New Delhi, Hindi journalist Naresh Kaushik’s latest novel explores themes of female infanticide, gender oppression, and the fight against honor killing.
“Zinda Rehne Ki Zidd”, published by Rajpal and Sons, follows Durga, a determined young woman, from birth to adulthood, as she fights against the orthodox social structure built to subjugate women and deprive them of education and dignity.
Moments after her birth, Durga was buried alive by her father, Ramdhari. Yet, beneath the pile of earth, she lives for hours in an early testament to her resilience and a painful foreboding of the battles she will fight against a deeply patriarchal society to claim her place in the world.
Kaushik said she was forced to write this story after witnessing a similar incident in her family.
She said: “The reaction of my family members to this incident, which happened to a relative of mine, left me in a state of extreme shock… The question that bothered me was: How could my people be so insensitive? From this confusion arose the desire to give words to Durga’s struggle.”
‘Zinda Rehne Ki Zidd’ shows Durga as a sensitive child who questions the prejudice between the male and female children of the family, the latter being discouraged from studying. The prejudice grows stronger with age as the extended family objects to Durga’s higher education, as she falls in love with Pradeep, a young man from a different caste.
Even when the family is against her, she strives to live her lifestyle with the man of her choice. As the world becomes increasingly evil around her, Durga witnesses murders, is attacked by sexual violence, and survives her family’s collective decision to kill her.
In her previous work, The Rabbi, Kaushik explored themes of sectarian tension, sexual violence, migration, and social relations in 11 short stories.
Her latest book is available in online and offline bookstores at $275.
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