The Shroud by Munshi Premchand| A Cursed Mother

 Abstract- My topic 'The way of becoming a cursed mother' is taken from Munshi Premchad's "The Shroud". Here, in my paper, I have focused on the condition of Budhia who spend her all time and labors to settle her husband and father-in-law's life. And there was love within Budhia and Madhav. Thus, she becomes pregnant and she dies in labor pain because her indolent husband does not have money. 

Thus, a mother died with her child and the husband keep himself busy eating hot potatoes. Such kind of absurdity is being shown by these obstreperous characters that push a woman to die. So, my point of view is the motherhood is a question because a woman is needed to give of a child alone if a woman can do this then will live with the baby unless will die. 

A Mother| 

Daniel Reche

Introduction

Munshi Premchad is one of the major stars of the nineteenth century. He wrote many of his novels and short stories in Hindi and Urdu, in Marathi. 

"The Shroud" or "Kafan" is one of the best classic short stories that tell the story of Dalit. This piece of work comes under the Dalit literature though Munshi Premchad was not a Dalit writer. 

Here, we shall find a woman called Budhia who will fail to give birth to her child. Budhia is a cursed mother even if not by herself then obviously by her crude society and family. 

There is another work by Baburao Bagul called "Mother" is also producing a fact of becoming a cursed mother. She also failed to prove her son's motherhood. Many times the "motherhood" is being questioned.

Probably the society raises this question all the time who itself provokes the mother to jump into death with motherhood. Budhia is that woman who was crying in her labor pain and her husband and the father-in-law were listening to it.

A Cursed Mother

She is cursed because she once let them feed. But when she falls on death they never extend their hands to rescue her from this pain. Probably she was cursed because she wanted to give birth to her child.

The story begins with a situation where Budhia is thrashing in pain and even she does not have a single sari to wear. Probably she lies on the ground naked but she never stops struggling to give birth to her child.

The child was growing up in her womb for nine months but at last, she could not save the child. It dies in the womb along with her. As if the motherhood of Budhia dies in the womb and she lies cold on the ground.

From this segment, we, the readers cannot say that Budhia herself fails moreover her family rejects her in her serious condition. Then a question comes is who provoke her to become the cursed mother who failed to prove her motherhood?

Madhav is the husband of Budhia whom she treated like a god and she settled his life a disciplined. She fed him, she spared time on him, and also gave him love, care. 

Thus we can say she took the role of the mother to Madhav though sexuality was also involved. Then poverty comes and plays with two lives of the mother and her unborn child. In this story once Ghisu, the father of Madhav told him,

"You're pretty hard-hearted!

You've enjoyed life with her for a whole year – such faithlessness to her?"

So, here This is a bit kind-hearted because he could feel that the woman is dying in pain but her husband, Madhav never goes to have a look at her. Even Madhav told him in answer,

"Well, I can't stand to see her...

writhing and thrashing around."

So, this is such an excuse that the wife is dying for giving birth to his child and he is saying that he cannot see her struggling to become a mother. 

If Madhav knew so well that he could not be brought up as a child then why he gets attached with Budhia in a sexual affair? and if so then why he is neglecting to visit the wife for once?

 Moreover, he wants Budhia to die. After all, he does not want this child to because he does not have the money. 

In the book "Appearance and Reality" F.H.Bradley states,

"Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow.

The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing."

By these lines, we can connect Madhav who had a love for her wife that is his original self but poverty works here as the prime role. Madhav's mind blows with the tension that if the child is born how he will feed it.

 Like the tree, love for Budhia was true but poverty becomes the shadow that never lets him see Budhia lying in pain. Thus, we cannot say that Madhav let her become the cursed mother rather than the situation. 

Then comes the old father Ghisu who also lost his wife many years ago and he knows well how he suffered for her. From that aspect, he wanted her daughter-in-law to be the mother.

For her, he had pity and also had love. Budhia used to treat her as her father but still, her care and love could not save her from death. At the last movement, Budhia wanted Madhav to see but her wish never gets fulfilled.

The woman did for her family but they both rejected her at her pain. Here, Ghisu also rejects her to save them from death. This is a way of becoming a cursed mother.

The mother is dying along with the baby but after death, her family members got a feast after many days. So, death comes to them with a grand feast. Here, society is being portrayed crudely. In that manner, Budhia became the cursed mother.

Bibliography.

Premchad Munshi. "Classic Short Story, The Shroud". 1935.

Pratchett W. Frances. " The chess Players: From Premchad to Satyajit Ray". 1986. Journal of South Asian Literature.