Subarnalata  (Bengali, Paperback, Debi Ashapurna)

Subarnalata, Bakul Katha, & Pratham Pratisruti is a trilogy written by Ashapurna Devi, which is a reflection of the struggles faced by middle class women, who want to acquire the same rights as men, but are still expected to fulfill prescribed roles and expectations set out by a patriarchal society.

Summary Of The Book

In the first part of the trilogy, Pratham Pratisruti, through the story’s protagonist, Satyavati, readers will encounter a woman who refuses to accept the traditional roles of a woman and wife that are handed down to her. Against insurmountable odds, she manages to open a school for girls, and hopes to impart some of her radical ideas to her daughter, Subarna. Nevertheless, despite all of Satyavati’s efforts, Subarna is tricked into marriage, by her father and his family. Her mother responds by leaving the village, on a bullock cart, without looking back.

This will lead readers into the second part of the trilogy, Subarnalata, which is centered around Subarna and her unhappy marital life. She is depicted by Debi, as a bullied and battered version of her mother, Satyavati, who accepts abuse without any resistance.

In the final part of the trilogy, Bakul Katha, Debi introduces readers to Bakul, who is an educated and economically self sufficient, feminist writer, who is influenced by Western ideals of feminism. Debi portrays her protagonist as a woman who has misplaced her ideals of feminism because she remains passive and uninvolved in women’s issues. When her friend Namita, comes to her for help, after being abandoned by her husband, Bakul abstains herself from helping her friend.

Ashapurna Debi’s trilogy, was her magnum opus, because it portrayed the progression of feminism, from colonial to postcolonial India.
Each part of Debi’s trilogy was published in 1964,1967 and 1974, respectively. She received several awards for her contributions to Indian literature including the Jnanpith Award and Padma Shri Award from the Government of India, in 1976.

About Ashapurna Debi

Ashapurna Debi is a noted Indian novelist and poet.

Apart from her trilogy, she has authored over thirty novels, poetry, ten volumes of collected works and numerous stories for children.
Debi used a narrative style of writing to give readers a sense of the struggles faced by middle class women, who wanted to break free from the barriers of patriarchy.

Ashapurna Debi married at the age of fifteen to Kalidas Gupta. Together, they had a son, Sushanta. She passed away in 1995, at the age of 86, only months after receiving the Sahitya Akademi award in 1994.