Kamala: A Story of Hindu Life

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Kamala: A Story of Hindu Lifeis a classic novel of Indian literature which provides an early feminist perspective on issues of religion, class, and gender in nineteenth century India.

Written in beautiful, meditative prose,Kamala: A Story of Hindu Lifeis the story of a young girl whose idyllic youth as the daughter of a Hindu priest ends with her marriage to a cruel husband. Treated like property by his family, belittled for her education and independent streak, Kamala soon dreams of escaping married life through divorce, risking disgrace for a chance at lasting happiness.

Incorporating the authors perspective as a woman from a family of Christian converts,Kamala: A Story of Hindu Lifeis a powerful work of fiction by a pioneering figure in Indian literature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Krupabai SatthianadhansKamala: A Story of Hindu Lifeis part of the Mint Editions collection reimagined for modern readers.

Author Bio

Krupabai Satthianadhan (1862-1894) was an Indian novelist and memoirist. Born to a family of Christian converts in Ahmednagar, Bombay Presidency, Satthianadhan was raised by her mother and older brother following the death of her father. She was introduced to literature at a young age by her beloved brother Bhasker, who tragically died before Satthianadhan could complete her education. With the support of European missionaries, she gained entry to a prestigious boarding school in Bombay, eventually eyeing a career in medicine. Despite winning a scholarship to study in England, ill health forced her to remain at home, where Satthianadhan enrolled at Madras Medical College in 1878. In 1881, she married Samuel, the son of a prominent reverend. Together, they moved to Ootacamund, where Satthianadhan established a school for local Muslim girls. Around this time, she began working on her first novel, Saguna: A Story of Native Christian Life, which would be serialized upon her return to Madras in 1887 in the Madras Christian College Magazine. In her last years, as her tuberculosis became terminal, Satthianadhan worked on her final novel, Kamala: A Story of Hindu Life. Despite her relatively limited body of work, she has been recognized by scholars as a pioneering writer whose perspective on life in colonial India continues to draw readers to her work.