Women Perception in Kamala Markandaya’s Fiction A Handful of Rice: A Critical Study

Abstract

Owing to remarkable talent Kamala Markandaya’s niche in Indo-Anglian Literature is distinctive in many respects. So far, there are nine novels to her credit. She is an exceptional realist and the head among the women novelists of the Post-Independence era Her sense of association in the social life of India, her keen remarks combined with critical insight and her feminine but lively sensibility bring her international fame. William Walsh calls her “the most gifted” of women novelists and she is the most distinguished writer on the literary scene today.  Many articles have been published on her works which highlight the varied aspects of Kamala Markandaya’s writings. And yet, it cannot be said that she has really received the kind of attention that she really deserves. Hence this paper aims at focusing on women characters in her novel A Handful of Rice to study how they act in various shades of life toprove that they are far ahead of their counterpart and analyze if they can be united to emerge as a new creative force for the humanity touching traditional and modern image of women.