India in the Fiction of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

The image of India has figured quite largely in the works of Anglo-Indian writers as well
as Indo-Anglian writers with a shade of difference. India has been a source of attraction to many
because of its philosophical outlook and spiritual message to the world. Many foreigners who
have come to India before Independence and after Independence have engrossed themselves with
various problems, which are Universal. The only difference is the way in which they have
assessed the problem and this varies from writer to writer depending upon their psychology.
According to Bhupal Singh the author of A Survey of Anglo-Indian Fiction not only
men but also women too have contributed to the portrayal of the life of people in different
periods and times in India. Of them Mrs. Florae Annie Steele has taken up the social problems
like mixed marriages, Mrs. Maud Diver about marriages between foreigners and Indians and
Mrs. Perry about Eurasian life, whereas Mrs. Thedore Pennell have discussed about the political
movement in India and how it affected the lives of the ruled and the rulers in India. This gives
the complete picture of how these foreigners have given importance to the lives of people who
have been living in India for a long time. Rudyard Kipling and meadows Taylors have tried to
depict India in the social and political context. Though Ruth Prawer Jhabvala belongs to the
category of the alien in India, there is certainly a difference in her attitude as to a great extent she
has been able to identify herself with the Indian sensibility. Where the inner world of a person is
chaotic and constantly in conflict with the outer world, where momentary impressions are rained
upon the person in quick succession with connection or order of any kind, it is quite natural for
anybody to seek refuge in creative art to universalize the feelings. The portrayal of India by
Jhabvala is impressive and has an emotional affect upon readers. Like many of the Anglo-Indian

writers she came to India by virtue of her marriage and has contributed to the literary field of
India, few novels and anthologies of short- stories, depicting India as it appeared to the eyes of
an expatriate. There is considerable enthusiasm and fresh interest in the beginning which ends in
disillusionment. Her India represents the people, the country, their customs traditions, arts etc.
appreciative and critical at the same time.
As India is passing through a period of transition and the important trend is towards
change and as it is difficult to evaluate and describe the nature of change and as it is difficult to
evaluate as describe the nature of change it is natural for most Western writers to study India
invariably with preconceived notions of contrasting the Eastern and Western cultures. Their
strong belief is that East is a contrast to the West and the contrast is the factor of conflict. During
her educational career she was in England and for twenty seven years she stayed in India before
her departure from India in 1974 to settle in New York. After this long sojourn in India Jhabvala
said:
The most salient fact about India is that it is very poor and very backward. There are so many
other things to be said about it but this remains the basis of all of them.1
This is the answer to the question why she sometimes criticizes India and why she is obsessed
with India even when she has been aloof from all the poverty and has had every luxury to enjoy
life in India. In this context the statement given by her appears quite biased. But in a particular
context when Ram Lal Agarwal interviews her for Quest asking her about her opinion as she has
moved among only one set of people and has seen India from a distance, and why she has
ignored other sections of the society- her answer was: 2

I have always moved up and down the social scale quite freely I think though only,
as I say, among the urban, upper middle and lower middle classes. I havent lived
among villagers and I havent lived among the very poor, so obviously I cannot write
about them directly. Although I like to think that they are there indirectly the
great mass of India beneath these middle class lives- as they are there indirectly
for all of us who live here.
She is true to her statement and she never attempted to depict the lives of the poor in her fiction.
In this way her statement appears quite unbiased and we find only a part of the society (i.e)
middle class society in her works. We can say that she has written all her novels with,
cosmopolitan Delhi as the background. Few characters have been shown outside Delhi for a
short stay for example Asha of A New Dominion goes to Banaras (The Holy City) but the author
neither probe into the way of life in that place nor analysed the nature of people there. So
Jhabvalas image of India is restricted to Delhi and to people living there. The feelings and the
psychology of the people are universalized through the analytical and sensible mind of Jhabvala.
In all her novels starting from- To Whom She will (1955,) The Nature of Passion(1956),
Esmond in India(1958,) The Householder(1960), A New Dominion (1972) and her recent Heat
and Dust (1975)- we find an image of India lively and dull, pictured by the author differently in
different circumstances. The author has come to the conclusion that if one wants to accept India
as it is one must be either a social worker or one must believe like Indians that everything
happens in India according to Dharma and Karma. If one fails to understand the psychology
behind these two principles, one has to face a nerve- breaking self- analysis. One remarkable trait
of Jhabvala is that she is very rational in assessing Indians who stand for India in their traditional
background with enthusiasm in the beginning and disillusionment slowly in her later works.

