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Sevasadan
One of Premchand's most successful Hindi novels, Sevasadan is a bold statement on the political and religious debates about marriage, sexuality, and prostitution, at a time when Indian women were being held up as standard-bearers of a nation in chains.
Premchand depicts the hypocrisy of the so-called 'pillars of society', who can sacrifice their orthodox principles behind closed doors, yet do not shirk from mouthing moral platitudes in public. He portrays the reality of the interest groups which cut across the newly emerging Hindu-Muslim divide, but also conceives of an ideal community that gives new direction to the life of a fallen woman and allows her to lead a meaningful existence. The stream of idealism that runs through Premchand's works has often been criticized by scholars, but it is the counterpart of a relentless psychological and social realism, which has remained unmatched to this day.
A hugely popular novel, Sevasadan went through several editions after its first publication in 1918. It was made into a film in 1938 with M.S. Subbulakshmi in the lead role. It is not only a gripping novel but also a sensitive and perceptive document on the lives of young urban men and women at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Premchand depicts the hypocrisy of the so-called 'pillars of society', who can sacrifice their orthodox principles behind closed doors, yet do not shirk from mouthing moral platitudes in public. He portrays the reality of the interest groups which cut across the newly emerging Hindu-Muslim divide, but also conceives of an ideal community that gives new direction to the life of a fallen woman and allows her to lead a meaningful existence. The stream of idealism that runs through Premchand's works has often been criticized by scholars, but it is the counterpart of a relentless psychological and social realism, which has remained unmatched to this day.
A hugely popular novel, Sevasadan went through several editions after its first publication in 1918. It was made into a film in 1938 with M.S. Subbulakshmi in the lead role. It is not only a gripping novel but also a sensitive and perceptive document on the lives of young urban men and women at the beginning of the twentieth century.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1918
95 people are currently reading
1332 people want to read
About the author
Munshi Premchand
1,156 books1,153 followersMunshi Premchand (Hindi: मुंशी प्रेमचंद) was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. He is one of the most celebrated writers of the Indian subcontinent,and is regarded as one of the foremost Hindustani writers of the early twentieth century.
Born Dhanpat Rai, he began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand", while he is also known as "Munshi Premchand", Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by some Hindi writers. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi.
Premchand is considered the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism. His novels describe the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class. His works depict a rationalistic outlook, which views religious values as something that allows the powerful hypocrites to exploit the weak. He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues and often wrote about topics related to corruption, child widowhood, prostitution, feudal system, poverty, colonialism and on the India's freedom movement.
Several of his early works, such as A Little Trick and A Moral Victory, satirised the Indians who cooperated with the British colonial government.
In the 1920s, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and the accompanying struggle for social reform. During this period, his works dealt with the social issues such as poverty, zamindari exploitation (Premashram, 1922), dowry system (Nirmala, 1925), educational reform and political oppression (Karmabhumi, 1931).
In his last days, he focused on village life as a stage for complex drama, as seen in his most famous work Godan as well as the short-story collection Kafan (1936).Premchand believed that social realism was the way for Hindi literature, as opposed to the "feminine quality", tenderness and emotion of the contemporary Bengali literature.
Born Dhanpat Rai, he began writing under the pen name "Nawab Rai", but subsequently switched to "Premchand", while he is also known as "Munshi Premchand", Munshi being an honorary prefix. A novel writer, story writer and dramatist, he has been referred to as the "Upanyas Samrat" ("Emperor among Novelists") by some Hindi writers. His works include more than a dozen novels, around 250 short stories, several essays and translations of a number of foreign literary works into Hindi.
Premchand is considered the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism. His novels describe the problems of the poor and the urban middle-class. His works depict a rationalistic outlook, which views religious values as something that allows the powerful hypocrites to exploit the weak. He used literature for the purpose of arousing public awareness about national and social issues and often wrote about topics related to corruption, child widowhood, prostitution, feudal system, poverty, colonialism and on the India's freedom movement.
Several of his early works, such as A Little Trick and A Moral Victory, satirised the Indians who cooperated with the British colonial government.
In the 1920s, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and the accompanying struggle for social reform. During this period, his works dealt with the social issues such as poverty, zamindari exploitation (Premashram, 1922), dowry system (Nirmala, 1925), educational reform and political oppression (Karmabhumi, 1931).
