 13(4):275-278.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5828.2022.00044