In all her novels we find various types of people undergoing transition from tradition to
modernity. Like Jane Austen her range is restricted to theme of love, marriage and family life.
She however stresses on the importance of the undivided Hindu family where there are generally
three generations of people, old widows, the anxious parents and the rebellious young under the
influence of the West. The people of older generation stand at the back as protectors of social
conservatism. We finally observe in each novel the young people yielding to the wishes and
principles of the social guardians after considerable protest. In this limited scope we find a broad
view of emancipation of women by virtue of education, the position and responsibilities of men,
the newly- acquired cultural activities of the nouveau riche, fine arts, and the Indian standard of
living, their feelings, ambitions and emotions to prove their identity among the masses. All we
find and come to the conclusion is that the scope of Jhabvalas fiction even though limited, gives
glimpse to the world the image of India.
Though Jhabvala has given great importance to women in her world of fiction, it does not
mean that she has neglected men. In the present day world, as women became an important
subject in India, we find it more relevant here to discuss the image of women in India from all
directions. We find various types of women from traditional to modern, from virtuous to
immoral, in India too. Even though education and westernization of life and living standards
have affected India thoroughly there is still place for older people like Haris mother, Sushilas
grand mother of To Whom She Will, Phuphiji of The Nature of Passion and Prems mother in
The Householder. According to Indian tradition a woman has no right to participate in any social
gathering, and should not show interest in worldly affairs if one is a widow. But we find
everywhere that these people do act as guardians of tradition that is to be handed over from
generation to generation. Through these characters, Jhabvala comments on the trends of other

characters, predicting the result of the deeds of the younger generation. Through the character of
Haris mother we come to know how much preference a mother gives to sons rather than to
daughters in India. Sushilas grandmother cuts a sympathetic, comic figure who tries to
concentrate on prayers when she is worried about the negligence of customs. Through her
opinion of modern marriage we visualize the traditional customs of good olden days of India.
She says:3
There has been no betrothal ceremony, no ceremonial letter has been sent, the bride- grooms
people dare to show themselves in our house, and it is called marriage? It is called sin.
Phuphiji, who is a child widow, believes more in family unity rather than riches. She voices her
opinion of modern girls in a shrewd way: A girl of that age (young girl) has no
right to enjoy herself. She should be managing a household and bearing children and looking
after a husband.
She despises the sophisticated, westernized people whose company spoils the attitude of
unmarried girls, and we find in the novels of Jhabvala her prediction coming true. The ancient
wisdom of sages appears in her. She is the representative of traditional India. Prems mother is
portrayed as a nagging mother-in-law too posessive of her sons affection which is common in
India family and society. The children, of these social guardians, who are not advanced like the
modern generation too have found fault with the present generation but they try to support
invariably their misdeeds as they all have consideration for the family prestige. The picture of
motherhood in India has also been handled by the author. Radha of The Whom She Will stands
for a mother who aspires to settle her daughter well the guidance of the elders. Mira is quite
contented with her son, and her ideas were restricted to food and dress and symbolizes the

contentment of mothers in India who do not have daughters. The two motherly characters in The
Nature of Passion have restricted their lives in order to be vigilant of the criticism from others
and serving their husbands and sons, leaving everything to the menfolk of the household. We
find male dominance in this type of household. Uma who is the mother of Gulab of Esmond in
India is educated and broad minded and she has her distinction because of her participation in
politics according to her husbands wish. Lakshmi, her sister-in-law lacks the contentment of
Uma and she tries to seek solace by treating herself like a queen by marrying her son to a rich
daughter-in-law. Madhuri is well advanced type of mother who has grasped the core of
westernization but has failed as she has forgotten the dangers of allowing a daughter to be too
independent. We feel at the end of the novel, when Shakuntla becomes a willing victim to the
passions of Esmond, that Madhuri and Hardayal are responsible as we are Indians. Sarala Devi of
Get Ready for Battle is quite different from all these mothers. She has accepted the failure of
making her son something different from her material-minded husband. Few women who are
middle aged and who have no responsibilities like Rani of The Nature of Passion, Prema of To
Whom She Will represent the lazy, lethargic sensuous women of India. They like to sympathetise
with themselves thinking that others are jealous of them because of their riches.
The present generation of girls who are educated and who wish to be sophisticated in their
outlook have gained a special place in Indian society. These types of people are saved from
destruction only because of the constant vigilance by the older people. The emancipated young
women are the symbols of modern India and Jhabvala has judged them from the moral point of
view. We realize honestly that what the tradition has laid for a society in India is the best, rather
than this emancipation, and women in India do find contentment in motherhood rather than in
anything. Amrita of To Whom She Will represent innocent girls who were put in a dilemma

