TheDaak review

Book: Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi, Translated by Samik Bandyopadhyay Seagull Books, Calcutta,  Paperback, 2008, Pages: 144, Size: 5″ x 8.5″, ISBN: 9788170461395, Price Rs. 399.00;

by Chhotelal Yadav

Mahasweta Devi’s “Mother of 1084” is a powerful and moving novel that explores the complexities of motherhood, grief, and activism in contemporary India. The novel centers around Sujata, the mother of a son (Brati)  who has become a Naxalite, a radical leftist guerrilla fighter, and has been killed by the police. Sujata is the wife of Dibyanath Chatterjee and the mother of Jyoti, Brati, Neepa, and Tuli. Dibyanath, the husband of Sujata, works in a big firm, and some of her relatives are settled in foreign countries. Sujata belongs to a typical middle-class bourgeois family. In the pages of the novel, the struggles of women in Bengali society intertwined with the state’s brutal crackdown on youthful revolutionaries fighting for the Naxalite movement have been narrated. Through the eyes of its protagonist, Devi sheds critical light on the burning issues of its time, many of which continue to resonate today. In  this piece, the focus will be on the theme of ‘exile.’ It is the story of a protagonist(Sujata) who lives among her family but feels no kinship with them and is despised and ostracised by those who should love her. Exiled within her home, she struggles to find a sense of belonging and meaning in a world that has cast her out. Devi adeptly delineates the ostracism of  Sujata’s son (Brati) within the bourgeoisie milieu by skillfully weaving a thematic continuity. 

In her novel, Devi deftly weaves a compelling tale of two individuals oppressed and exiled in  similar ways – Sujata by her own family and Brati by the State. Despite the stark differences in their circumstances (being female and male), the two protagonists are united in their struggle against oppression, with only each other truly understanding the depth of their pain and suffering. Through Sujata and Brati’s stories, we see the brutal realities of living within oppressive systems, where those in power view those on the margins as threats to their status quo. It is the story of two interwoven characters exiled from the hegemonic structural system where cherishing alternative views is unacceptable. 

Perhaps the most striking thing about Devi’s novel is the satirical lens through which she views these injustices. Despite the ongoing oppression and exclusion faced by Sujata, Brati, and others like them, the wider family and society remain eerily calm, turning a blind eye to the injustices being perpetrated. It is a damning critique of the complacency that can arise in the face of injustice and the need for individuals to fight for their rights and those of others who are similarly marginalised. Here, Devi is particularly effective in highlighting the hypocrisy of the upper-middle-class culture, where acts of violence are seen as a distant problem that has little impact on their daily lives.  It is the story of ‘waiting in exile’ for Sujata, Brati, and every other marginalised people for their liberation and desire for a humane and noble existence in this oppressive system. 

In the novel’s opening pages, the reader is drawn into the vivid memories of Sujata, a woman who has endured the pain and suffering of pregnancy and childbirth. Despite her due date being known, her husband, Dibyananth, was gone for work, showing little concern for his wife’s wellbeing. He rarely paid any heed to household work. However, he was quick to check if Sujata was ready to conceive again, a routine practice in their family. Through the portrayal of Sujata’s suffering and her husband’s callousness, the reader is forced to confront the reality of women’s oppression in a society that values men’s desires above women’s well-being.

As the novel progresses, Devi’s satirical critique of the bourgeoisie becomes more apparent, exposing the complacency and indifference of those who have the power to effect change but choose to turn a blind eye. Dibyanath became non-existent to Sujata by keeping his  son’s death a secret. The majority of her children resembled Dibyanath, and all liked Dibyanath except Brati. According to Sujata, Tuli reminds her of her mother-in-law.  Tuli, like her grandmother, admired her father, Dibyanath, and constantly stood up for him despite knowing his relationships with other women. The only person who had a close relationship with Sujata was Brati. She recalls that they would have accepted Brati if he had likewise been unscrupulous and dishonest. He was an empathetic young man who was concerned about the underprivileged. The author, Devi, cleverly uses this oppressive family structure to highlight the wider societal oppression women face. 

Furthermore, Sujata visits Somu’s (one of Brati’s comrade who died with him) house to meet her mother and realizes that, despite having a lavish lifestyle, she cannot cry freely like Somu’s mother. Sujata questions how she can cry in front of people who do not care for Brati. For them, Brati and Sujata were not normal to be part of the Bourgeoisie family culture.  Both were exiled from this hegemonic system because they challenged its legitimacy. For Sujata, Brati was the only one who cared about her. And after his death, the home was like ‘exile’, and Sujata was ‘waiting’ to be free.

Furthermore, Devi’s criticism of bourgeois family values is evident in her comparison of Dibyanath and Somu’s father, wherein she highlights the former’s preoccupation with preserving his social standing and the latter’s willingness to put himself in harm’s way to protect his child. This juxtaposition underscores the misguided priorities of bourgeois culture.

Despite being subjugated by the hegemonic structure, Sujata has started to rebel against the patriarchal bourgeois society. She did it in two ways. Firstly, she refuses to bear a fifth child, defying the expectation that women should constantly reproduce. Secondly, she resists orders to leave her job at the bank. Despite repeatedly asking to quit, Sujata sees her job as the only place where she can live according to her wishes. Sujata’s actions challenge the societal norms of bourgeois patriarchy and highlight the limitations placed on women. By defying expectations and standing up for her desires, Sujata can reclaim some agency in her life . And Brati’s death has made her more vocal against this structural oppression. 

In one of the conversations with Sujata, Nandini, Comrade and Brati’s lover,  expresses her concern about the nature of society, saying that people no longer belong to one another by kinship or ties of blood. She believes that everyone has become a stranger to each other. The public image of the upper-middle-class family takes precedence over personal tragedy. The family’s reputation in the public eye overshadows the death of a family member. The emphasis on public image over personal tragedy suggests that society values reputation and status more than human life and emotions. Nandini’s statement serves as a critique of the broader societal issues present in the novel.

The Mother of 1084, or “Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa,” is a striking novel that delves into the depths of oppression and marginalisation within society. Throughout the novel, the author highlights the oppression faced not only by the poor but also by the women in affluent families who are structurally marginalised by societal norms and familial pressures. The author, Mahasweta Devi, continued her signature style in this book by shedding light on the struggles of marginalised and underprivileged individuals within our society. Marginalisation and oppression are forms of exclusion. Sujata and Brati, in this novel, experience exile from patriarchal bourgeois society, with one being banished by their family and the other by the State, as Brati’s ideas are seen as a challenge to the established order. The lack of alternatives to this structure is evident in Mahasweta Devi’s masterful portrayal, where she highlights how rare it is for individuals to recognise these forms of oppression. For instance, all of Dibyanath’s children are on his side, and in Brati’s case, the entire State supports the oppressors. This novel aptly portrays the ‘exile’ within this legitimate hegemonic bourgeoisie system and resistance to achieving its humane and noble alternative. It is a “waiting in exile” for Sujata, Brati, and all marginalised people in this dominant oppressive structure. In conclusion, Mahasweta Devi’s The Mother of 1084 is a literary masterpiece that deserves a place on every reader’s bookshelf.

©TheDaak2023