Reimagining the Mother–Daughter Bond in Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve

This paper argues that Kamala Markandaya's novel Nectar in a Sieve (1954) reimagines the mother–daughter bond as a dynamic site of suffering, silent resistance, and generational evolution, articulated through the experiences of Rukmini and Ira. Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve has been approached as a novel of agrarian suffering, colonial modernity, and feminine endurance. While such readings remain central to its critical reception, they frequently overlook the intimate emotional relationships through which the novel articulates its ethical vision. This paper focuses on the mother–daughter relationship between Rukmani and Irawaddy (Ira), arguing that this bond constitutes a crucial feminist and moral centre of the text. Drawing on feminist ethics of care and postcolonial feminist thought, the study suggests that Markandaya reimagines motherhood not as a biological construction or social institution but as an ethical practice sustained through compassion, restraint, and relational responsibility. Through Rukmani's unwavering acceptance of Ira in moments marked by infertility, abandonment, and sexual stigma, the novel resists patriarchal frameworks that evaluate women primarily through reproductive capacity and sexual purity. The paper explores that the mother–daughter bond operates as a quiet yet enduring form of feminist resistance within conditions of material scarcity and social judgment.