regarding the choice of their husbands thinking that they are acting according to traditional rites
by falling in love with a lower middle class man who is brought up among orthodox uneducated
background. Finally she realizes that being in love is different from marriage and stop all her
romantic adventurous plans by opting to marry Krishna Sen Gupta who once acted as her
confessionary. We find the picture of many modern women who still hesitate to practice their
modernity in mixing with men freely. Amritas education has given her false ideas. Next Nimmi
of Nature of Passion represent the second phase of modernity. In her opinion, cutting the hair
short, playing tennis, going to clubs, reading English Literature, accepting drinks and cigarettes
freely,( even though she fails to enjoy them) dating all these are the so called modes of
westernization and sophistication. Her education has helped her in thinking that: 5
Only lower class people, people who were not modern and did not go to clubs,
had a lot of babies.
This tendency of following misconceptions has been stopped by her parents by arranging a
marriage with Kuku who is also an admirer of Nimmi. Kantha, the wife of Chandra has turned
out to be a snob by virtue of her education, and her modernity has used her strength to separate
her husband from the Joint Family dominated by her father- in- law. In the case of Shakuntla in
Esmond in India, there is the case of destruction of virtue in the hands of Esmond who is a sadist.
She is idealistic in her views but adventurous in her ways, worships and follows some ideals and
finally faces catastrophe. Her education has helped her only to that extent. We do find innocent
girls like Indu, Gulab, Sumi etc., in India. Apart from these types of characters we find modern
good doers in the fictional world of Jhabvala like Tarala, Mrs. Ram Prasad Khanna of To Whom
She Will , Mrs. Kaul of A Backward Place, Mrs. Bhatnagar of Get Ready for Battle. They are
engrossed with the idea of serving the society, through the establishment of cultural Dais and all

they did in the end is nothing but paper work and hot discussions over a cup of tea which comes
to nothing. These are more ironical and satirical portrayals and cannot be called appreciative. In
the virtuous world we do find few morally low characters too like Asha of A New Dominion
Kusum and Tara of Get Ready for Battle can be categorized into one group and the only
difference is they belong to different strata of life. Mention must be made of her portrayal of
European women as they also are staying in India. All the Western women in the world of
Jhabvala act desperately at one stage or the other and Judy , Eta, Clarissa, Lee, Evie, etc, are no
exceptions. For example Etta of A Backward Place complains that:6
As if India ever anyone anything; (Except of course germs and diseases). Some have adopted
themselves well, Indian life observed stoic patience like their counterparts.
Further we do find various types of men who represent all categories of nature in
Jhabvalas fiction. Older generation is represented by Pandit Ram Bahadur Saxena of To Whom
She Will in whom we find Victorian discipline and a methodical approach to various activities in
life. Har Dayal of Esmond in India is an opportunist and has learned the art of living successfully
through his Western Education, whereas, Ram Nath who hailed from the same background as
Hardayal is a different type and his dedication for national movement has left him in the lower
levels of status. Lala Narayan Das Verma and Dev Raj of The Nature of Passion and Guljarilal of
Get Ready for Battle belong to the same category. Their mission of life is money making.
Jhabvala has used subtle humour in explaining their habits and ways of life personally and
contrasted that with the surroundings. These people justify their ways according to Dharma and
Karma. Guppy of A Backward Place has been rich in worldly ways and poor morally. To keep a
mistress all the time is prestigious in the olden days, and it is a common trait among rich, and we
find that some tinge in Guppy and Guljari Lal. Rao Sahib of A New Dominion, Vazir Dayal of To

Whom She Will belongs to aristocratic families whose motive of life is to enjoy it leisurely.
Nawab of Khatm has been described as belonging to the princely category, where everything is
approved and symbolized as status issues. Krishna Sen Gupta of To Whom She Will, Bal and
Sudhir of A Backward Place and Viddi of The Nature of Passion belongs to same category. Few
have realized the necessity of establishing themselves in life to be contended with what they
were destined, and others are described as victims of their too- much expectations. Kuku of The
Nature of Passion, Vishnu of Get Ready for Battle come under one category whose ideas about
women are rather flexible but basically they value money more than anything, Regarding
Womens education Kuku indirectly puts a false notion in Nimmi who finally comes to the
conclusion:7 Pretty girls from rich families did not have to bother themselves with such things,
they were of value only to plain girls from poor families who had to think of making a
living by teaching.
The Statements may be valid in modern India, but it indicates more the mind of the speaker
rather than of society. Tivari, Jahiruddin, Bahwa and others are all young modern artists in India
where art has been commercialized when compared with olden days where art was rewarded.
Prem, Raj and also Sohan Lal of The Householder, who have to rely completely on their salaries
and who have been expected to live decent living because of their education and position in a
college or Government office are given sensitive treatment in Jhabvalas work. She understands
their predicament and how they were deprived of the minimum facilities in a forward society.
The statement given by Mrs. Raj appears indecent but still holds good. She says:8
The W.C. was broken a long time ago, so that we have to use a commode