In his last days, he focused on village life as a stage for complex drama, as seen in his most famous work Godan as well as the short-story collection Kafan (1936).Premchand believed that social realism was the way for Hindi literature, as opposed to the "feminine quality", tenderness and emotion of the contemporary Bengali literature.
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October 29, 2015
If there is one author who knows the nerves of pre-Independence Indian society and the social evils that marred it, I think that would be Premchand. His stories and novels are a mirror of the society of that era. Reading his work, I feel that he was much ahead of his time in terms of his thoughts on social reforms to improve woman's status in society as well as eradication of superstitions and caste based society.
Sevasadan revolves around the issue of Vaishya or prostitutes (mostly the dancers and not the modern kind) and the pathetic hypocrisy the society exhibited when it came to acknowledging their presence as well as what could be done about them. While on one hand, it was socially acceptable (or rather imperative) to organize the dance for any happy occasion like festival, marriage or family ritual, it was unacceptable to have any ties with a family who had one of their womenfolk joining this profession. And that's what contains all the pulls and pushes of the story.
The protagonist of this story is a woman named Suman. An utmost honest police officer (father of two daughters) in his late years realizes the value of money, once he has to get his 1st daughter Suman married and everywhere the groom's family is asking for a hefty dowry. After much of exasperation, the officer decides to do corruption (just once) to get enough money for the wedding. But he is not well versed with the subtlety of this fraud, and gets caught and sent to jail. Eventually, Suman gets married to a pauper (his 2nd marriage) and that's where all of this starts. Once she moves to Benaras, she, for the first time, sees the ways of this new world where on one hand, people privately criticize and shun these dancers for their lack of character, shamelessness and debauchery but find no problem in attending their public performances and always try hard to find favor with them in their presence. Circumstances, worsened by her husband's doubts and rage leaves her homeless one day when her husband forces her to leave the house after a minor scuffle. In the middle of the night, she is suddenly homeless. In this desperate situation, she finds temporary shelter at one of her friend's place. But she has to move out from there too. And now she doesn't find any help and her husband is not ready to take her back so she reluctantly takes shelter at a prostitute's place who softens her into joining this profession. Times passes and even if she doesn't want to, she eventually joins the profession and becomes a dancer.
However, once she has become one, all hell breaks loose (she being a Brahmin woman and married) and lives of many gets entangled into this issue. Eventually, she is rescued by a social reformers and convinced to leave this profession and joins a Widow Ashram under a false identity. However, her misfortune doesn't end there. Once, it's revealed back home what she had become, it breaks the marriage of her younger sister. We are still only at the 3/5th of the story. The story goes much further than this and eventually she finds salvation but after a series of misfortunes.
Premchand does a great justice to bring out the best and worst of the characters in his stories. On a very sensitive and complex issue like this, he strikes a perfect balance without passing judgement. He also reaffirms that a person's fate can't be simply defined by his actions but often by circumstances and apathy as well as sympathy of those around him (particularly when it comes to women of that era who were not empowered enough to live and sustain independently). At many places, author's minute observation of human nature is unparalleled.
This is a must read for every lover of Hindi literature.
Sevasadan revolves around the issue of Vaishya or prostitutes (mostly the dancers and not the modern kind) and the pathetic hypocrisy the society exhibited when it came to acknowledging their presence as well as what could be done about them. While on one hand, it was socially acceptable (or rather imperative) to organize the dance for any happy occasion like festival, marriage or family ritual, it was unacceptable to have any ties with a family who had one of their womenfolk joining this profession. And that's what contains all the pulls and pushes of the story.
