Tradition Vs Modernity in Manju Kapur’s Novel Home

Manju Kapur's unique treatment of feminism makes her different from the other modern women novelists. In her novel Home, she has clearly delineated her modern thinking which is rooted with traditional values. In traditional society woman's stereotypical image as passive, submissive and sacrificing is still prevails in the minds of the patriarch of the family. A woman's self recognition and individuality have been denied in this patriarchal world but now the scenario has changed with the momentum of feminism by the writings of women writers. Manju Kapur has presented the predicament of women protagonists in her novels, who are struggling hard against the patriarchal norms and values. They are forcefully raising their voice for their status, identity and self satisfaction. The protagonists of Manju Kapur are bold, educated and conscious, they denounce the pressure and oppression of traditional values, where marriage is considered the only aim of woman's life. In novel Home, the protagonist Nisha, asserts her identity, freedom and individuality by undermining the traditional laws. She is a modern, educated ‘new woman' who shouts with her firm and confident voice of modernity. Nisha's struggle between tradition and modernity is the core of the novel. Through this novel Manju Kapur has presented the struggle of a self asserted modern woman in a traditional society. Kapur being a postmodern radical woman novelist, delineates the idea of emancipation of woman through her all novels, which is the best thinking in traditional Indian society.The aim of the research paper is to explore these ideas in the novel Home. Manju Kapur in this novel has shown the discrimination with a woman in a male dominated society, where she has no existence in her home.But novel's protagonist Nisha creates her own way to make her identity in society.The traditional thinking of patriarch of the family becomes obstacle in the life of protagonist, and how she struggles against it, to get her right of freedom and equality like men and asserts her individuality is the subject of research.