Book Review - The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar

        

    I wanted to read this book for a long time now. I had seen few reviews of this book in the newspapers and websites. Apart from that, the title and the theme of the book was what made me curious about this book. " The Daughters of Madurai " focuses on a mother's love towards her children and the struggle she had to put up to protect her daughters from the evil clutches of female infanticide.

We might have read about female infanticide in various reports, books and news articles, and have always detested the sinful, inhumane practice of killing innocent lives. But those facts and figures could have never brought about the depth, hurt, pain and void it could bring for the family, the society and the mother. This book puts us in that place and makes us feel what every characters feel. In this book, the reader is the unborn female child, the reader is the new born baby, the reader is the dancing toddler, the reader is the underprivileged hardworking woman, the reader is an educated progressive member. And the reader is also, the mother in law who forces female infanticide, the husband who does'n't support his wife, the parents who see their daughter as a burden and the reader is also the society which does'n't give agency to women to decide their own life. Society is an undecipherable giant  made of clouds shackled by its own threads of insanity. 

In this fictional novel, set in Madurai, where the Goddess Meenakshi rules the great city from the banks of the mighty Vaigai river, daughters are considered a burden and a curse ( Not so fictional themes) . Janani, a hardworking woman, from an unprivileged and poverty ridden background works as a househelp in a progressive household. Married to an alcoholic taxi driver and serving an abusive mother in law, she lives the lives same as millions of less empowered women in the country. She yearns for a boy child, so that it doesnt get killed after birth. However she is blessed with girl children successively and had to fight for them in vain and lose them eventually. She protects few and ensures a steady future for her children after taking control of her life.

From a sociological view point, there are many socio-economic layers to the idea of considering girl child a burden. The main concern being the problem of dowry during wedding, and further demands of dowry continues throughout her marital life. Sons are viewed to be economically productive, not only because of their ability to take up jobs in the labour market, but also because of their ability to bring dowry and assets through marriage. This problem is more acute in the lower income and lower educated households, leading to a situation where women themselves perpetuate violence towards women. The only solution to break this curse is education and empowerment. When women get educated, they become empowered to enter jobforce, become financially independent and take control of their lives. 

The Daughters of Madurai, takes us through the journey of one woman's struggle to protect her daughter and give her a life she deserves. The story juggles between two timelines and two households. Through the two timelines, one can see the transformation and mettle of Janani over the years. Through the two households, one can see the contrast of lifestyle and privileges.

To summarize, it was an overwhelming journey from bustling streets of Usilampatti to the other side of the planet, Sydney.