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The Lotus Saga #1
When the Lotus Blooms
From East Bengal to Tamil Nadu, ‘When the Lotus Blooms’ captures the mood and ethos of the rich landscape and diversity of India, while highlighting the universal and timeless circumstances of women and their struggle to seek happiness in a patriarchal world. The novel follows the arc of two Brahmin families in 1930s British Colonial India. It is the journey of two child brides, Rajam and Dharmu, who attempt to fulfill their destiny despite the shackles of tradition, duty, and customs of a complex society. Tormented by a domineering mother-in-law, Rajam battles with her inability to conceive, and Dharmu struggles with the loneliness and strain of adapting to her aloof husband’s westernized lifestyle. The blooming of the lotus has a special significance to both families.
- GenresIndia
384 pages, Paperback
First published November 24, 2011
49 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 24, 2017
I enjoyed this vivid glimpse into 1930s India through the eyes of interesting characters (who I found out later were inspired by the author's own family). As someone with Tamil heritage who grew up in the U.S., I appreciated the rich yet accessible depiction of traditional Tamil Brahmin culture. As a feminist, I found it equally refreshing that the author didn't gloss over the ugly side of tradition (patriarchal customs that treat women unfairly at best and enable domestic abuse at worst; caste-ism) but rather acknowledged those realities head-on. I look forward to reading the sequel.
February 19, 2015
I liked the plot and the idea of the novel based on the journey of two South Indian child brides and their lives in British India. The cultural nuggets,the way of life in a traditional Brahmin family and the descriptions of village life is very interesting. but the author has a lot of irrelevant portions in the book that has not been elaborated enough and that feels incomplete.I lost interest in the last few chapters as the story started dragging.The prose could have been better, the story could have been woven into a better narrative.If there is a sequel, i would like to read it,as this is the first book of the author.
April 21, 2015
The dual storyline thing, didn't work for me. I first fully read Rajam's and moved on to Dharmu's. I preferred the former over the latter, because the characters seemed much more layered and deep. Some of the vocabulary used in dialogue and otherwise didn't really fit in the pre-independence theme, it seemed more like present day. Lots of bones to pick overall, but good first novel attempt, I suppose!
March 11, 2015
Loved the book. It was a true page turner. An easy read. The authors detail on culture and customs was very interesting. Child marriage, women of India and their mindset, and their strength was very well portrayed. The main men characters were very classy. Definitely would recommend this book for a reading club.
Read
June 20, 2014Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great read. The two parallel stories of Rajam and Dharmu worked very well and kept the reader eager to know what next.
Although the writing style was quite simplistic, the story was humorous, informative and engaging. Look forward to the sequel! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Maya .M.
Although the writing style was quite simplistic, the story was humorous, informative and engaging. Look forward to the sequel! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Maya .M.
April 17, 2016
This book was an amazing narrative about the lives of two women from India. I learned so much about the culture and feel I could picture a day in the life of one of these girls. Very interesting and well written.
February 12, 2013
Two Tamilian Brahmin families, in two different parts of India, in 1930s British Colonial India, bound by a common destiny.
Rajam and Dharmu were both child brides, unaware of the life awaiting them. Rajam’s husband, Partha, fell in love with her at first sight, and engineered their marriage. For all the love that he bestowed on her, she had to bear the brunt of a mother-in-law from hell. Nothing she did could please her mother-in-law, and her childless state was the worst testimony of her failure as a daughter-in-law and wife, in her mother-in-law’s eyes, even if her husband was not bothered by it. The harder she tried, the more difficult her life became.
Dharmu, brought up in a village in Tamilnadu, is suddenly transported into a totally different world after she gets married. Her husband, Mahadevan, a sophisticated, London returned civil servant, lived a very different, Western life in East Bengal. In the middle of the political unrest and uncertainty, Dharmu tries hard to fit in. Sadly, no matter what she did, she could feel herself lacking. Right from her manners, her English, to the food that her husband insisted on. Everything was alien, and nothing seemed to elevate her loneliness and unhappiness. Things which were strictly forbidden growing up, now becomes things that she has to do, in order to fit into the society that her husband moves in. Her only joy in life was her little son, born after two daughters. Her casual neglect of her daughter, never even occurred to her, because, after all, they were just daughters, meant to be brought up and sent away to their marital home.
