Nectar in a Sieve with Related Readings

Nectar in A Sieve was originally published in 1954, seven years after India's independence from Britain and the economic and social upheavals that resulted. This context is in the story through the construction of a tannery and hospital and the changes they bring. The story follows Rukmani from her traditional marriage through the birth of her children and grandchildren. Tied to the land, Rukmani and her family suffer drought and bad weather and obligations to their landlord. She learns to "Bend like the grass, that you do not break," and survive injustices and devastations. An eloquently written deeply human story, simply and beautifully told.

After reading this book, I felt like I knew Rukimani personally. Her grace, her inner beauty, her happiness and sorrows were a part of my life forever. It was sad to realize that her grace was often a product of having no choices. When she accepts her husband's shocking revelations (don't want to spoil it for you) it's not because she's the most level-headed, forgiving woman on earth - I mean - where is she going to go exactly? She has no choices and in her soul she knows it. Yet she still can find her life a better fate than that of others. There is a scene in which Ruki sells some of her vegetables to a wealthy muslim woman in a burka who has all the material things that Ruki lacks (I do not have the book in front of me I can remember her description of the woman's rings "any one of which would have fed us for a year"). But Ruki is not jealous - she feels sorry for the woman's cloistered existence and the fact that she is not free, cannot walk outside and feel the sun against her skin and work side-by-side with men. It was very interesting. I can envision Ruki buying the dum-dum cart for her grandson. I can picture her grandson in the shade, eyes watering, waiting for a chance to play with the others. I have seen many times the rupee that fell from Irawaddy's sari into the river. I have felt the hopeless struggle that cost her son his tannery job. This book is beautiful, sad, interesting, and moving. I recommend it highly.

Nectar in a Sieve, though written almost 50 years ago, remains a classic. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the story of Rukmani's hardships is painful and moving. Many readers complained that this book was "too depressing" or "boring." Clearly, they missed out on the essence of the book. Yes, the book is not overburdened in plot, but it is the feelings of Indian life in a rural village, the feelings of a woman facing problems we can't even begin to concieve, the feelings of longing for a better world that make this book so touching. This book should give you an idea of India in the fifties, and the book's slow-moving style reflects that way of life. Don't be put off by others' reviews, my entire class loved this book when reading it for our history course. The book is in parts depressing, but life in India was very depressing, and Nectar doesn't wallow in the depression of the times like it could have, but has an undercurrent of hope for the future, picking up the pieces and moves on. Truly this book is amazing, and gives you the feel of India.

I first read this book as a 9th grader in 1971...The book had a powerful hold on my life. I list it as one of the books that have been forever etched in my memory. The struggles of this Indian woman prove the indefatigable spirit that is in each of us no matter our geopgraphy or our cirscumstances. The writing is powerful. The book unforgettable.

Kamala Markandaya's novel of life in rural India is beautiful, as it is haunting. The story follows the life of a young woman who marries a farmer and lives through the trials and tribulations of a changing India. Enduring poverty, starvation, the death of one child, and the decent into prostitution of another, Rukmani somehow survives, her faith unwavering, her love for her husband and children her rock to hold onto in the days when food is scare and shelter but a mat on a roadside. Kamala's book is not about the tragedy of India; rather it is about the human spirit and how it survives against all odds. If you get a chance to read this book then do, it will probably change your life...