We must say that it is not far from reality in a place like Delhi, where people of such lower
middle class society have no identity as individuals except as mass. Life of people like Chandra
Prakash of The Nature of Passion is different, and their society expects them to live upto the
standards of their position with the support of his family and not in their family. In the fiction of
Jhabvala, she has given importance to all, and thus suggests the cosmopolitan life through h men
and women in India.
Regarding the political scene and social evils Jhabvala has not given much thought but
very subtly she has drawn the ways of ministers, their importance and their superior ways in
society. Her depiction of corruption and bribery in India is quite vivid. Lalaji of The Nature of
Passion is of the opinion:9
Here in India, he thought one didnt know much words, giving present and gratifications to
government officers was an indispensable, courtesy and a respectable, civilized way of carrying
on business.
In the case of Guljari Lal the way of corruption is different. He hosted a party to make the person
feel happy and was thrilled by the company of ministers, higher officials, and a man from
princely status.
Jhabvala has a good deal of importance to the social set- up, and portrayed the average
women as sensuous, lazy and as evaders of work, and who are fond of engrossing themselves in
gossip. For example almost all middle class and rich people are described as fond of jewels,
gaudy dresses strong scents and perfumes and also as fat people. Sophisticated people are
described as slim , talk and dressed occasionally in a simple ways. Family gathering at the time

of any occasion in any households is described in a typical ways, for example we find Nimmis
observances in The Nature of Passion:10
One scratched under her armpit, another wiped the perspiration from her face with
the end of her sari, another blew her nose between her fingers, and even Rani made a
noise and opened her mouth too wide while chewing sweetmeats.
We must say this may be true of a comparatively small section of a society in India but this
cannot be generalized what Jhabvala wished for is a completely different type of people
representing Indian culture as she wrote in An Experience of India.11
Pretty girls reclining against bolsters, their faces are melancholy for the music
is stirring their hearts and sometimes they sigh with yearning and happiness and look down at
their pretty toes ( adorned with a tiny silver toe-ring), peeping out from under the sari. Here
Indian life and culture at its highest and best.
Always this may not be possible to live in an utopian world, but Jhabvala has done justice
to the circumstances she has taken up to discuss in her novels by restricting them to that
particular section of society, observing their mannerisms, to add intensity to the whole situation.
She has shown complete resentment for people who depend much on the West to add colour and
glamour to their culture by imitating them. The well- knit families where everyone is related to
everybody appears as if the communal bonds are strong in India. This she has described very
picturesquely. In the novel The Nature of Passion Dev Rajs wife explains about the identity of
the relation as: 12
You know your fathers cousin-brother Madan Mohan? He is married to Rampyari, And the
brother of Rampyari, Ram Prasad, is married to Romeshlata, and the mother of Romeshlata has

an elder brother whose name is Amar Nath. Amar Nath has three daughters and one son; all three
daughters are married and for the son has just made an offer for Nimmi.
The communal activities of the people were of the people were given much importance in
relation to betrothal, marriage, birth, death of someone, etc. In every novel we find one such
occasion and Jhabvala tries to describe only the clan enjoyment of that particular event but not
the significance that lies behind the whole situation. As a foreigner and as a sensitive woman,
Jhabvala tries to understand the custom of Suttee, and as most people object to such idea, she
does not protest. Moreover, as she reached disillusionment one expects her to be more critical of
India but her Olivia of Heat and Dust says:13
And quite apart from religion, it is their culture, and who are we to interface with anyones
culture especially an ancient one like theirs.
She is full of praise for Indian traditions like the dance of the hijras, and also she understands the
sentiment behind few customs like tying of strings at the temple of Firadousie in the novel Heat
and Dust.
As far as Indian traditions and customs are concerned, Jhabvala has given importance
only to a particular society that which pertains to north-Indian Punjabi families. It is of interest
way Jhabvala, having married into a Parsee community does not mention anything about
Parsees. We come to know of her frankness in her interview with Ram Lal Agarwal, she says:14
India does have two highly developed art forms of its ownmusic and cooking
but those are gifts handed down by an older, richer civilization,..One really cantmustnt- expect any developments of that sort from contemporary India.