The protagonist of this story is a woman named Suman. An utmost honest police officer (father of two daughters) in his late years realizes the value of money, once he has to get his 1st daughter Suman married and everywhere the groom's family is asking for a hefty dowry. After much of exasperation, the officer decides to do corruption (just once) to get enough money for the wedding. But he is not well versed with the subtlety of this fraud, and gets caught and sent to jail. Eventually, Suman gets married to a pauper (his 2nd marriage) and that's where all of this starts. Once she moves to Benaras, she, for the first time, sees the ways of this new world where on one hand, people privately criticize and shun these dancers for their lack of character, shamelessness and debauchery but find no problem in attending their public performances and always try hard to find favor with them in their presence. Circumstances, worsened by her husband's doubts and rage leaves her homeless one day when her husband forces her to leave the house after a minor scuffle. In the middle of the night, she is suddenly homeless. In this desperate situation, she finds temporary shelter at one of her friend's place. But she has to move out from there too. And now she doesn't find any help and her husband is not ready to take her back so she reluctantly takes shelter at a prostitute's place who softens her into joining this profession. Times passes and even if she doesn't want to, she eventually joins the profession and becomes a dancer.
However, once she has become one, all hell breaks loose (she being a Brahmin woman and married) and lives of many gets entangled into this issue. Eventually, she is rescued by a social reformers and convinced to leave this profession and joins a Widow Ashram under a false identity. However, her misfortune doesn't end there. Once, it's revealed back home what she had become, it breaks the marriage of her younger sister. We are still only at the 3/5th of the story. The story goes much further than this and eventually she finds salvation but after a series of misfortunes.
Premchand does a great justice to bring out the best and worst of the characters in his stories. On a very sensitive and complex issue like this, he strikes a perfect balance without passing judgement. He also reaffirms that a person's fate can't be simply defined by his actions but often by circumstances and apathy as well as sympathy of those around him (particularly when it comes to women of that era who were not empowered enough to live and sustain independently). At many places, author's minute observation of human nature is unparalleled.
This is a must read for every lover of Hindi literature.
November 28, 2017
Premchand's Sewasadan is a journey towards an 'abode of service' as an institution and an individual. It can be defined in several ways. It can be seen as a story of a woman's struggle in a stringent society or of a prostitute who struggles to move out of her shell and adopt a better life for herself. It can even be considered a story so as to represent the evils of dowry and the ill-effects it is bound to leave on the woman's life! It can also be seen as a story defining prostitution as an evil of a society and how the community tries to fight it off.
With its usual awe and charm, like every text of Premchand consists, Sewasadan is a story of many characters, of their unique personalities, of their intersections with others and most importantly how they try to form their own views on events, people and things around them. Sewasadan is beautiful in the essence that the personalities do not maintain a constant but change with time and situations and hence deep within holds a realistic stand. It also brings dualism in characters and the hollowness that often the top creamy layer of any community holds within its glamour.
Premchand unlike his other books, forms an opinion and tries to put forth it through the various characters of the book. It often feels that he is too obsessed on putting the 'fault' on any one of the central character and lead to a severe conclusion. He is obsessed in ending everything at a positive stand, however diminishing happiness may look. He is obsessed in showing that prostitution is an evil and it can destroy several lives and not just one.
Perhaps it's not a book for our generation and it certainly does not consists of ideas that surpass the cycle of time.
With its usual awe and charm, like every text of Premchand consists, Sewasadan is a story of many characters, of their unique personalities, of their intersections with others and most importantly how they try to form their own views on events, people and things around them. Sewasadan is beautiful in the essence that the personalities do not maintain a constant but change with time and situations and hence deep within holds a realistic stand. It also brings dualism in characters and the hollowness that often the top creamy layer of any community holds within its glamour.
Premchand unlike his other books, forms an opinion and tries to put forth it through the various characters of the book. It often feels that he is too obsessed on putting the 'fault' on any one of the central character and lead to a severe conclusion. He is obsessed in ending everything at a positive stand, however diminishing happiness may look. He is obsessed in showing that prostitution is an evil and it can destroy several lives and not just one.
Perhaps it's not a book for our generation and it certainly does not consists of ideas that surpass the cycle of time.
August 23, 2021
Read it in hindi and would advice people who can read hindi to do the same. The book did made me cry a couple of times. At times the emotions ran deep and I would just keep the book down for 10 minutes to digest what had just happened. I wonder how cruel Premchand could be to the characters he had so carefully crafted.
One good thing about the work is that it makes you look at a given event from different prespectives by engaging reader into the thought process of his characters. You can feel what led to a particular character perform an action. Why a character committed suicide and finally what forces a girl into prostitution. Is it because of her weak character or because of societal wrongs or both?
