Book Review | Unhappy Marriage of Chick Lit, Social Satire
An amusing social satire with strong feminist characters, this novel is a breezy read
Nothing much has changed in India since 1993 when Anuradha Marwah’s novel, The Higher Education of Geetika Mehendiratta, was first published. Republished now for another generation of readers, it’s sadly evident that patriarchy still rules, although it may be present in different forms. Perhaps the only real difference between then and now is that this novel finally has a category it can be shelved into: Chick lit. Thirty-two years ago, there was no such genre in Indian publishing.
We meet Geetika when she’s studying at a government college in Ajmer, a colourful place where fights between Rajput and Jat students occur frequently. Her parents are lecturers and social workers — hard core liberals who are not swayed by money or conservative values. The only ask they have of their daughter is that she joins the civil services and kicks off her career before marriage.
Cracks begin to show after Geetika spends a month in Delhi as a liaison officer at an all-Asia sports meet. She marvels at how worldly wise her peers in the city are, and perhaps this really is the beginning of her higher education. It is here that she meets wealthy Ratish, who is far cooler than Andy, her boyfriend in Ajmer. While Geetika is attracted to him, she suspects she will never meet him again after she leaves Delhi. Ratish, however, takes her by surprise, and their love blossoms.
Poor Andy and his doting mother (they come as a pair) are dumped, and Geetika changes her career plans to fit in with Ratish’s expectations of a good wife. He firmly believes that career women are aggressive and lack the time to look after the home and children, and persuades her to become a lecturer instead. Geetika’s parents are shattered when she decides to do her MPhil instead of the civil services exam.
Life is rosy until it’s not. Geetika realises that while Andy’s mother was merely annoying, Ratish’s posh mother is soul destroying, and makes her feel inadequate and small. Commendably, Ratish does stand up to his mother to an extent unlike Andy, but there is only so far he’s willing to go. In addition, his family's lavish lifestyle is worlds apart from her middle-class family. Geetika is torn between her love for Ratish and fear of his overbearing family, and finally delivers a dealbreaker. Will he take it or not?
An amusing social satire with strong feminist characters, this novel is a breezy read. Marwah’s take on the international sports event in Delhi, and her tongue-in-cheek portrayal of JNU and other colleges is great fun. Towards the end however, the story gets heavier than chick lit and that’s a bit of a downer.
The Higher Education of Geetika Mehendiratta
By Anuradha Marwah
Rupa Publications
pp. 228; Rs 395
