Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya English Literature YouTube Lecture Handouts
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Title: Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya
Nectar in a Sieve – Kamala Markandaya - Players (Rukmini, Nathan, Irawaddy) | English Literature
Kamala Markandaya
- An Indian novelist and journalist
- One of the most important Indian novelists writing in English
- The title of the novel ‘Nectar in a sieve’ is taken from the 1825 poem “Work Without Hope” , by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
- Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve, and hope without an object cannot live.
Works
- A Silence of Desire
- Possession; a novel
- A Handful of Rice
- The Nowhere Man
- Two Virgins
- The Golden Honeycomb
- Pleasure City
- Bombay Tiger (Posthumously published.)
Nectar in a Sieve – Characters
- Rukmini – wife
- Nathan – husband
- Irrawaddy,
- Arjan, Thambi, Murugan, Raja, Selvam and Kutti
- Kenny - doctor
- Puli
- Kali, Janaki, Kunthi - neighbors
Summary
- Rukmani begins to tell her life story
- Youngest of four daughters.
- Family marries her to a tenant farmer named Nathan,
- Rukmani quickly becomes acquainted with her neighbors
- Rukmani gives birth to a daughter, Irawaddy.
- Rukmani confesses her fears of infertility to a British doctor named Kenny, who treats her, and Rukmani soon becomes pregnant with a son, Arjan.
- Gives birth to four more sons — Thambi, Murugan, Raja, and Selvam.
- Time comes to select a husband for Irawaddy.
- Five years after Irawaddy՚s wedding, Rukmani is surprised to see her return home with her husband; Irawaddy is barren
- Arjan and Thambi leave home for good to work on tea plantations in Ceylon, and Murugan leaves to work as a servant in a large city
- The village men bring Raja՚s dead body home from the village
- As the days go on, everyone in the family becomes weaker, especially Kuti.
- Irawaddy as prostitute
- Kuti dies of malnutrition
- A street child named Puli directs Rukmani and Nathan to Koil street, where Murugan lives.
- Over time, Puli attaches himself to the family, guiding them around the city and guarding their store of money
- Nathan dies
- Convincing Puli to come with her, Rukmani uses her small savings to pay for the journey home.
MCQs
Irawaddy works as a
A. Prostitute
B. Teacher
C. Doctor
✍ Manishika