You will definitely have differnt prespective on things around you after reading this work.
Hats off to Premchand.
One good thing about the work is that it makes you look at a given event from different prespectives by engaging reader into the thought process of his characters. You can feel what led to a particular character perform an action. Why a character committed suicide and finally what forces a girl into prostitution. Is it because of her weak character or because of societal wrongs or both?
You will definitely have differnt prespective on things around you after reading this work.
Hats off to Premchand.
June 26, 2017
I like this book because it revealing the dark side of human mind. And also give nice explanations about how it works when it helpless. Munchi Premchand is one of my favorite Authors since i was in high school.. i will rate this book 4/5 without any debut.
March 23, 2019
भारतीय समाज में एक स्त्री को जितना सम्मान की दृष्टि से देखा जाता है उतना ही उसे शक की निगाह से भी देखा जाता है। जीवन के प्रत्येक स्तर पर उसकी आलोचना होती है और उसकी सहनशीलता की परीक्षा ली जाती है। यहा तक कि उसे लज्जित करने का समाज कोई मौका नहीं छोड़ता है।
'सेवासदन' पढ़ते वक़्त मुझे ऐसा मालूम हुआ कि हम अक्सर कई वस्तुओ की परिकल्पना करते है और इस कारण हमें अंत में शर्मिंदा होना पड़ता है।
महिलाओ के विषय में भी यही बात लागु होती है।
नय-नवेले विवाहित पुरुषों को यह उपन्यास ज़रूर पढ़ना चाहिए।
मुंशी प्रेमचंदजी को इस रचना के लिए मेरा धन्यवाद्।
'सेवासदन' पढ़ते वक़्त मुझे ऐसा मालूम हुआ कि हम अक्सर कई वस्तुओ की परिकल्पना करते है और इस कारण हमें अंत में शर्मिंदा होना पड़ता है।
महिलाओ के विषय में भी यही बात लागु होती है।
नय-नवेले विवाहित पुरुषों को यह उपन्यास ज़रूर पढ़ना चाहिए।
मुंशी प्रेमचंदजी को इस रचना के लिए मेरा धन्यवाद्।
October 21, 2015
Premchand is a writer who represented his contemporary India in brilliant details. A good novel to read.
May 3, 2014
Great book by an amazing writer. I read this book in Hindi, can't say how it is translated in English, but if you know good hindi I strongly recommend this book. The story made me cry, the story is beautifully presented and it made the characters alive.
December 26, 2022
Awesome Writing and Good story
March 16, 2023
Must read for people to keep in touch with their rural roots.
January 7, 2021
"रूखी रोटियाँ चाँदी के थाल में परोसी जायें तो भी वो पूरियां न हो जायेँगी।" लेख के प्रथम पृष्ठ की इस पंक्ति ने मुझे कहानी के लिए तैयार कर दिया। उत्तम उक्तियों से परिपूर्ण, प्रेमचंद की ये लेखनी हमें १९००-१९५० के अंतर्गत महिलाओं की अनेक समयों को हमारे समक्ष लेकर आती है जिनमें काफी समस्यों का समाधान अभी तक नहीं हुआ है। आज के दायरे में हम उस समय की सोच से काफी आगे निकल गए हैं तो ये ज़रूरी नहीं की प्रेमचंद की हर बात से हमारी सहमति हो। फिर भी मुझे ये लेख रोचक और मार्मिक महसूस हुई। इस गंभीर लेख में रोचकता "Magic Realism", अर्थात वह वास्तविकता जिसमें अलौकिकता के अंश हो, के ज़रिये आती है। यह अलौकिकता कुछ आधुनिक पाठकों के लिए थोड़ी आसाध्य मालूम पर सकती है पर मेरे लिए वो कहानी का मुख्य अंश है। मूल रूप से कहानी एक महिला के वेश्याकरण की गर्त से उभरने की कहानी है पर सूक्ष्म रूप से देखें तो आपको जीवन के कई पहलु दिखाई परती है जिनके हम (आधुनिक जीव) अपरिचित नहीं है। ऐसी एक बात से में अपनी टिपण्णी का अंत करता हूँ: "सिद्धांत-पालन से प्रसन्न होने वालों की संख्या बहुत कम थी और अप्रसन्न होनेवाले बहुत"
मुझे ताजुब है कि इसपर एक मूवी तमिल में बन चुकी है पर हिंदी में नहीं।
मुझे ताजुब है कि इसपर एक मूवी तमिल में बन चुकी है पर हिंदी में नहीं।
March 10, 2020
You want to know society. You read Premchand. Nobody is as relevant as he is.
