Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya was published by Putnam in the United Kingdom in 1954. This novel is mainly based on Indian culture and how it was affected by urban development. The novel comes under the category of semi-autobiography. The novelist has painted a vivid picture of Indian culture throughout the story.
The story is told in the form of a first person narrative by Rukmani. She reveals how she was married off to a tenant farmer named Nathan at the age of twelve, and how they lived their life in hardship until Nathan’s death. This is a very sentimental and touching novel because Rukmani points out how they starved for days when their children were very young. The novel reflects on the rural Indian family background. Moreover, in the novel we can see how the peaceful village becomes noisy due to industrialization. This novel carries us into its pages and makes us live in that rural society.
Thedini Herath,
Grade 12,
Girls’ High School,
Kandy.