REVIEW OF

SHODH
BY:
DHANUSRI.K
2BCB
(1840747)
o NAME OF THE BOOK: Shodh
o AUTHOR: Taslima Nasrin
o PUBLISHER: Shrishti publishers
o PRICE: Rs.195
ABOUT:
“Taslima Nasrin’s books always has a pinch of “Feminism”
associated with it. So, here, Shodh is unlike an
unexceptional from her other novels speaks strongly about
feminism, plights of women especially of married
women's, about both suppression and women oppression
and how these factors lowers the voice of a women and
pulls and numbs her own identity in society.
To describe Taslima nasrin, Taslima Nasrin, an award-
winning writer, physician, secular humanist and human
rights activist, is known for her powerful writings on
women oppression and unflinching criticism of religion,
despite forced exile and multiple fatwas calling for her
death. In India, Bangladesh and abroad, Nasrin’s fiction,
nonfiction, poetry and memoir have topped the best-
seller’s list.
Taslima has written 40 books in Bengali, which includes
poetry, essays, novels and autobiography series. Her works
have been translated in thirty different languages. Some of
her books are banned in Bangladesh. Because of her
thoughts and ideas she has been banned, blacklisted and
banished from Bengal, both from Bangladesh and West
Bengal part of India. She has been prevented by the
authorities from returning to her country since 1994, and to
West Bengal since 2007.
CHARACTERS:

Protagonist is Jhumur and there are other sub but

influential characters namely Haroon(Jhumur’s husband),
Afzal, Ma-in-law etc.
The plot is raised up by fixing Jhumur as a main character
who explains her own plights and suppression and
oppression she had went through so on in her married life
and Jhumur as a whole stands here as one of million
women’s voice and plight that a married women most
likely to undergo.
STORY:
In Shodh, Taslima seeks to revolutionalise the concept of love and
marriage in the so called elite yet tradition bound societies. She
effects this through a transformation of roles assigned to women
as lover, wife, mother and daughter in law. The story of Jhumur’s
marriage to Haroon. Therefore, goes beyond the study of marriage
or the fate of a person and raises issues such as: Is love possible
without self-respect; What is the relationship among love, desire
and marriage; In what way can the established familial
relationships be redefined.
This book revolves around the story of a woman who gets even with her
husband. It is the story of Jhumur, a young well educated woman, who
marries the love of her life & her world turns upside down. She gets
pregnant within six weeks of her marriage but her husband blames her of
infidelity before marriage and gets her abortion done, as he believes that
one cannot get pregnant within 6 weeks. An independent well educated
woman turns into a housewife, cuts off all communication with friends
and family just for her love & he inturn blames her of infidelity.
The incident leaves her so deeply wounded that she eventually gets
even with her husband in her own ways. Taslima Nasreen's books has
always spoken of feminism, her way of putting it across is brilliant. In
this book she brilliantly manages to portray the actually scenario of
woman in our society. In this book, Jhumur has compared herself to no
less than her maid, which clear states the status of woman after
marriage. Through Jhumur, she explores the strong emotion of a
woman, she tells its readers that woman are not be taken granted for.
Through Jhumur, she tells all woman to rise up & not let the society
put you down.
To sum it up it is a complex yet a beautiful story of woman, rising up,
in a man dominant world. I was deeply moved by the story of Jhumur.
A book worth reading for every woman of our society.
COMMENT:
 Content: Shodh is well written and clearly depicts the plights of
married women's and about women oppression. Even though
the content is too feminism, it speaks quite a lot about women
oppression and relationship among love, desire and so called
marriage.
 Language: The book is written simply with understandable
words with predictable meanings and has quality that makes
one want to read the book cover to cover in one sitting.
 Others: When we see the conclusion of the story it is quite
unnatural and immature and the conclusion might have been in
a positive way, like, she could have insisted and speak out and
tried all possible ways to make Haroon to understand her and
should have made him to feel for his mistakes. But to revenge
Haroon getting planted with some others seed is somewhat a
shameful revenge to speak about in case of Jhumur.
TO BE NOTED :
When we see the book cover of Shodh it is written that
“ If you’re a human,
you will smash
Your chain to stand tall.
Smash the chains
With your hands; these
Hands are yours….”
So by these line we can understand that women should not always be
dependent on somebody and want to face some situations with freedom and
independently. Also, it is obviously true that women are oppressed by
dominant male and their powers. So when ever women feels that they are
being oppressed they should open and speak much louder about their issues
without any fear and should break the taboos that every important decision
in their life is determined by their husbands and should come forward and
insist that her opinion is also crucial and want to make understand that wives
are not meant only for serving families and fulfilling husbands desire but
she is also an integral part of a family where her voice and opinion should
also be heard and given equal dignity and respect .
CONCLUSION:

 Many times our dreams crash into pieces by unexpected

events but with support from people around, we can get
back on track, focus and rebuild our dreams.
 Life will have many setbacks. People close to you will
hurt you. But you don’t break it off. You don’t hurt them
hurt them more. You try top heal it.
THANK YOU