Beyond Purdah

by Mark Tully

Two vivid, subtle and richly contrasting stories of women in India.
These two stories are extracts from 'The Heart of India'.

56 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1996

About the author

Sir William Mark Tully was the Chief of Bureau for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in New Delhi for 22 years. Schooled in England, he stayed mostly in India covering all major incidents in South Asia during his tenure. He was made an Officer of The Order of the British Empire in 1985 and was awarded the Padma Shree in 1992, a rare distinction for a non-Indian. He was knighted in the 2002 New Year Honours. In 2005 he received the Padma Bhushan.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read Tully before, but this book appeared in my Penguin 60s little set.

Tully's two short stories are a part of a larger work. As the title suggests, the focus is on women - in particular in rural India. The first story was the stronger of the two, yet both stories are equally good.

The stories examine the role of women - first in the story of a barren woman, second in a woman who longs for tradition but than becomes nontraditional. The short Penguin book itself (with a cheap price tag) would make a good companion book to Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers.

Tully's use of detail (or the omission of certain key details) speaks volumes about how events and people are seen.

[50andsomething · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political machinations in an Induan village. Religion, prejudice, Purdah, status, women's rights and male weakness combine.

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two short excerpt stories set in Uttar Pradesh from the novel The Heart of India.