Unknown to both these families, the blooming lotus, would have a significance to both these families.
I really enjoyed the style of the author. She transports you to that era, effortlessly. Sights, smells, experiences, everything. You could be Rajam or Dharmu’s neighbour, witnessing them, going about with their lives. Their day to day lives, along with those around them. The story is woven with the traditions, practices and rules that bound the men and women of that time. Things that they accepted as part of life. The characters are really well-fleshed out. You feel Rajam’s frustration, and her determination to do her best, Dharmu’s loneliness and empathize with their situation. Even smaller characters like Dharmu’s maid, or the village untouchables are so well integrated into the story, that the book is a wonderful read, a sliver of life in a different time.
There is a fair sprinkling of Tamil words through the book, which just brings out the flavour of the book. I think it is books like these that capture an older time(good or bad), for when most of us would have forgotten it. And that, I think is what I really loved about the book.
If you like fiction of this sort, an olden era brought to life, you are sure to like this one. I would definitely recommend this book.
Rajam and Dharmu were both child brides, unaware of the life awaiting them. Rajam’s husband, Partha, fell in love with her at first sight, and engineered their marriage. For all the love that he bestowed on her, she had to bear the brunt of a mother-in-law from hell. Nothing she did could please her mother-in-law, and her childless state was the worst testimony of her failure as a daughter-in-law and wife, in her mother-in-law’s eyes, even if her husband was not bothered by it. The harder she tried, the more difficult her life became.
Dharmu, brought up in a village in Tamilnadu, is suddenly transported into a totally different world after she gets married. Her husband, Mahadevan, a sophisticated, London returned civil servant, lived a very different, Western life in East Bengal. In the middle of the political unrest and uncertainty, Dharmu tries hard to fit in. Sadly, no matter what she did, she could feel herself lacking. Right from her manners, her English, to the food that her husband insisted on. Everything was alien, and nothing seemed to elevate her loneliness and unhappiness. Things which were strictly forbidden growing up, now becomes things that she has to do, in order to fit into the society that her husband moves in. Her only joy in life was her little son, born after two daughters. Her casual neglect of her daughter, never even occurred to her, because, after all, they were just daughters, meant to be brought up and sent away to their marital home.
Unknown to both these families, the blooming lotus, would have a significance to both these families.
I really enjoyed the style of the author. She transports you to that era, effortlessly. Sights, smells, experiences, everything. You could be Rajam or Dharmu’s neighbour, witnessing them, going about with their lives. Their day to day lives, along with those around them. The story is woven with the traditions, practices and rules that bound the men and women of that time. Things that they accepted as part of life. The characters are really well-fleshed out. You feel Rajam’s frustration, and her determination to do her best, Dharmu’s loneliness and empathize with their situation. Even smaller characters like Dharmu’s maid, or the village untouchables are so well integrated into the story, that the book is a wonderful read, a sliver of life in a different time.
There is a fair sprinkling of Tamil words through the book, which just brings out the flavour of the book. I think it is books like these that capture an older time(good or bad), for when most of us would have forgotten it. And that, I think is what I really loved about the book.
If you like fiction of this sort, an olden era brought to life, you are sure to like this one. I would definitely recommend this book.
September 26, 2012
Definite page turner..somehow I was not
happy with couple of gloomy scenes in the book..I don't think they added to the story..also the story to me dint connect very well at the end..the settings were realistic..and it does take you to the 1930's era..casual one time read..
happy with couple of gloomy scenes in the book..I don't think they added to the story..also the story to me dint connect very well at the end..the settings were realistic..and it does take you to the 1930's era..casual one time read..
December 7, 2011
An excellent book! A great family saga set in the colonial period in India. Very vivid characters! A must read!
August 7, 2013
Lovely novel based in rural Tamil Nadu
March 2, 2021
TW: miscarriage, child marriage, rape...
