Bapsi Sidhwa’s Water: A Critique of Patriarchy and Gender Discrimination

Abstract

Bapsi Sidhwa’s Water (2006) is an adaptation of Deepa Mehta’s film of the same title. The Film is the last part of the trilogy named “Elements” which consists of “Fire” (1996), “Earth” (1998) and “Water” (2005). The novel explores the cultural and historical context of the status of women and widows in the pre-independence era of India. This research paper aims to find out how specific customs and practices led to the marginalization of the widows and impacted their lives, compelling them to live in renunciation and suffer sexual exploitation by the males who wielded power. The novel has been examined through the lens of Cultural Studies to shed light on the influence of Hindu religious practices on the lives of the widows. An examination of novel Water provides insights into the status of women and the challenges faced by widows in a patriarchal society. This paper undertakes to study how the plight of women became more deplorable due to the existing cultural practices and to highlight the improvement that can become possible through education and empowerment of women that became possible with the social reforms implemented in India. The article enquired how Bapsi Sidhwa’s Water critiques the cultural and religious practices surrounding widowhood in 1930s India and what it reveals about the intersection of gender, religion, and social reform in colonial Indian society.