Gendering of Space in Tea Gardens: Representation in the Fiction of Indra Sundas

Abstract

There is an intersection of gender and space. Gender is shaped through the interplay of power dynamics, social structures and cultural practices. Women are the backbone of the tea garden community of Darjeeling yet they live a status of insignificance. They have been pushed to marginality since antiquity mainly because of their gender. The workspace is demarcated; they are deprived of their rightful position and also are subjected to various forms of domination. Feminists argue that women are conditioned to adhere to traditional gender norms and this seriously undermines their aspirations and freedom. Juneli Rekha (1979), and Sahara (1995) Nepali novels written by Indra Sundas bring out the plight and predicament of women in the tea gardens of Darjeeling through an array of women characters. The stories in both novels are set in fictional tea gardens during the colonial regime but can be contextualized even in the present times. It offers an insight into the gender divide, economic and social exploitation and of women of tea gardens. It also points out how traditional gendering and patriarchal prejudice have delimited women’s identity and disempowered them from becoming a voice of their own.