May 13, 2025
I really enjoyed it. It was a great reflection on how society was and how women were pereceived back in the days. However, it's hard to like what i read.
February 18, 2021
Seva Sadan or the market of beauty
Worth reading a honest police officer finds himself unable to marry off his daughter Suman to a good family because of hefty dowry demands and his financial limitations so he tries corruptive ways to obtain enough money so as to play his responsibilities towards his two daughters but he ends up behind the bars and the daughter gets married to a poor man after a series of misfortunes the husband doubts on her character and then one day he throws her out of the home for some days she manages to survive on roads and here and there but ends up in prostitution in a red light zone
Worth reading a honest police officer finds himself unable to marry off his daughter Suman to a good family because of hefty dowry demands and his financial limitations so he tries corruptive ways to obtain enough money so as to play his responsibilities towards his two daughters but he ends up behind the bars and the daughter gets married to a poor man after a series of misfortunes the husband doubts on her character and then one day he throws her out of the home for some days she manages to survive on roads and here and there but ends up in prostitution in a red light zone
May 29, 2024
“पश्याताप के कड़वे फल” से लेकर “परमात्मा आप लोगो का सदैव कल्याण करें” तक एक मंत्रमुग्ध करने वाली कहानी जो कि भारत के उस समय की व्याख्या करती है जब लोग सच्चे मन से सबका कल्याण चाहते थे । बड़ा ही आनंद आया यह साहित्यमय पुस्तक पढ़कर।
September 13, 2025
I am an absolute fan of Munshi Premchand's work.
August 1, 2015
Fabulous novel on various social stigmas, cultures, and traditions of that time. Prem Chand showed his boldness in challenging the culture of that time, by marrying off Sadan with a sister of Prostitute. The rehabilitation of prostitutes (Wench) giving education to their kids, and above all the virtue of service, that is service to God.
Altogether a perfect read those who want to read about society. And rightly the novel has been a flawless mirror of the society.
Altogether a perfect read those who want to read about society. And rightly the novel has been a flawless mirror of the society.
July 13, 2022
Read it again after a gap of more than 30 years I guess.
Premchand understood the pulse of the Indian society and explained that in this book very well. The book exposes the hypocrisy of the society, makes heroes out of the ordinary folks especially Suman and Gajadhar. Some characters ethical journey moves in crests and troughs which I found a little difficult to accept especially the character of Padm Singh Sharma and Sadan Singh.
Premchand understood the pulse of the Indian society and explained that in this book very well. The book exposes the hypocrisy of the society, makes heroes out of the ordinary folks especially Suman and Gajadhar. Some characters ethical journey moves in crests and troughs which I found a little difficult to accept especially the character of Padm Singh Sharma and Sadan Singh.
December 9, 2012
i have read hindi version of this book ..... really awesome..loved it. i will recommend it to read it in hindi only when then u will get to feel it.
Read
August 7, 2014nice
March 15, 2020
मेरा द्वारा पढ़ा गया दूसरा उपन्यास था यह। काफी पहले पढ़ा था तो कहानी ठीक-ठीक याद नहीं। ठीक-ठाक ही है।
April 7, 2022
Best of Premchand
October 17, 2022
I love this writer, I even learnt urdu for him.
September 9, 2023
I'm enjoying all his stories.
July 27, 2018
Premchand's Sevasadan is at once a formidable and a delightful piece of work that comes as a great literary gift to those who value writing that deals with issues of the collective and the individual, the sensuous and the sacred, and the nature of error and sinfulness prompting liberation. The novel, though essentially Indian in spirit, yet, is universal in its thematic sweep and content. It reminded me strongly of Crime and Punishment by the great Russian novelist, Dostoevsky.
