Geeta: Female protagonist of the novel Inside the Haveli by Rama Mehta

Inside the Haveli by Rama Mehta

Geeta: Female protagonist of the novel

Geeta is a female protagonist of the novel. She was born and brought up in Bombay. She had studied in co-educational college. She had seen and experienced lively urban life of Bombay. She married into a very conservative family of Udaipur. She comes to Udaipur as the nineteen-year-old bride of Ajay Singh. Her husband Ajay Singh works as a Professor of Physics in Udaipur University. She loves her husband who is quite intelligent and kind. He too loves her deeply. The novel focuses on the conflict between tradition and modernity. In the novel the haveli represents the Indian tradition and the girl, Geeta represents modernity. The moment she lands in Udaipur, she is chastised for being bare faced and made to realize that she is an outsider even by the maids of the haveli. Geeta finds herself suddenly enclosed and encaged in a huge haveli where she is all the time surrounded by women. There were separate apartments for women. Men could not enter the area of women. She had no communication with her father-in-law. Even she had a very little time to talk to her husband. She remembered that even her mother had advised her to keep her head covered and never to argue with elders. After her arrival at the haveli, her brother-in-law and Pari, an elderly maid servant trains her in the ways of the life of the haveli.

Even after two years of her marriage, Geeta has seen neither her father-in-law nor her grandfather- in-law. She feels restrained and lonely in the haveli. She told Ajay about her suffocation and he sympathized with her. He told her that he would try to find a job in Delhi and then they would leave Udaipur. This comforted Geeta and she started adjusting herself to the life of the haveli. She gave birth to Vijay Bai Sa, a daughter.

By and by, Geeta was enchanted by the harmony, dignity and security of the haveli life. After her grandmother-in-law’s death, her mother-in-law told her that she had learnt a lot from her mother-in-law and this is the way the traditions of the family are upheld. The death of Bhabha Sa was mourned with all seriousness. No one talked loudly. After thirteen days of mourning, the haveli restored itself to its normal life.

Now Geeta had learnt many things. She had become more calm and subdued. Once while her mother-in-law had gone out, she managed the haveli quite deftly. When Vijay went to school, Geeta decided that Sita, the daughter of Lakshimi, the maid servant should also go school. All other people except her father-in-law opposed this proposal. Education for servant girl is a very bad decision by Geeta. Despite all the disorientation and criticism, Geeta succeeds in sending Sita to school and the attitude of maids and the haveli women mellows down. She does not stop here and starts classes for the haveli maids and their children as well as of other havelis. She teaches them reading, writing, tells them stories and also takes knitting and sewing classes for them. Though the classes become very popular and get immediate success since their commencement, the mistresses of other neighbouring havelis criticize Geeta’s attempt and complain to Bhagwat Singh’s wife: “Kanwarni Sa, my niece’s husband is already fed up. Before going to work he has to eat cold roties lift from him because his wife comes here to listen to stories is that what a woman should do?” (p.162). Ajay and her father-in-law praise her for her efforts: “You did the right thing; I am proud of you. It is time for new ideas to enter the haveli”, Said Ajay Singh with conviction (p.137). But for Geeta’s mother-in-law, it was again a whim on her part.

Geeta continues with her efforts to bring education to the servants, though she thinks of revising her decision off and on. The change that the protagonist is trying to bring about is neither welcome nor acceptable to these women who find social security in the old patriarchal culture and rigid traditions of the haveli. Geeta’s efforts bear fruit and she is appreciated by one and all when Sita is married to an educated boy who has a ‘pucca’ house, land and bullocks in addition to a promising future. Gradually Geeta learns to respect the continuity, validity and strong emotional ties of the haveli people.

Time comes when Geeta begins to accept the life of the haveli and begins to feel that it was not a prison. Even, if it was a prison, it offered security and love. Ajay had promised Geeta that he would seek better prospects outside Udaipur but once he announces that it was impossible for him to leave Udaipur. He had duties towards the family and the haveli. A few words of Ajay had put an end to her restlessness. She accepts the path of adjustment and accommodation. She feels that she is able to breathe new life in the haveli.

Finally she emerges as the new lady of the haveli. She opposed the tradition of early marriage for girls very strongly. She is against Vijay’s engagement with Vir Singh as Vijay is still a child. She speaks to her mother-in-law for the first time in a raised voice, “ Bhabhi, whatever happens, Vijay can’t get engaged at this stage” (p.205). All the family members try to convince her but Geeta remains defiant, even though it leads to the severe heart-attack of her father-in-law. Bhagwat Singh makes an emotional appeal to Geeta. However, she agreed to it later as Vir Singh was to go to England for further studies and marry after some years. It was also decided that Vijay should continue her studies till she got married. When her father-in-law dies, she sobs uncontrollably. Her mother-in-law tells her that now she was mistress of the haveli and it is in her hands to uphold the prestige and tradition of the haveli. Geeta decided to so calling herself a willing prisoner of the haveli. The novel ends with the death of bhagwat Singh and Geeta’s taking over the responsibility of presenting the customs of the haveli. In the end we feel pity over the death of Bhagwat Singh and the widow’s attire of Kanwarni Sa, but at the same time we feel proud of Geeta who sacrifices her modernity for keeping the traditions of haveli and turns out to be a true Indian woman. Love and concern do not bind anyone but makes one free. She finds her own way of emancipation and individuality.

Audio Link:
https://soundcloud.com/mohammed-suleman-830478368/54845919mp3