She has pointed out the fondness for food among Indians with regards to each and every Indians
with regard to each and every Indian character, especially women. The enthusiasm of the novelist
with regard to this art we find in the first novel of Jhabvala: To Whom She Will wherein she has
gone to the trouble of giving recipies at the end of the book of all the dishes she mentions in the
book. In the novel Esmond in India we find how, Esmond despises the strong spicy Indian food
of which Gulab is very fond of, and also we can say the strained relation between them is
because of her sensuous as well as lethargic nature. The huge quantities that Indians consume,
three times a day provides good comic scene for people outside India.
Her opinion of religion and Godmen are completely different. She never associates
religion with Sadhus, Gurus and Babas. She experiences pleasure in hearing the soul crying for
God through devotional songs, which are very near to reality. But as time progresses her rational
mind pricks her to find out the validity of possible truth in the experience she just then had. Even
though she is a foreigner she read all the Upanishads, Gita and other religious scripts and tried
her best in understanding the sweetness of the soul of India. She has mastered the themes by
taking an ideas from these holy scripts and giving it a form in the shape of a novel. In her essay
Myself in India Jhabvala questions:15
Whether religion is such a potent force in India because life is so terrible, or is it other ways
round is life so terrible because, with the eyes of the spirit turned elsewhere, there is no
incentive to improve its quality?
Finally she comes to the conclusion the even though god seems more present in India, the fact
remains that the spirit is turned elsewhere. Her knowledge of god and miracles of god are mostly
from newspapers and magazines. The messengers of God who convey the message of God are

described as young, energetic and gay types of characters with a charming smile and captivating
looks and are eloquent speakers. We find people getting consolation in their presence rather than
any spiritual benefit. For example Mrs. Jhabvala in her novel The Householder with her interest
to know more about India has introduced the character of a Swamiji for the first time to present
to the Western readers the growing tendency of Indians to follow these Swamijis to get
consolation, that they do not forget about the spiritual aspect of the life. From then onwards we
find these types of Swamijis in almost all her works. These Swamijis are cheats and fraud people
and they are not truly spiritual Gurus but isolated men of the society. This is the picture she has
given with regard to spiritual aspect of India.
As science has advanced and people are becoming aware of the scientific facts with
regard to diseases and medicines, Jhabvala has given importance to grandmother Phuphijis
knowledge of medicine and her belief in prayers as a healing factor:16
If a girl purifies herself saying the correct prayers, her skin also will become pure.
Same types of incidents we find in her latest novel Heat and Dust. When Ritu, Inder Lals wife
gets hysteria Inder Lal as well as his mother fail to accept it as hysteria and they believe in the
possession of evil spirit. Jhabvala has given a detailed description of how the mother has tried to
drive away the evil eye after Ritu gets over the fit. There are similar instances of a very crude
nature depicted in all her novels.
Looking at all the novels of Jhabvala, one gets a mixed impression of India. As a
foreigner she found a number of things which were quite alien to her Western upbringing and
sensibility, and these she has depicted with the characteristic attitude of her Western culture. She
is not however, impervious to the good in Indian culture and society. Wherever possible she has

stressed upon this aspect. She is critical of the obvious defects in Indian life at times too critical
but appreciative also. India and its vastness are very beautifully portrayed in her novels with the
correct accent on the good and bad side of Indian life. It is commendable that a foreigner could
develop such a balanced attitude towards Indian life and society. Her novels are not only
interesting but present a very unique attitude towards Indian life.

NOTES
1. R.P.Jhavala, Myself in India in An Experience of India Lond. John Murry p.8.
2. Agarwal, Ramlal, An interview with Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Quest, 91( Sept-Oct 1974)
pp. 34-36
3. To Whom She Will (1955) George Allen and Unwin Ltd p.231
4. The Nature of Passion (1956) George Allen Unwin Ltd, p.8
5. Ibid., p.43
6. A Backward Place (1965) John Murray p.115
7. The Nature of Passion (1956) p.258
8. The Householder (1960) John Murray, p.93
9. The Nature of Passion (1956) p.54 George Allen and Unwin
10. Ibid., p.32
11. Jhabvala, Myself in India in An Experience of India, John Murray, p.12
12. The Nature of Passion (1956) p. 168
13. Heat and Dust (1975) John Murray, p.58
14. Agarwal, Ramlal An Interview with Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Quest, 91 (Sept-Oct1974)
pp 34-36
15. Myself in India in An Experience of India. Page 17-18.
16.

The Nature of Passion (1956) p.216