Apradhini: Women Without Men

by Ira Pande (Translator), Shivani

A searing collection of life-stories from the heart of India.

The earth-eating Muggi, groomed by her brother-in-law, cons fourteen men into marrying her and runs off with their money, but falls in love with the fifteenth and eagerly awaits the day she will be released from prison so that she can return to him. The intimidating Vaishnavi pushes a buffalo, her cruel mother-in-law and husband over the edge of a ravine and spends the rest of her life punishing herself, wandering from place to place, homeless and penniless. These and other remarkable stories form this collection of sketches of ordinary women with extraordinary pasts. Compassionate without ever straying into sentimentality, Shivani's histories of the formidable women whose lives she chronicled strike a chord in our hearts even today, forty years after they were first written. A few of her short stories, inspired by these women, also form part of this brilliant translation from the Hindi by her daughter Ira Pande.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

193 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ira Pande is a well-known editor who has worked with Seminar, Biblio, Dorling Kindersley and Roli Books. She is currently chief editor, IIC Publications. She is the author of Diddi: My Mother’s Voice and has recently translated Shivani’s Apradhini: Women without Men.

Reviews

[BoskyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. I would have never picked up this book if it hadn't been for a book club. Didn't think that I would enjoy reading this book, but I did. The book is broken up into multiple parts and each chapter is the true story of a different woman. The first part reveals the stories of women who were jailed for murder and the retelling of these stories were quite gruesome. Then the book moves on to describe other women's stories... self imposed imprisonment, tragic fates of lovers, vengeance, etc. At times, I wanted to hear more... other times a little less.

[Shilpi Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shivani interviewed lady prisoners. These are the stories they shared with her or rather an account of the incidents which led to their imprisonment . One of my favourite books .. The book has been translated into English by her daughter Ira Pande.

[mentalexotica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible, terrible writing but some important voices and stories to be heard. Worth the time only for that. If you're a stickler for style, this is not something for you.

[Indra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shivani picks up characters from the neighborhood and has a very captivating style. In this book I found some repetition of plots / characters. Overall, good read.