Write a detailed note on the theme of Seven Stets in the Sky

The Theme / Feminism:-

Introduction:-

          Kundanika Kapadia is a well known novelist of Gujarati Literature. She belongs to Gujarat. She is a noted editor of some Gujarati Magazines. She wrote three novels and four collections short stories. She is a bold realist. She firmly believe, “Truth is always bitter, yet it must be told”.  

          She has been a novelist of revolutionary ideas and ideals for women. She worked on the quality of women and their rights. In this sense, she is a ‘crusader’ when fight for cause of women’s social state, true recognition and liberal concept with few novels .and short stories life Kagal ni hody (A Boat of Paper’s) and Seven Stets in the Sky”. She tries to revolutionize our age old conservation and injustice to women. In many of their works, she depicts the women their suffering, struggle against all the odds and tradition, conservative social rules, family tradition where women are ordered but not given equal status. Thus she is a keen observer of the bitter realities of life. She is an optimist who believes that in the long run, the things will change for better.

A voice for Woman’s equal rights

          “Seven Steps in the Sky” represents a voice in argument for equal rights and sharing the true joy of male. It is a Gujarati novel published in 1984. The novelist from feminists view frames the problems of all women in the society giving full weight age and consideration to what she does. What a woman can do, as she wishes is not offered by society. This denial of giving rights and liberty to women’s because this pain struggle in them. It has been the along vexed problem depicted here in this work. The novel is a record of the observation about women in different walks of life. It poses the problem of women’s equality, individuality and liberty. A woman wishes equally and loves from male dominated society. The heroine Vasudha’s wishes which are wises of every common woman who except in married life. The novelist through this work loads her readers to think over woman’s passive and suppressed living in a family. Woman’s love, share, honest, sympathy, and co-operations all these are expected by male husband in a family but in return she doesn’t get true love and contentment of self-fulfillment all that she deserves indeed.

A Feminist approach:-

          With the coming of 19^th century, a revaluation of all sorts took place concerning feminism since long rather to say ages. It is assumed that male is the first the referential point of human life to whom woman is the second or the other. Such indifference denotes man’s hierarchical superiority over woman. Some woman writer like Margaret Atwood, Anita Desan, Kamala Das, Kamala Markandaya, Kundanika Kapadia, Arundharti Roys play a vital role in the present Indo-Anglican fiction.

          “Seven Steps in the Sky” is Kapadia’s master-piece. It won her the Sahitya Academy Award. She ahs adopted a feminist approach in this novel. Here she presents a traditional Indian housewife who is a poor victim of the male-dominated society. The novel is a record of her observations about women in different walks of life. Today we find progress in different fields of life; but there is no significant change in the status of woman. She still belongs to the oppressed class. She is tortured both physically and mentally. The novelist asks,

‘Is woman equal to man?

Does she have separate identity?

Is she in need of emancipation?

Woman plays a magnificent role as a daughter, wife and mother etc. but she has not got the recognition which she deserves.

Importance of Female

          Both “Seven Steps in the Sky” and “Nectar in a sieve” deal with the marriages of heir heroines. Can a family life become complete without a woman? No, she is the essence of a family life. Then what should be the attitude towards her? She deserves a life of contentment and self-fulfillment. But does she get? On the contrary, she lives a passive and supported life. A woman always wishes to have sweet relationship with her husband. She seeks security, co-operation, sympathy, honesty, equality and genius love for her husband but generally, a woman remain a passive a site partner throughout her life. She rarely enjoy mutual trust and respect.

Freedom and equal rights to women:-

          Kapadia’s works point out certain basic issue problems related to status of women in traditions board Gujarati family. Through out the work, the novelist focused her attention on man, her role that is burden some and family that dines to provide any such staysail. The novelist’s main aim is to draw a true picture of a male dominated middle class society of contemporary woman and her situation in Indian family. Like other modern woman novelist. Kapadia has always to say something new fresh pointing and exciting to tell. She is enough bold to express bitter realities faced but Indian women.

          It represents her earth of the suppressed second sex with the entire family approach. She presents the grim and sorrowful picture of woman called a beast of burden. A woman is made a poor victim of male dominion in society or home. So the status of woman is the basic theme of this work in the introduction of the novel, the author herself says,

“All are unequal in the onward between are more unequal.