The novel's centrality rests on the idea of sin and personal salvation, and the role society plays in this difficult cathartic process. The protagonist, Suman, is unable to save herself from her predicament when her husband throws her out of marriage for no redeemable cause. The society intended to be a saviour and moral beacon cruelly turns its face away from her after the abandonment. In desperation, Suman becomes a courtesan. Except for a few broadminded social reformers like Vithaldas and Pandit Padmasingh, no one braves to rescue her from her life of morass. After a brief stint with decadence she experiences firsthand the hatred and hypocrisy of the society, the disloyalty of loved ones, the crude and exploitative nature of the rich and powerful, all acutely pointing to the unreliable, transient and ephemeral nature of things in life. With the passage of time, Suman eventually learns a grave but an important lesson that one's character and an unfailing moral standing is the highest and most sacred gift one possesses, losing which man's foundation of life is lost. She realises moral blindness to have far worse and enduring consequences than physical blindness. Unlike Emma in Madame Bovary, who commits suicide after losing herself to boredom, greed and lust, Suman finds liberation and true peace in the ancient Hindu/Vedantic ideal of high living, selfless living. In order to uplift her soul, she turns her mind to the sacred and emulates the values and principles of the sacred, with a supreme trust that her sins will forever be erased, if not by the society but surely by the Almighty. She begins to live an exemplary life of selflessness and sacrifice by offering love, kindness and unconditional service to all the downtrodden living in the eponymous shelter-house "Sevasadan". It is this Vedantic idea of 'seva' (service) in the 'sadan' (house) on which she reinvents and remoulds herself. In this sense, the novel reflects the ideal of Swami Vivekananda who uttered that "those alone live who live for others". Because of this gem of a transcendental theme at its core, the novel makes for a special read. There are other characters whose parts are of equal and immense importance who bring about Suman's transformation.
Written in a well balanced tone and a masterly, economical and picturesque prose (evident in its monologues, dialogues and philosophical soliloquies), Munshi Premchand's grand narrative offers a panoramic view encompassing myriad shades of life: human hopes and fears, inner conflicts, moral dilemmas, existential despair, truth of human relationships, love and betrayal, the precariousness of human survival in an unforgiving milieu. As a bildungsroman, the novel's optimistic theme fully succeeds in highlighting man's ability to transcend a life of ignorance, waste and sin with innate strength and metamorphose life into a worthy and meaningful existence.
This probably is one of the finest pieces of Munshi Premchand. It's recommended that all Indians read this artistic masterpiece, this classic, putting aside awhile the unimaginative and sterile contemporary Indian English novels, whose false appeal is as destined to fade with time as is Premchand's to rise to new heights in the future.
The novel's centrality rests on the idea of sin and personal salvation, and the role society plays in this difficult cathartic process. The protagonist, Suman, is unable to save herself from her predicament when her husband throws her out of marriage for no redeemable cause. The society intended to be a saviour and moral beacon cruelly turns its face away from her after the abandonment. In desperation, Suman becomes a courtesan. Except for a few broadminded social reformers like Vithaldas and Pandit Padmasingh, no one braves to rescue her from her life of morass. After a brief stint with decadence she experiences firsthand the hatred and hypocrisy of the society, the disloyalty of loved ones, the crude and exploitative nature of the rich and powerful, all acutely pointing to the unreliable, transient and ephemeral nature of things in life. With the passage of time, Suman eventually learns a grave but an important lesson that one's character and an unfailing moral standing is the highest and most sacred gift one possesses, losing which man's foundation of life is lost. She realises moral blindness to have far worse and enduring consequences than physical blindness. Unlike Emma in Madame Bovary, who commits suicide after losing herself to boredom, greed and lust, Suman finds liberation and true peace in the ancient Hindu/Vedantic ideal of high living, selfless living. In order to uplift her soul, she turns her mind to the sacred and emulates the values and principles of the sacred, with a supreme trust that her sins will forever be erased, if not by the society but surely by the Almighty. She begins to live an exemplary life of selflessness and sacrifice by offering love, kindness and unconditional service to all the downtrodden living in the eponymous shelter-house "Sevasadan". It is this Vedantic idea of 'seva' (service) in the 'sadan' (house) on which she reinvents and remoulds herself. In this sense, the novel reflects the ideal of Swami Vivekananda who uttered that "those alone live who live for others". Because of this gem of a transcendental theme at its core, the novel makes for a special read. There are other characters whose parts are of equal and immense importance who bring about Suman's transformation.
