A FINE STORY OF WOMEN IN INDIAN RURAL CULTURE BY AMRITHA PRITAM

 

The Weed is a short story that was originally written in Punjabi by Amrita Pritam and translated in to English by Raj Gill. The story is written in first person narrative, is a strong indictment of the Indian patriarchal society, its customs and conventions. The story revolves around Angoori a rustic girl who is married off to an old man Prabhati who was the servant of the narrator's neighbour’s neighbour. The author sheds light on the condition of women in rural India through the story and unveils how patriarchy operates through superstitions. Amrita Pritam interweaving humour and seriousness constructs the story as powerful tool for social criticism

The story is structured as conversations that took place between Angoori and the narrator. Angoori’s character unfolds through these conversations. The concept of love which Angoori attributes to a weed goes haywire when she realized that she had fallen in love with another man who did not even give her a weed to consume.

In the story, Angoori is not the only character who is victim of patriarchal society, Angoori becomes the representative of the rural women in India who suffers the same fate.

The Weed by Amrita Pritam represents how stronghold customs and traditions on women control and ruin their life. The story also sheds light on how illiterate women are controlled by superstitions through which patriarchy operate.

Another prominent theme in the story is the conflict between tradition and culture. Angoori being an innocent rustic girl embodies tradition in spirit and nature. This is evident when the author describes Angoori’s appearance wearing purdah and silver jewellery and her superstitious belief. The narrator on the other hand has contrasting beliefs on education and love which is the result of her urban culture. The story hence becomes a prism of thoughts on Indian rural culture