Marriage, Modernity, Mohini And Motherhood: Perspectives On Bhabani Bhattacharya’s Music For Mohini

Abstract

The twentieth century India witnessed a prolonged period of social and political upheavals and the impact of this turbulence was reflected in the literature produced during this time. The wave of modernity and the rising spirit of nationalism, the two contrasting ideologies that predominated the social scene of the 20^th century, also became a dominant theme for the writers of this age. Another crucial development of the age was the women empowerment movement which demanded equality and dignity for women. The Indian-

English novel was a new literary form that developed in this time, with the social realities and political changes in India being central to its form and content. Bhabani Bhattacharya, an eminent novelist and a keen social observer was one of the pioneers of Anglo-Indian novel writing. As someone who was dedicated to the cause of the society, Bhattacharya also became a champion of women’s rights and empowerment. This paper analyses

Bhattacharya’s second novel, Music for Mohini and attempts to highlight the changing roles of women in Indian society that Bhattacharya sought to represent in his writings and the vision he carried for a better and equal society where women were valued as individuals and had a self-identity, apart from the role that patriarchy imposed on them.