Written in a well balanced tone and a masterly, economical and picturesque prose (evident in its monologues, dialogues and philosophical soliloquies), Munshi Premchand's grand narrative offers a panoramic view encompassing myriad shades of life: human hopes and fears, inner conflicts, moral dilemmas, existential despair, truth of human relationships, love and betrayal, the precariousness of human survival in an unforgiving milieu. As a bildungsroman, the novel's optimistic theme fully succeeds in highlighting man's ability to transcend a life of ignorance, waste and sin with innate strength and metamorphose life into a worthy and meaningful existence.
This probably is one of the finest pieces of Munshi Premchand. It's recommended that all Indians read this artistic masterpiece, this classic, putting aside awhile the unimaginative and sterile contemporary Indian English novels, whose false appeal is as destined to fade with time as is Premchand's to rise to new heights in the future.
April 20, 2024
“Sevasadan” by Munshi Premchand is a remarkable Hindi novel that delves into the complex socio-political landscape of early 20th-century India. Set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with issues of marriage, sexuality, and prostitution, the novel fearlessly confronts societal norms and hypocrisy. Premchand masterfully portrays the lives of Indian women, who were often held up as symbols of virtue while simultaneously facing immense challenges. Through vivid characters and compelling narratives, he exposes the dual standards of the so-called “pillars of society.” These individuals could abandon their orthodox principles behind closed doors but readily espoused moral platitudes in public. Amidst the emerging Hindu-Muslim divide, Premchand envisions an ideal community that empowers fallen women to lead meaningful lives. Despite criticism from scholars, his blend of idealism and unflinching realism remains unmatched. Sevasadan became immensely popular after its first publication in 1918 and was later adapted into a film starring M.S. Subbulakshmi. This gripping novel provides a sensitive and perceptive glimpse into the lives of young urban men and women during a transformative era.
July 17, 2024
This is my second Premchand book after Godan and it's one of the best books I've read this year. Sevasadan is about centred around the problem of Dowry and its ramifications on the life of common people. It shocks me that this book was written more than 100 years ago and it's still so well written. The way the narration jumps from one person's situation to others, all interconnected to each other. So much character development, so much emotions. I almost cried by the end. The way Premchand makes you feel for the characters. I wish I could express everything I think but I'm not the best at turning my thoughts into words. But this is one of the best books from Premchand for sure. 100/100.
September 16, 2024
This is my fifth Premchand book after Godan and it's one of the best books I've read this year. Sevasadan is about centred around the problem of Dowry and its ramifications on the life of common people. It shocks me that this book was written more than 100 years ago and it's still so well written. The way the narration jumps from one person's situation to others, all interconnected to each other. So much character development, so much emotions. I almost cried by the end. The way Premchand makes you feel for the characters. I wish I could express everything I think but I'm not the best at turning my thoughts into words. But this is one of the best books from Premchand for sure.♥️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
Munshi premchand ji has depicted all the emotions of all the characters so beautifully that one can only be in awe of his writing . And by focusing on the social evils and idealistic society at the same time , he questions the beliefs of the common man regarding what's the right thing to do ? And for how long can one do that right thing without bringing the self in picture like rightly shown by shanta's character and sadan's values.
Dilemma of thoughts by different characters is captured quite thought provokingly by the author.
Dilemma of thoughts by different characters is captured quite thought provokingly by the author.
September 15, 2025
Premchand’s Sevasadan is epic because it mirrors a society in transition—patriarchy on one side, reform on the other. Suman’s journey from a failed marriage to the courtesan world and then to service exposes the irony of a culture that condemned what it secretly consumed. More than a story, it’s a snapshot of India’s moral contradictions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2018
This book of Premchand touched the core of my heart. I was just amazed to see his skills. Really how he tried to show the life of such a woman was beyond imagination and writing. 😰
Praiseworthy 😄😄
Hats off to him and his work. 🙋
Praiseworthy 😄😄
Hats off to him and his work. 🙋
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