          Kapadia entitles her discussion among women when characters this novel like Anna Alpa, Vasudha and Vinod. After a long struggle and realization of the self in Indian family perceptive Vasudha has to tell the close of the novel to Adiyata 

 ‘I was not in search of happiness… I was

in search of my right to become truthful.

The theme of Responsibility:-

          Vasudha is the female protagonist in this novel. When she enters her husband’s house, she becomes free from her girlish selfishness and egoism. Her family becomes the central point of her life. Now it is her duty to please others. She feels herself an alien. She finds herself in the midst of strangers. She has left everything behind, her home, her parents, her friend, her free laughter and her games. She does not get and support from Faiba also because she is also nothing more than a work-horse. Here Vasudha is dominated by Faiba and her husband Vyomesh. She wants someone who can understand her feelings. Faiba lives for Vyomesh only. She finds satisfaction in renunciation only. Here Vasudha says, “Why do women get married ? Why should I marry? She compares herself to be bird in a golden cage. She can not fly high  in the sky. She is caged in responsibilities. Her duty is to care for her husband, bring up the children and do the household duties. She had to live for them and give up anything and everything for their sake. She has deep love for Vyomesh, but he goes not reciprocate same feelings towards her. When she is about to become a mother, she thinks, “This physical responsibility for bearing the child” But after the birth of a son’s she find some meaning in her life. Now she wants to be a real woman. At last, she reconciles to the role of a wife and a mother, She feels she is destined for this only.

Theme of woman’s suppression.:-

          Next to it theme of woman’s suppression at the hands of male world has been elaborated discussed by Kapadia. Ranjana does not belong to a rich family. She has the lowest status in the family, but she never complains. Her husband Deepak never co-operates her in any matter. He does not accompany her on Raksh Badhanan Day to her brother’s house. Like Ranjana Leena is also very unhappy at her husband’s house. She has to do all the household duties alone. No one is ready to help her.

          Once Vasudha goes to Lolita’s house. She finds her in depression Lolita always tries to appear happy and satisfied. She makes a mistake by telling her husband. Sudhir that before marriage, she had inters in a young boy of her college. Sudhir is highly suspicious and thinks that she has still relations with that boy. Such a woman has to suffer through her life.

            Vadanti has the same such problems. Her husband Satish is a music critic. She wants to make progress in the same field. But Satish thinks that a woman’s greatest ambitious should be not have loving husband, children, a beautiful house and a new care. Vadanti does not want to live such a submissive life.

Theme of Social and physical imprisonment.:-

          One another the time of social and physical imprisonment is woven in this novel. Therefore a critic Ill Pathak considers this novel as a story of “Woman’s Journey from Prison to Kailas”. Means a woman freedom can come only when she dies, there is no chance to escape or save herself from this cage from birth to death. Women like Vasudha and Lalita has to suffer the pangs of life laden to them. Indeed in order to prove her point and basic issue of woman’s life, Kundanika Kapadia has made an extensive use of the character and episodes to explain or exposé the woman’s family is a self prison. Vasudha is dominated by Fiaba and her husband Vyomesh. She is alienated. No one is ready to understand her feeling. She compares herself to a bird of the olden cage. She is caged in responsibilities  which are unavailability she rethink it “Why do women get married” Why should I marry?”

          A male does not impart the same feeling toward her what she gives. During the days of her pregnancy she thinks. “This is a seed from a man I am providing it facility to row and yet he has no physical responsibility for be the child. “

Conclusion

          To conclude our discussion, we can say Kapadia through these various themes and ample discussions wants to points out the ignorance of her potentiality by male, the mage of modern, of coward, weaker sex. She should thinks herself in the image of dignity and status. At the end of the novel as we witness Vasudha almost grows as a leader by the way of accepting every challenge to woman and this is a birth a new woman. In Anandgram Vasudha is reborn rebuild and rethought woman made by the novelist. This theme has universal appeal as Ill Pathak says 

“This novel while describing the prune of such a woman virtually describe the life of a great number of women”