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The novel follows the arc of two Brahmin families in 1930s British Colonial India. It is the journey of two child brides, Rajam and Dharmu, who attempt to fulfill their destiny despite the shackles of tradition, duty, and customs of a complex society.
Tormented by a domineering mother-in-law, Rajam battles with her inability to conceive, and Dharmu struggles with the loneliness and strain of adapting to her aloof husband's westernized lifestyle. The blooming of the lotus has a special significance to both families.
🦄🦄🦄
When the Lotus Blooms is a historical fiction novel by Kanchana Krishnan Ayyar.
This was a hard book for me to read because even though it's set in the 1930s, a lot of the things that were happening then are still happening now within society.
The two women Rajan and Dharmu live during a time when women had far lesser freedom, choices (etc.) than they have now, and although both women go through different ordeals, it was interesting to see how two people like them have so little in common and yet feel like they have a lot.
I was more engrossed in Rajam's story over Dharmu and (personally) felt like more of the attention should have been put on her. Although I will say that the cohesiveness of both stories is well written.
I do like the overall storyline in general, however I did find myself bored at times. Also, the writing style of the book felt off because of the way characters were speaking didn't feel like it was the 1930s, however the atmosphere and family mannerisms is definitely something we would find during that period.
Overall, I do like the book to an extent because I loved how the author managed to talk about such a sensitive time by taking everything that would have been present into account (in terms of what is expected from society and the cultural aspects of it) and I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 7/10
Melina L.
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The novel follows the arc of two Brahmin families in 1930s British Colonial India. It is the journey of two child brides, Rajam and Dharmu, who attempt to fulfill their destiny despite the shackles of tradition, duty, and customs of a complex society.
Tormented by a domineering mother-in-law, Rajam battles with her inability to conceive, and Dharmu struggles with the loneliness and strain of adapting to her aloof husband's westernized lifestyle. The blooming of the lotus has a special significance to both families.
🦄🦄🦄
When the Lotus Blooms is a historical fiction novel by Kanchana Krishnan Ayyar.
This was a hard book for me to read because even though it's set in the 1930s, a lot of the things that were happening then are still happening now within society.
The two women Rajan and Dharmu live during a time when women had far lesser freedom, choices (etc.) than they have now, and although both women go through different ordeals, it was interesting to see how two people like them have so little in common and yet feel like they have a lot.
I was more engrossed in Rajam's story over Dharmu and (personally) felt like more of the attention should have been put on her. Although I will say that the cohesiveness of both stories is well written.
I do like the overall storyline in general, however I did find myself bored at times. Also, the writing style of the book felt off because of the way characters were speaking didn't feel like it was the 1930s, however the atmosphere and family mannerisms is definitely something we would find during that period.
Overall, I do like the book to an extent because I loved how the author managed to talk about such a sensitive time by taking everything that would have been present into account (in terms of what is expected from society and the cultural aspects of it) and I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 7/10
Melina L.
April 24, 2019
Engripping story set with detailed descriptions
The author has very lucidly mentioned the events and characters to every detail. Those residing in the south of India would be able to collect and connect more but the story is spread over different cities with almost all the common practices of the early 1900's. Though some of them still exist and makes an easy correlation. Connecting two stories using brahmakamalam was beautiful and reader will realise it's importance when you cover almost 90% of the book. Beautifully written and leaves you at a junction that you want to read the next book for sure.
The author has very lucidly mentioned the events and characters to every detail. Those residing in the south of India would be able to collect and connect more but the story is spread over different cities with almost all the common practices of the early 1900's. Though some of them still exist and makes an easy correlation. Connecting two stories using brahmakamalam was beautiful and reader will realise it's importance when you cover almost 90% of the book. Beautifully written and leaves you at a junction that you want to read the next book for sure.
August 19, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved reading about the culture in Colonial India, child bride; the untouchables; and how the plot ties into the book title. The author masterfully blends humor and tragedy; romance and abuse-taking the reader on an epic journey. From the first page to the last, I was fully immersed in the story. Although it is fiction, I can relate to some parts of the story, which I have either witnessed first hand or heard through parents/grandparents.
October 14, 2020
A thoroughly enjoyable book!!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews