The Critique of Institution of Marriage in Munshi Premchand’s Nirmala

Marriage and family are social institutions interlinked to each other. The human society established the concept of marriage since time immemorial for the process of procreation. Historically, it began as a strategy to unite two families for both economic and political reasons. There is an age-old belief that marriages are made in heaven indicating the sanctity and divinity of the institution of marriage. The act of marriage is performed everywhere regardless of culture, class, caste, religion and yes, sex. The eminent sociologist Westermack comments on the institution of marriage, “Marriage is rooted in the family rather than family in the marriage” (Rao 382). However, it is sometimes simply reduced to an agreement between two people for fulfilling their biological and sexual desires and not to raise a family.

The most renowned Hindustani writer of the twentieth century Munshi Premchand’s Nirmala: The Second Wife (1927) is a story about Nirmala, a young girl getting married to an old widower. The widower suspects that there is an illicit relationship sprouting out between Nirmala and his elder son. In course of time the suspicion is further strengthened and eventually leads to the death of son, father and Nirmala. Premchand’s stories prove his mettle in attempting to point out the socio-political and cultural issues of India. Belonging to the generation of eminent Hindustani authors such as Vishwambharnath Kaushik, Chatursen Shastri and Bhagavati Charan Varma, Premchand drew inspiration from Indian political thoughts and ideals of Indian National Congress. He has been rightly recognized as an author of national and social issues such as dowry system, institution of marriage, corruption, casteism and untouchability. His stories ranging from The Mystery of God’s Abode to Cricket Match are a testimony to it. 

Nirmala deals with oppression of women, question of dowry, child marriage and consequences of mismatched marriages, exploitation of downtrodden community. Through the protagonist Nirmala, Premchand brings out the mockery of institution of marriage and the myopic views of patriarchal society. He also proves his mettle by creating a sardonic setting to mock at the upper class and prejudiced eyes of Indian people. Geethanjali Panday in her essay titled “How Equal? Women in Premchand’s Writing” says “In his writings are taken up issues such as dowry, prostitution, widowhood, May-and- Dec marriages of young girls with old men, and so on” (Thorner 217) 

Marriage involves mutual obligations. There are a whole lot of duties and responsibilities associated with marriage for both the partners. Arunima Baruha notes the characteristics of ideal wife. She says “the ideal woman is the devoted wife who is willing to suffer all kinds of adversities for the sake of loyalty to her husband. She has no separate existence. As Ardhangini she is her husband’s partner in Dharma, Artha and Kama” (Baruha 35). This is not seen to be completely practised in all marriages and households. In the novel Nirmala, Kalyani and her husband Udhyabhanu Lal are found to be busy preparing for their daughter’s marriage. They both have strong ego-clashes as seen in every relationship. Neither do they admit their own fault nor do they attempt to understand their counterpart. Udhaybhanu does not lend his ears to Kalyani’s suggestion of not to spend lavishly for the wedding. He considers his wife only as a ‘moron’ and says “I’ll spend as I please and nobody has a right to criticize for it” (Premchand 17). Lal also goes to the extent of mocking at the intellectual inferiority of women. His walking out of his home after an ego clash with his wife shows his irresponsibility and careless attitude towards his family. The infuriated Lal says, “She’s praying for my death. This is the end of twenty-five years of married life. Enough! I’m off” (20).The  actions of Udhaybhanu Lal is a clear deviation from Westemack’s definition of marriage. He defines marriage as “the more or less durable connection between male and female lasting beyond the mere act of propagation till after the birth of offspring” (Rao 382).  On the contrary Nirmala, though married to an old man, does all her wifely obligation. She takes care of the children as her own and manages the household work. Premchand says, “She decided to throw herself body and soul into her duty” (53). Thus, she becomes a good wife and responsible mother. Premchand, who himself is a victim of a broken marriage thus critiques the extremely famous saying ‘marriages are made in heaven and consummated on earth’. 

The social institution of marriage also requires mutual consent. According to Robert. H. Lowie, “Marriage is a relatively permanent bond between permissible mates” (Rao 382). In Nirmala, the marriage bond is not so pleasing and slightly disturbing. Nirmala due to her circumstances is forced into getting into an unwelcomed and unacceptable wedlock. She is abandoned by her fiancée, Bhuvanmohan Sinha and his family. The helpless mother Kalyani does not ask Nirmala her consent over the marriage. There is not a single mention in the novel that Nirmala knows who is going to be her life partner. She only knows that it is someone who is capable enough to feed her. The failure of the marriage as it is going to be is thus indirectly hinted in the novel. Kalyani, along with Pandit Motaram takes an upper hand in the marriage. Kalyani says, “So find the auspicious moment and fix the engagement” (41). Premchand sardonically thus brings to light the plight of women when it comes to the matter of marriage. It sounds that they have no say on their marriage and life partner. The biographical details of Premchand points out his terrible condition of getting married to an older woman who is simply quarrel-some. 

Marriage also regulates sex life and relations. Sexual urge is an inborn necessity of every human being. The legitimacy of marriage controls and regulates the moralistic principles of the society. As explained by Gillin and Gillin, “Marriage is a socially approved way of establishing a family of procreation” (Rao 382). It also forbids people from entering into a sexual relationship between kith and kin and is called ‘incest taboo’. In Nirmala, the fatherless fifteen-year-old young girl is not able to find a husband in thirty-five years old Munshi Totaram. In the initial years of their marriage she only sees her father in him. She therefore finds it difficult to get into a healthy relationship with him. Premchand in the novel says, “...Nirmala felt shy about chatting and joking with Totaram. It may have been that her father had been so much like him, that is, a man before whom she was accustomed to lower her gaze and conceal her body”(43). Later on she realizes the sensitive fact and stark reality of marriage and accepts it as her own fate. Premchand through the pathetic life of Nirmala attempts to bring out the artifice of the romanticized modern conception of marriage. 

Family is the most primary group in society and renders the most enduring relationship. The close association between marriage and family helps an individual to find out his inner-self. Family also shapes the personality and moulds the character of an individual. It has to be rooted in strong emotions and for the smooth functioning of a family certain duties and obligations have to be certainly carried out. Maclver says, “In times of crisis men may work and fight and die for their country, but they toil for their families all their lives” (Rao 390).  Though the step-mother of Totaram’s children, Nirmala treats them as her own. She is also a motherly figure for all his three sons: Mansaram, Jiyaram and Siyaram. Totaram hands over the running of the household to Nirmala. A typical representation of an Indian household is depicted here. The love of Nirmala for Toteram’s children is seen when she says “God knows how much I love those children! After all, they’re my children too—why should I be jealous of them?”(44). There is a deviation in the characterization of Nirmala. Premchand deliberately deviates from the stereotypical portrayal of an evil step-mother figure. It could therefore be a sarcastic remark on the brutal actions of his own step-mother who exploited him throughout his life. Premchand is therefore of the view that a happy and peaceful running of a household can happen even through a step-mother. Malladi Subbamma observes: “Marriage is that social system wherein liberty and equality flourished and ought to coexist. Anybody can build a house but as soon as the married couple enter the same it is transformed into a home” (Subbamma 77). 

The family formed through trust and co-operation enjoys a unique position in the society. While in the novel there is no mutual trust and mutual love involved. Toteram is always under the suspicion of Nirmala’s illicit relationship with his own son Mansaram. He always tries to maintain a distance between Mansaram and Nirmala for he fears that Mansaram’s physique is seductive. Toteram’s prompt action of sending him to hostel shows the not-so-good bond between father and son. Toteram shamelessly questions Nirmala, “You were very fond of Mansaram, were not you”? (110). Premchand through Toteram’s sceptical nature mocks at the lack of understanding amongst family members. No one in the novel tries to understand the souls of the other. There is evidently a lack of communication and affection in the family. Breaking of trust and therefore, betrayal is also seen in the relationship between Bhuvanmohan Sinha and Sudha. A married man, Sinha attempts to seduce someone else’s wife –Nirmala- shows the deterioration of family values. Hindu religion strongly believes in the concept of marriage as a sacred bond between the husband and the wife which even death cannot break. Premchand through his portrayal of Bhuvanmohan Sinha observes this conception is invalid.     

Child marriage is another thought-provoking and serious social issue to be discussed. Getting married at a tender and innocent age does not make them realize the value of marriages. They consider it only as entity and institution. The parents of the children are often lured by the economic prosperity of the groom and consent for the marriage. It happens mainly in the pretext of assurance of economic support for girl and her family. In Nirmala, Kalyani has no other means than sending her fifteen year daughter to a thirty year old man’s household as his wife and mother of three grown up sons. She realizes that to have a safer and better living it has to be done. Kalyani heart-breakingly says, “A man of thirty five is not considered old” (41). Nirmala does not seem to be aware of all the drama happening around her. Even when she gets married, Nirmala fails to develop a relationship with Toteram. This shows her immaturity to understand the whole matter of marriage. There is a parallel line to be drawn between Nirmala and Mariam in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Sons. Both are victims of child marriage. Premchand attempts to juxtapose the way of understanding of Indian society on the idea of marriage. His biographical details state that he himself married a child-widow even though he has to face resentment from the society. The portrayal of the victim of child marriage Nirmala therefore has some traces of the personal life of his wife.  

The inevitable role of the custom of dowry and bride price in marriage is also ridiculed by Premchand. The evils of the dowry system or streedhan play an important role in Nirmala’s life. Bhuvanmohan Sinha and his father walk out of the marriage as they find there are less chances of anticipated dowry. The troubles and efforts of Nirmala’s mother Kalyani to find out a suitable match for Nirmala go in vain as a huge amount of dowry is demanded. Premchand critiques the negative effects of the social system of dowry in India, “When there was enough dowry, all defects were virtues. A dowry had value, but not a life. How unfair were the tricks of fate!” (38). He thus makes a sardonic remark on Indian society. Sinha here represents many Indian men who marry only for money in the form of dowry. Sinha adamantly says, “I’ll marry anyone you arrange for me so long as it brings us lots of money” (31). Similarly his father is of the same opinion: “Money wipes away any and all defects” (31). Premchand thus brings to light the conception of dowry as a one-way ticket up the economic and social ladder. Dr. U.S. Agnihotri comments on the practice of dowry in India, “In our patriarchal and man dominated Indian social settings girl child is generally perceived as property of her in laws (PARAYADHAN) where as son is regarded as the property of family” (Tiwari 157). 

The connection between a daughter’s marriage and the economic strain on the bride’s family is another matter of concern. Estimating the expenditure and reviewing the estimate on a regular basis is found in every marriage household: particularly in the bride’s family. In the novel Kalyani and Udhanyabhanu are over-concerned about their daughter’s marriage. They are worried and scared about the public mockery that would be happening pre and post-marriage. To avoid the same they are ready to sacrifice everything. Kalyani says, “In ten days it has gone from five to ten thousand. In a month’s time it might eventually reach a lakh” (13). Premchand hereby critically assesses the over-conscious mind set of Indian society which thinks marriage is a platform to showcase all their wealth and considers it only as a celebration of material stuff.

In a nutshell, Premchand sends a social message in a quite assertive way through the novella Nirmala. The novel is truly a social reflection of the then Indian society. The tyranny of the patriarchal society and injustice towards the women folk are portrayed juxtaposing every minute detail and is therefore an all time realistic fiction.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

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